Antique Arms & Militaria

18th Century Royal Naval 100 Gunner Ship-Of-The-Line, Gunner's Cannon Priming Flask, Made and Used from the American Revolution, the Battle of Trafalgar and Beyond. Bearing a Royal Naval Ordnance Crown Stamp

King George IIIrd period. Used in the Royal Navy from the 1770's onwards. This is from a wonderful very small collection of fine, early, British Royal Naval pieces that we acquired. A traditional and most rare King George IIIrd period, 18th century gunner's flask, used on board a warship for likely 50 years or more, into the early 19th century of the Admiral Nelson period, and through the Napoleonic Wars.

A Royal Naval gunner's priming powder flask, of polished cow horn body, with traditional turned wooden base with screw threaded removable handle, with Royal Naval Ordnance Crown Stamp {see photo 10}, turned brass and spring actioned pouring spout, and two iron carrying rings.

A near identical example is in Oxford University's Pitt Rivers Museum that came from a gunner serving on HMS Victory at Trafalgar see photo in the gallery In the firing naval cannon at Trafalgar, huge amounts of gunpowder were required to fire them, and the cannon were ignited with very fine quality, fine ground priming powder poured into the touch hole. Young boys, often known as powder monkeys, would haul gunpowder to the gun decks within barrels. Cow horns flasks, with brass spring actioned spouts, just such as this one, were used to contain the fine grain priming powder, which was poured into the pan of the touch hole of each cannon before firing. The example that can be seen photographed in our gallery was donated to the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford by the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum (now Wellcome Institute) in 1952, it is said to have belonged to a gunner on Admiral Nelson's flagship, HMS Victory.
The Victory famously led a fleet of twenty-seven British ships to victory over Napoleon's forces at the Battle of Trafalgar in October 1805, although Nelson himself sustained a mortal injury aboard deck. Because the vast majority of an 18th century ship's armament was mounted in its broadside, fleets typically formed into a single line ahead in preparation for battle. This simplified command and control each ship could simply follow the ship in front and enabled the fleet to uniformly arrange its firepower along a continuous formation with no weak spots. The line was sometimes divided into van (forward), centre, and rear divisions under subordinate commanders. Maintenance of a continuous, unbroken line was important. If the enemy was able to position directly ahead or behind a friendly ship, he would be comparatively safe from attack (as only a handful of guns fired directly ahead or astern) and could concentrate his broadside against the weakest parts of his target the lightly constructed bow and stern. For this reason, fleet battles often resolved into two parallel lines of ships edging towards each other with each ship indecisively facing its opposite. More aggressive admirals sought ways to overcome this tactical stalemate, concentrating their force against a smaller portion of the enemy by breaking the line.

Firing began once the fleets closed within range. At the extreme, cannon shot might reach the enemy at ranges up to a mile, but British commanders often held their fire until the ships had closed to only a few hundred yards, or even less. The adversaries would then pour fire into one another, shattering hulls, masts, rigging, and men with heavy cannon shot. Individual ships might surrender by hauling down (striking) their colours when disabled by damage or casualties. As a last resort, a ship might be forced to surrender through boarding. Battle usually continued until one side disengaged or the sun set though a number of battles were fought partly or entirely in the dark.

Priming powder was a refined type of gunpowder that ignited more easily and so it was important to use the right amount. Too much powder could be catastrophic, too little powder might prevent ignition of the main charge in the breech, resulting in just a flash in the pan. Here, a brass mounted spring catch helped control the amount that was poured out. Two screw hooks can be seen where the horn would have been attached to a belt or baldrick and slung around the gunner?s torso, and it could be refilled by unscrewing the wooden stopper at the broad end.

Horn was an ideal material for powder flasks as it was readily available and provided a natural container; unlike metal it was not liable to create sparks that might accidentally ignite the powder inside; and it was also translucent when held up to the light, so it was possible to see how much powder was left.

