The Crusader's Mysterious Sword - Medievalists.net

The tomb effigy of a French crusader from the thirteenth century preserves a surprising secret: a carved copy of a Chinese sword which belonged to the knight. The question of how a Chinese sword ended up on the tomb has fascinated scholars for decades. It is a story that speaks to the influence of global travel, crusading warfare, trade and plunder, inviting us to reconsider the Middle Ages as more globally connected than often imagined.

After being captured in Egypt during the Seventh Crusade (1248–54), Peter of Dreux’s sword disappeared. It was lost for nearly seven hundred years until the late 1920s, when its pommel was rediscovered in the Damascus bazaar by Louis J. Cartier – of House of Cartier fame – who purchased it and gifted it to The Met. This invaluable relic – one of the most remarkable personal objects to survive from the crusades – offers a fascinating window into the life and military campaigns of its owner.