The early Middle Ages are a dark era, even too dark. Despite the development of historical science and archeology, this particular period of time is full of numerous secrets and mysteries for researchers. And one of the grandest mysteries is the so-called Ulfbert sword. More precisely, Ulfbert's swords, because to date, about two hundred of them have already been found, but, most likely, there were many more such swords.
What is the mystery of Ulfbert's swords? And the fact that the technology of their manufacture was ahead of time for many centuries - in the early Middle Ages, with its primitive technique and little knowledge, it was simply impossible to achieve such a phenomenal purity and strength of metal. This level of processing became possible only in the era of the industrial revolution, that is, after almost eight hundred years.
Brand between two crosses
Ulfbert's swords date back to a short period of time - between the middle of 850 - 1000 years. They do not meet either before or after this time.
The earlier European Middle Ages were a time of endless wars, local conflicts, the invasion of the Vikings and the struggle for power of European rulers. It is clear that in such turbulent times weapons were required by many, very many - both professional soldiers, and ordinary people, and robbers from the high road. So the weapons were in abundance. However, there were much fewer really good and high-quality weapons, they did not know how to make them in Europe.
Only very wealthy gentlemen could afford to purchase a high-quality blade, all others preferred to seize a good weapon as a trophy on the battlefield.
As for swords, the best in those days were, of course, oriental blades made of Damascus steel, the manufacture of which was kept in the strictest confidence.
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However, in a short period of time, between the 9th and 10th centuries, wonderful and even somewhat fantastic blades appeared in Europe, on which the Ulfberht mark stood between two crosses.
At the same time, no one knows who exactly made these amazing swords, having penetrated the secrets of forging and casting, and what the Ulfbert brand means - an individual person or a "company", a certain brand, in modern terms. And what happened then is also a question, because Ulfbert's swords lasted only two hundred years, and then they stopped making them, and the technology of their manufacture, as well as the composition of the metal, were lost for a thousand years.
The secret is clean
Why are Ulfbert's swords so good and what sets them apart from other weapons of that era?
Outwardly, these were typical Carolingian swords - straight, double-edged, with a short guard. To distinguish Ulfbert's sword from a simple blade, the brand of the same name and the sparkling pommel of the hilt, which consisted of many filled strips of brass, red copper and silver, helped to distinguish Ulfbert's sword from a simple blade: all these strips sparkled and shimmered in the sun, which created the effect of playing the light of precious stones.
But, of course, the main advantage of Ulfbert's swords was not in external beauty, but in quality, in the metal that was used to make them.
Of course, there was no mythical material here. Ulfbert's swords were made of iron. But it was so pure iron that it seems fantastic, for well, medieval craftsmen could not achieve such a high purity of steel in such primitive conditions!
Any other weapon of the early Middle Ages was malleable and fragile. To obtain steel of a very high degree of purification, a temperature of three thousand degrees is required - it was impossible to achieve this in frail medieval forges, hence the fragility and fragility of medieval blades. They often broke, quickly deteriorated. But not the swords that bear the Ulfbert brand!
Their composition amazes modern scientists: one hundred percent crucible steel, without impurities and slags, a large amount of carbon. Unsurprisingly, Ulfbert's swords were lightweight, flexible, terribly sharp and durable - a deadly thing in experienced hands!
Only Damascus steel could withstand Ulfbert's swords - their compositions turned out to be similar. And this is also a mystery: after all, the secret of Damascus steel was kept in the strictest confidence, and Ulfbert's swords were clearly of European origin!
Where wonderful swords were forged
In the East, Ulfbert's swords were not in use, which is understandable - there were their magnificent blades. Almost all of Ulfbert's swords were found in Europe, and the area of their distribution is quite wide, one might say, the whole of Europe - from France to the banks of the Volga. Moreover, the main part of the swords was found in the Viking graves and at the bottom of the rivers (remember the Viking burial boats, which were burned along with the body, wealth and, of course, weapons).
Most of these swords are currently found in Norway and Finland. They are found in sufficient numbers on the territory of modern Ukraine, in the South-Eastern Ladoga region, the Lower Dnieper region and in the Yaroslavl and Smolensk regions of Russia.
Modern scholars are trying to determine exactly where Ulfbert's swords were made. Much indicates that they were forged, most likely in Australasia - that was the name of the northwestern part of the Merovingian state, which occupied the territory of the present northeast of France, Belgium, the Netherlands and the west of Germany.
Chemists in one of the items found in Saxony have isolated a large amount of lead and tin in the pommel of the sword. It turned out that such lead was mined specifically in the north of Frankfurt, or more precisely, in the area of the Taunus mountain range, this deposit was developed during the Roman period.