See photos 8 and 9 in the gallery that shows the identical gunner's priiming flask on board HMS Victory, as part of the museum's display

This flask is just under 11 inches long.  read more

Code: 22928

A Very Rare Antiquity of Ancient Roman Empire. The 1st Roman Legion, Late 1st century AD, Rectangular Building Block With Stamped Text 'LEG I ITAL' for 1st Legion 'Italica';

A notable and substantial piece formerly from the renown Scammell Collection of ancient artifacts. Its original mortar is still attached to the reverse. LEG I ITAL was the first legion raised by Emperor Nero in September 66 AD. In 181 AD, Marcus Valerius Maximianus, an important Roman general, was the general of the 1st Legion Italica, and he was a confident of Emperor Marcus Aurelias, during the period of the Marcomannic Wars. It is said he inspired the composite fictional general Maximus Decimus Meridius, the main character and Roman General in Gladiator played by Russell Crowe, and it was the Marcomannic wars that are depicted in the earliest scenes in Gladiator in which the fictional Marcus Valerius Maximis was a commanding general. Marcus Valerius Maximianus was placed in charge of detachments of the praetorian fleets of Misenum and Ravenna and also of African and Moorish cavalry used for scouting duties in Pannonia. While on active service with the cavalry Maximianus killed a Germanic chieftain named as "Valao, chief of the Naristi" with his own hand and was publicly praised by the Emperor, who granted him the chieftain's "horse, decorations and weapons". He was appointed prefect of the lance-bearing cavalry and was in charge of the cavalry. The Ist Legion was still based on the Danube in the 5th century. We show a Roman marble bust of Emperor Marcus Aurelius who was played by Richard Harris in Gladiator. The main fighting unit of the Roman army was the legion. During the first three centuries of the empire the army contained between 25 and 34 legions. Each legion was made up of about 5000 men recruited from the citizens. Although the soldiers of the legion were Roman citizens, they were drawn from all walks of life and legions often consisted of natives from conquered countries.

The legion contained within its ranks troops trained and equipped to perform many duties in wartime and peace. Although the vast majority of soldiers served as heavy infantry, other legionaries fought as cavalry, archers or light infantry. Other troops operated artillery such as the ballista, onagar and scorpio The troops were however not solely prepared for combat. Legionaries regularly served as engineers constructing fortifications, roads and bridges. As the legion counted among its complement a vast number of men with special skills, it was in many ways self-supporting. A large part of its military equipment could be produced by craftsmen drawn from the ranks. Soldiers trained as surveyors, engineers and architects ensured that the legion needed little outside help for its building requirements. As far as a Legion travelled it built buildings, bridges, even sewer systems. And their efforts were stamped upon some of their building bricks to show which legion had constructed them. There are some parts of London that still bear bricks stamped by their engineers of the Roman Legions. Bricks, blocks and tiles stamped P.P.BR.LON or some variant of this has been found associated with the traces of the old Roman palace off Cannon St. Whatever the meaning of the first P, it is clear that the P.BR.LON or PR.BR., as it sometimes appears, is an abbreviation for PROVINCIAE BRITANNIAE LONDINII. At the site of a Roman bath house in Jerusalem, three of the bricks recovered bore the same style of rectangular stamped impression of the Roman Legio X Fretensis – stamped thus LE X FR. Legio X Fretensis ("Tenth legion of the Strait") was a legion of the Imperial Roman army. It was founded by the young Gaius Octavius (later to become Augustus Caesar) in 41/40 BC to fight during the period of civil war that started the dissolution of the Roman Republic. X Fretensis is then recorded to have existed at least until the 410s. This Roman block is from the private collection of Antony John Scammell (1937-2019); acquired on the UK art market from 1960. Antony John Scammell (1937-2019) was born, and lived his entire life, in the city of Bristol, England. Already from an early age he was enthralled by history and the heroes that it created. While serving overseas with the British Army, Antony began collecting coins and banknotes and this led to collecting a variety of different items throughout his life. From the early 1960s onward, Antony invested in acquiring ancient artefacts. Antony's vast collections started with Egyptian antiquities, but soon branched into Greek and Roman civilisations. The Roman civilisation fascinated him most and, when family commitments allowed, archaeological digs were coordinated in the west of England. These digs uncovered numerous artefacts, many of which were donated to local museums. In retirement, the collecting continued apace, branching into UK coins, British Empire banknotes and fossils. It weighs 4.6 kg, and is 19 x 19cm (7 1/2 x 7 1/2").  read more

