King Gustav II Adolf (1594-1632) was monarch of Sweden from 1611-1632. In 1630 as a defensive maneuver, King Gustav II entered the Thirty Years’ War to secure the Swedish state and church from danger. An excellent military tactician, Gustav led an army of unusual quality, and his position was strengthened by alliances with France, Brandenburg, and Saxony. At Lützen in 1632, the Swedes defeated Albrecht W.E. von Wallensteins army, but King Gustav was fatally wounded in battle. The Gustav Rapier (SH2206) and main gauche (SH2209) are reproductions of his originals and are truly fit for a king. The guard of the rapier is quit impressive in design and has two shells to protect the hand. The rapier and main gauche come equipped with forged high-carbon spring steel blades and leather scabbards. This rapier and the matching main gauche blade produced from CAS/Hanwei are now interchangeable with the “Practical” blades (SH2255, SH2256), which are designed for safety in rapier sparring. Also available is the Gustav Rapier in an antiqued version (SH2206N) and matching antiqued main gauche (SH2209N). * Forged high-carbon steel * Leather scabbards