But this does not mean that swords were forged there. Most likely, the extracted raw materials were transported further, but it is not known where. Where did the mysterious Ulfbert forge wonderful swords?
And in general, who or what was hidden under the Ulfbert brand? The style of the "corporate" letters on the swords is unambiguously Scandinavian, although it is made in the capital Latin script. So we are dealing with a northerner? But the northerners of that time, especially the Vikings, who more than others used Ulfbert's swords, were in many ways pagans, then where did the Christian cross on their swords come from? Or was the author of the swords a Christian? Or is this cross not Christian symbolism at all?
In relation to Ulfbert, everything is not clear. By the number of "branded" swords that the researchers discovered, one can safely declare the phenomenal mass production of them. Modern data show that literally every fourth blade in the last quarter of the first millennium AD was Ulfbert's sword! Basically, we should be talking about the largest production of horribly expensive and incredibly high quality white weapons in Europe. And this is in the very early Middle Ages!
But here's the catch: if this production was so massive, then why does not a single document of that era say a single word about Ulfbert and his wonderful swords? There were swords, but the master who produced them was not.
Workshop, workshop or monastery
Some of the researchers are sure that under the "brand" Ulfbert should mean a kind of workshop. Firstly, swords of this level, and even in such a large number, cannot be forged by one person. Mass production requires an indispensable division of labor and a "workshop" concentrated in one place with a group of craftsmen and apprentices. In the East, where Damascus steel was forged, everything was exactly like this: there, every operation, whether it was metal blanking, forging, pulling strips, hardening, sharpening, handles, engraving and jewelry, was made by a special craftsman.
Secondly, Ulfbert's swords have been made for two hundred years - too long a century for one person. However, for a "firm" that supplied an exclusive and high-quality product, it is quite suitable.
But in the early Middle Ages there were not and could not be production workshops and such developed workshops. Small forges would not have been able to hold out for two centuries. Only workshops in monasteries could work for two hundred years. Indeed, in the mining area, some Christian monasteries were engaged in the production of weapons.
However, there was no monastery named "Ulfbert"! Nowhere and never. Such a monastery does not appear in any European document. So, most likely, Ulfbert's swords are still a private matter. But again, the question is: why has no mention of who forged them and where has reached our days?
Two hundred years afloat
If Ulfbert is a workshop, then it should have been huge and take up a lot of space, therefore, it could not disappear completely without a trace - some topographic names would have to reflect the fact of its existence. However, here too there is a dead end, as if this workshop simply fell into the ground.
In general, a number of researchers believe that the matter was like this: a certain northerner (judging by his name) Ulfbert somehow miraculously learned the secret of Damascus steel and started a single production of weapons. But the demand for his amazing products turned out to be so great that he had to create a workshop, which he called by his name, so that his swords could be distinguished from all others.
Most likely, after his death, Ulfbert's business was continued by his sons (no one will share the great secret with strangers), and then - by his grandchildren, and so on, until the time of the “firm's” decline came.
Although two hundred years "afloat" can also be called a miracle in a world where Vikings and pirates suddenly land and slaughter the entire population, where wars are going on one after another, where any diseases harmless to us are fatal, not to mention epidemics … Two hundred years for workshop - just incredible.
Imitations and fakes
Ulfbert, whoever he was, had to deal with the same thing that original manufacturers still face today - counterfeits. And fakes are a vivid evidence of the popularity of the product and its relevance.
But not a single European blacksmith knew what the mysterious Ulfbert knew, and therefore imitation swords were distinguished by coarseness of details, errors in the drawing of the "logo", but most importantly - a lower carbon content in the metal and its purity. Copies were not made of crucible steel at all.
Without a doubt, counterfeits were cheaper, but the low quality of counterfeit could be fatal for the owner of such a counterfeit weapon.
Disappeared as suddenly as they appeared
Ulfbert's swords disappeared as suddenly as they appeared. Around 1000 they disappear and no longer appear on the historical scene.
Researchers believe that the reason for the disappearance of Ulfbert's swords was the appearance of a competitor - swords of the so-called early Romanesque type, which quickly gained popularity. The knights of the heyday of the Middle Ages were armed with just such swords, with which it was easier to cut through the armor of the enemy, which were practically not observed in the era of the Vikings and Ulfbert's swords.
However, along with Ulfbert's swords, the technology of their manufacture disappeared, and most importantly, the secret of the crucible steel from which they were made. Everything was forgotten, and we might never have known that such swords existed at all, if not for archaeological finds, which added to the existing secrets one more - the secret of Ulfbert's swords.
Despite the advances in science, we know practically nothing about Ulfbert's swords, except that they seem to have been made in a different time, and not in the dark era of the Vikings …
Marina Sitnikova