Code: 23424

A Most Rare British Army Officer's 1801, Egyptian Campaign, Snake Goddess' Head Light Infantry Officer’s Sword. Used Throughout The Entire Napoleonic Wars Up To The Battle of Waterloo. Likely By An Officer of ‘The Glosters’

Specifically with British Army ‘Nile Club’ officer's connections, where officer members, who fought in the Egypt campaign, wore distinctive swords with zoomorphic hilts depicting animal gods and goddesses. A direct homage to Nelson's presentation zoomorphic hilted sword, dirk and sword versions of Nelson’s zoomorphic sword, as worn by his captains who served under his command, and by the marines and army officers who similarly fought in his Egypt campaign on land over the next three years, that were members of the so-called Egyptian or Nile Club. The wearing of such a sword {or a dirk} would clearly and distinctively set an officer apart as ‘one who served’ in the great hero’s victorious campaign.

Egyptian gods and goddesses, much famed in ancient Egypt, become hugely popular throughout Western artistic culture in the early 19th century.
Europe became beguiled by ancient Egyptian art and architecture in all its forms, and furniture designers and sculptors particularly, eagerly created the ‘Egyptian style’ in the Regency period England, and the Consular and Directoire period in France.

This is a most rare British officer's bespoke sword, commissioned circa 1800, with such a stylish hilt, of a rare, zoomorphic, ancient Egyptian animal god or goddess form, with its snake god head pommel, with engraved snake-scale body creating its back strap, plus, the Egyptian snake goddess Wadjet's form, as engraved hilt langets. This sword is based on the British 1796 pattern light infantry variant sabre, with its deeply curved slashing blade, superbly etched with King George’s royal cyphers. This sword was continually used throughout the Napoleonic Wars, and up to Waterloo in 1815. Very likely by an officer of ‘The Glosters” the 28th Regiment of Foot. No doubt the fact that the Goddess Wadget was the Ancient Egyptian symbol of divine authority and royal power likely had no small influence upon its choice of design.

In 1801 On the morning of March 21 a vastly superior French army, which easily outnumbered the British, attacked near Alexandria. By those times muzzle-loading rifles were in common use and the infantry fought in two ranks - one row kneeling and the rear rank firing over their shoulders.

At one point during the fierce fighting -when it looked as though the Glosters would be surrounded - the rear rank was commanded to "about face". This meant turning and fighting back-to-back against enemy soldiers coming from the rear. After much savage hand-to-hand combat the French were stopped and by mid-morning their entire army was in retreat.

As a reward for their vital contribution to the victory - and in memory of that back-to-back fighting - the Glosters were given the right to wear a badge at the back, as well as the front, of their caps - the famous sphinx Back Badge.

Napoleon's army in Egypt may have been defeated but on the European mainland his forces remained a serious threat. By 1810 both the 28th and 61st were in Spain with the task of clearing French troops from the entire Peninsular.

But it took another four years of difficult fighting - in which the Glosters lost 1,200 men - before the British, under the command of the "Iron" Duke of Wellington, finally expelled them.

In 1814, Napoleon, having escaped from Elba, once more rallied troops to his cause and the European allies - under the command of the Duke - were sent to face him.

In the summer of 1815, Napoleon was finally defeated at Waterloo and exiled to the island of St Helena. The Glosters were in the forefront of the fighting - and were the only regiment specifically mentioned by name in Wellington's famous despatch.

With a beautiful zoomorphic hilt, with its original mercurial gilt finish, of a beautifully chiselled and hand engraved snake's head and body, combined with two snake engraved langets, with its wire bound wooden grip, and deeply curved now russetted blade bearing King George IIIrd's cyphers. Deep sword cuts from close combat action on the blade edge and upon one langet. Combat damage inflicted likely in the Peninsular War up to Waterloo. Nelson's captains at the Nile formed the Egyptian Club often though referred to as the Nile Club to meet and commemorate the battle. Among their first actions were to present a sword to Nelson and commission his portrait. There were also weapons made, based on the one presented to Nelson, for the other members of the Egyptian Club, that had zoomorphic hilts in the form of crocodiles.
At the instigation, it is said, of Lady Hamilton and Captain Hardy, the Marquess of Queensbury laid out a plantation of trees on his estate near Stonehenge in Wiltshire in the formation of the fleets at the Battle of the Nile, known as the ‘Nile Clumps’. A ceremonial sword with its hilt in the shape of a crocodile commemorating Nelson's victory over the French at the Battle of the Nile in 1798, which was estimated at £40,000 to £60,000, sold at auction in 2002 for £270,650 to a private collector.

The engraved sword was one of a handful made for the elite Egyptian Club whose membership was restricted to the captains of ships which had fought at the Nile. Nelson called them his "band of brothers". However, Howard Blackmore late assistant keeper of the Tower of London Collection told us around 30 years ago, that there was a distinct possibility British army officers, that also fought at the Nile Campaign, but of course on land, formed their own version of Nelson's Egyptian Club, called the Nile Club, where officers in the campaign had zoomorphic Egyptian snake or camel hilted swords presented to each other. The snake hilted version were based on the snakes of the ancient Egyptian Goddess Wadjet, and the snake head on the Pharaoh's crown. There is a distinct possibility that this sword may well be one of those, its rare shape and form certainly shows as likely. We have heard of one serving example now in America, a Nile club officer’s sword with a zoomorphic camel head hilt. Its likely possibilities of provenance are most intriguing. Five years ago also we had a British camel headed version likely from the same club member. The French Campaign in Egypt and Syria (1798-1801) was Napoleon Bonaparte's campaign in the Ottoman territories of Egypt and Syria, proclaimed to defend French trade interests, weaken Britain's access to British India, and to establish scientific enterprise in the region. It was the primary purpose of the Mediterranean campaign of 1798, a series of naval engagements that included the capture of Malta.

On the scientific front, the expedition eventually led to the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, creating the field of Egyptology. Despite many decisive victories and an initially successful expedition into Syria, Napoleon and his Armee d'Orient were eventually forced to withdraw, after sowing political disharmony in France, experiencing conflict in Europe, and suffering the defeat of the supporting French fleet at the Battle of the Nile.

The last time we saw an Egyptian Club Zoomorphic crocodile hilted sword sold was at Sotheby's in 2020, estimated at £60,000 to £80,000 gbp, but the blue and gilt to the blade was present and it had its scabbard.

The second to last photo in the gallery is of a painting of ‘The Glosters’, that fought at Waterloo.

The last photo in the gallery shows a photograph of one section of the collection in the museum of Waterloo, taken in around 1900, showing all the weapons of Waterloo en situ, including all the protagonists {British, French, Prussian and Belgian muskets, swords, pistols, armour uniforms, etc}. The museum was founded and owned by a veteran of the 7th Hussars that fought at Waterloo

No scabbard.  read more

Code: 22179

A Most Beautiful and Very Rare Medieval Tudor Period Erotically Carved Bone Hilted Knife or Dagger 500 to 600 Years Old

A most delightful and original piece of early carved erotica. That is also a functioning knife or dagger. Likely early Tudor Period, 15th to 16th century. Carved in form of a lady in traditional dress in a demi-seated position, exposing her decolletage and her lower legs, with her hand clasping the hem of her dress, resting at her knees. Single edged blade with natural well aged russeted sound blade The pose is most intriguing portraying semi nudity, in a bawdy and erotic pose. Knives of the medieval era could mounted with carved hilts for of those status and great worth, but it is very unusual to see an example with such an erotic figural design. Cutlery manufacture involved a number of specialists: the blademaker, grinder, hafter (the person who made the handle), sheather (the maker of the sheath in which the knife was carried) and the furbisher or cutler, who assembled the parts, forging the blade, and sold the finished items. The London Cutlers Company, set up in 1415, regulated the trade until the 18th century. It obliged cutlers to mark their wares with their personal devices. In the Medieval era men carried their knives, not in their pockets, if indeed they had any, but usually in sheaths hanging from a girdle which went round the body just above the hips. It was the business of the girdler, as he was called, to supply these girdles, and we shall see that in the inventory of a York girdler, dated 1439, there were many girdles and knives. Most knives although made for protection, could double as an eating knife.
There were few table-knives, in this era. and when at table nearly everybody used the knife of his or her own. In 1392 a lady bequeathed "my knife which I use," in her last will and testament. Even in the last century, in taverns, in many countries, particularly in some towns of France, knives were not placed on the table, because it was expected that each person should have one of his own. 8.25 inches overall.  read more

Code: 19762

Royal Artillery, Victorian Officer's 'Busby' Helmet Plume Holder Circa 1859-78.

A simply stunning example in superb condition. A very fine gilt example. Flaming grenade (straight flames), the ball mounted with Royal Arms with 'Ubique' scroll below; beneath the scroll, a gun with mounted wheel and scroll 'Quo Fas et Gloria Ducunt'.

Reverse retains plume holder and slider fitting. Very good condition.  read more

Code: 20591

Original, Antique, Victorian Household Cavalry Armour Breastplate Cuirass of the LifeGuards, The Blues &The Royals. the Mounted Personal Bodyguard Regiments of the British Monarch, Part of The Household Division

With With brass edge trim & rivets. It bears the ordnance inspection stamps. Used by all of H.M.Queen Victoria's Household Cavalry regiments.

We have a pair of these original Victorian Horse Guards cuirass breastplates, but they are for sale separately.

During a visit to the Tower several decades ago, thanks to an invitation by our friend Howard Blackmore {historian and assistant curator at the Tower} we had a discussion, amongst many other subjects, of the conversion of the Life Guards and Horseguards back to armoured heavy cavalry, after around 150 years of un-armoured service as the monarch's mounted guard since the 17th century.

This is one of those early cuirass breast plates created for the newly armoured horse guards regiments.

From 1661 to 1778, the Life Guards Troops saw action in the Jacobite Wars, the Second Dutch War
(when they served as sailors) ant the War of the Austrian Succession. In 1778 the four Horse
Guard Troops and Horse Grenadiers re-formed as the 1st Life Guards. Both Regiments fought
with distinction in the Waterloo campaign.
For the Egyptian War of 1882, Life Guards formed a Composite Household Cavalry
Regiment with the Royal Horse Guards, making Royal Horse Guards, making the famous
moonlight charge at Kassain. In 1894, for the relief of Khartoum, both Regiments contributed
soldiers to the Heavy Camel Regiment and were again formed as a Composite Household
Cavalry Regiment for the 2nd Boer War in 1900

The Royal Dragoons (1st Dragoons), initially known as The Tangier Horse, were raised by
King Charles II to form part of the garrison at Tangier, which had been acquired on his
marriage to Catherine of Braganza as part of her dowry. Known as The Royals, during the
18th century the Regiment saw service in most of the same wars as The Blues, including the
Peninsula campaign and Waterloo, where the Regiment famously captured the Eagle of the
French 105th Infantry Regiment. However, in the 19th century, unlike The Blues, The Royals
saw service in the Crimea and in India.  read more

Code: 25578

A Most Delightful, Original, Antique Carved Buffalo Horn Hilted Ottoman Empire Khanjar Dagger

this is a typical Ottoman Empire khanjar or jambiya of the 19th century, with traditional carved buffalo horn hilt.

Where they were adopted they had slight differences to the blade, hilt and scabbard. A significant part of a jambiya or khanjar is its hilt (handle). The saifani hilt is made of exotic horn, It is used on the daggers of wealthier men. Different versions of saifani hilts can be distinguished by their colour. Other jambiya hilts are made of different types of horn, wood, metal and ivory. Apart from the material used for the hilt, the design and detail is a measure of its value and the status of its owner. there are 53 different types of Jambiya in the Metropolitan museum Collection, some bear a similarity to this example, many with near identical blades.

The blade and carved hilt are in superb condition, the wooden scabbard is good and sound, but the embossed leather covering is thin and therefore now somewhat fragile with natural age losses.

Every item is accompanied with our unique, Certificate of Authenticity. Of course any certificate of authenticity, given by even the best specialist dealers, in any field, all around the world, is simply a piece of paper,…however, ours is backed up with the fact we are the largest dealers of our kind in the world, with over 100 years and four generation’s of professional trading experience behind us
Overall 11 inches long in scabbard.  read more

Code: 24521

Very Rare Company Of Watermen, River Thames, Tudor' Barge Fork Circa 1530 Ideal For A Tudor House or Museum Type Display. From The Era of Thomas Cromwell A Frequent User Of Thames Barges

Large 'Y' shaped head and old oak haft. It bears two large letters stamped in the iron ' T & M'. These are likely for a Barge Company of Waterman mark. We had another about 10 years ago bearing the same company mark and these historical artifacts are now really rare. Recovered from the Thames near London Bridge. In the 16th Century the Company of Watermen were the equivalent to today’s cabbies. Created by an Act of Parliament in 1556 and their trade was carefully licensed. They would ply for hire from designated locations along the Thames, with the cry of ‘Oars! Oars!’

When the watermen were not transporting people they would turn their hand to salvage and found a brisk trade in finding bodies, either suicides or those who?d accidentally drowned or been murdered. By a curious quirk of history, the origins of which are now lost, bodies were almost always landed on the south side of the river because the authorities would pay a shilling for a body landed in Southwark but only sixpence for one landed on the north bank. Clearly waterborne cabbies were not averse to ‘going south of the river’ in those days.

One on the best trips for the Watermen was from the City to as far up river as Hampton Court.The trade was not without its dangers; if you wanted to travel downstream below London Bridge you risked life and limb. A major feature of London Bridge was the effect it had on the Thames. The location of the bridge?s 19 timber pier supports (called starlings) was determined by riverbed conditions and this meant that they were varied in spacing across the river. Consequently, the arch spans varied in size too and boats navigating the arches encountered different currents and river conditions at each one. Some were more dangerous than others. Over the years, boatmen christened the arches with various names, such as Gut, Lock and Long Entry. Navigating through these arches in a boat could be very dangerous because the closeness and number of starlings backed up the river water, creating rapids. In some places the drop in water height from one side of the bridge to the other was more than the height of a man. Many people lost their lives ‘shooting’ the bridge and ‘Drowned at the bridge’ became a common entry in the registers at nearby graveyards, but most Londoners took Cardinal Wolsey's example. On his frequent visits to Greenwich to see Henry VIII, he would have his barge stopped above the bridge and get out and travel to Billingsgate by mule, where he would rejoin his barge, providing it had successfully negotiated the rapids. The barge fork was used to push a barge away from an obstruction, or for pushing off from the river bank or jetty. The last picture is of a statue of the Martyr John Roche a Thames Waterman, Martyred at Tyburn in 1588, who is mounted St Etheldreda’s Church in Ely Place, London, along the North and South walls, alongside his fellow 7 Martyrs. Fork head 13.1 inches long by 6.25 inches across. Total length around 5+ foot.

Every item is accompanied with our unique, Certificate of Authenticity. Of course any certificate of authenticity, given by even the best specialist dealers, in any field, all around the world, is simply a piece of paper,…however, ours is backed up with the fact we are the largest dealers of our kind in the world, with over 100 years and four generation’s of professional trading experience behind us  read more

Code: 21232

THE LANES ARMOURY NEW YEAR GIFT VOUCHER CAN BE A GREAT IDEA, AND ARE PROVING VERY POPULAR INDEED, AND HAVE DONE SINCE THE 1980'S. THEY ARE BESPOKE FOR ANY AMOUNT {AND WITHOUT EXPIRY DATE}

A Gift Voucher is often the ideal solution to leave the decision of the item to choose to the person you wish to gift. They can select any form of item whatsoever, such as samurai arms and armour, militaryantiques and militaria or books. They are available from us for all values, from only £15 upwards, and as required, and are entirely bespoke to the recipient. All are unique and customised for each and every occasion. We have priced this example in the gallery at £50, and the image shows our £200.00 voucher, but you can specify any alternative amount at all in the 'comment' section in the Webstore Order page, or call us direct.  read more

Code: 19501

Original Viking 9th Century Battle Axe Head, Worn & Used by Vikings from the Viking Lands of Grand Prince Oleg and Vladimir the Great Period,

From a fabulous small collection of original, Viking, 9th century early Christian artefacts. Only two items, including this one remains for sale, the other sold within 10 minutes of upload to the site.

A Viking realm founded by the Viking, Oleg, ruler of Novgorod Kievanrus from c. 879, who seized Smolensk and Kiev 882, which became his capital. Viking Prince Oleg can be seen depicted, and as a central character, in the well regarded and incredibly popular worldwide drama series ‘Viking’, in series 6 shown by the History channel.
Extending his rule, Oleg united local Slavic and Finnish tribes, defeated the Khazars, and, in 911, arranged trade agreements with Constantinople. His empire peaked in the 10th and 11th centuries under Vladimir I and Yaroslav, becoming eastern Europe’s chief political and cultural centre. At Yaroslav’s death in 1054, his sons divided the empire into warring factions. The 13th-century Mongol conquest decisively ended its power. Although Oleg was pagan it was the time that Christianity took hold in Viking realms. In the Viking Age most of Europe had converted to Christianity, but the Vikings were very satisfied with their own gods and held on to them. ... By the end of the Viking period, around 1050, most Vikings were Christians. They were baptised, went to church and were buried in a Christian manner. he Viking Age was a period of considerable religious change in Scandinavia. Part of the popular image of the Vikings is that they were all pagans, with a hatred of the Christian Church, but this view is very misleading. It is true that almost the entire population of Scandinavia was pagan at the beginning of the Viking Age, but the Vikings had many gods, and it was no problem for them to accept the Christian god alongside their own. Most scholars today believe that Viking attacks on Christian churches had nothing to do with religion, but more to do with the fact that monasteries were typically both wealthy and poorly defended, making them an easy target for plunder.

...monasteries were typically both wealthy and poorly defended, making them an easy target for plunder.

The Vikings came into contact with Christianity through their raids, and when they settled in lands with a Christian population, they adopted Christianity quite quickly. This was true in Normandy, Ireland, and throughout the British Isles. Although contemporary accounts say little about this, we can see it in the archaeological evidence. Pagans buried their dead with grave goods, but Christians normally didn't, and this makes it relatively easy to spot the change in religion.

As well as conversion abroad, the Viking Age also saw a gradual conversion in Scandinavia itself, as Anglo-Saxon and German missionaries arrived to convert the pagans. By the mid-11th century, Christianity was well established in Denmark and most of Norway. Although there was a temporary conversion in Sweden in the early 11th century, it wasn't until the mid-12th century that Christianity became established there. As part of the process of conversion the Christians took over traditional pagan sites. A good example of this can be seen at Gamle Uppsala in Sweden, where the remains of an early church stand alongside a series of huge pagan burial mounds. for those that follow the superb History Channel's series, Vikings, he is the main protagonist of series 6. Kievan Rus was largely pagan until the late 10th century, when Vladimir the Great took power and introduced Christianity. The conversion actually resulted from a deal between Vladimir and the Byzantine Emperor. Vladimir agreed to convert to Christianity and send the emperor 6,000 soldiers to defend his throne; in exchange, Vladimir would marry the emperor’s sister.The transition to Christianity in Denmark took place gradually and without major conflict. The Vikings regarded the new belief as supplementing the Nordic gods – it was not simply a choice between the old and the new religion. The Vikings’ belief in many gods meant that it was possible for the new Christian god, White Christ, to be worshipped alongside gods like Thor and Odin.

In this way both religious beliefs could exist alongside each other. One religion did not exclude the other. This is shown by the find of a mould, which the smith could use to make both Thor’s hammers and Christian crosses. It was a time of great change and perhaps the Vikings sought security in both religious creeds – just to be on the safe side.a smith’s mould from Trend in Jutland, which has spaces for two crosses and one hammer. The smith could use it to produce exactly which amulets his customers wanted. In addition, a medieval font from Gettrup, in Jutland, displays both crosses and Thor’s hammers. Several Thor’s hammers, which feature cross ornamentation, have also been found. The Viking belief in the Norse gods was thus reinterpreted and drawn into Christianity.The Jelling Stone displays what is probably the earliest image of Christ from Scandinavia. But there are also clear pre-Christian elements on the stone. Tendrils or interlacing branches, surround Christ, just as Odin could also be depicted surrounded by tendrils or branches.

Every item is accompanied with our unique, Certificate of Authenticity. Of course any certificate of authenticity, given by even the best specialist dealers, in any field, all around the world, is simply a piece of paper,…however, ours is backed up with the fact we are the largest dealers of our kind in the world, with over 100 years and four generation’s of professional trading experience behind us  read more

Code: 24578