Joyeuse: The Legendary
Sword of Charlemagne not to be confused with Kid Rock’s sidekick, Joe C
In the book, The Song of
Roland which is based on the Battle of Roncevaux in 778 c.e tells about King
Charlemagne heading into battle with his sword named Joyeuse by his side.
“Charlemagne was wearing
his fine white coat of mail and his helmet with gold-studded stones; by his
side hung Joyeuse, and never was there a sword to match it; its color changed thirty
times a day.”
Throughout history there
have been many of great weapons wheeled by great men. There is Thor’s hammer, King
Arthur’s Excalibur, and King Charlemagne Joyeuse to name a few. There were always
rumors that these great weapons had magical powers imbued in them. Joyeuse was herald
as to protect the man wielding it from being poisoned. The name Joyeuse means
joyful in French.
Powerful men realized the significance of this sword and what
it represented.
Joyeuse has been used in coronations of French Kings for centuries.
Napoleon Bonaparte and King Louis the X have used Joyeuse in ceremonies. This sword
has been modified over the centuries for several prominent people. It was
modified in the 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th
centuries. The scabbard was also modified with velvet.
King Charlemagne sword has been on display in
Paris France, at the Louvre Museum since the French Revolution. It was moved
there from the Abbey of Saint Denis along with many other artifacts.
Works Cited
Harrison, R. (2002). The Song of Roland. New
York, New York: New American Library, a divison of Penguin Group Inc.
HILL, B. (2015, May 7). Joyeuse: The Legendary
Sword of Charlemagne. Retrieved from ancient-origins: www.ancient-origins.net/artifacts-other-artifacts/joyeuse-legendary-sword-charlemagne-003020
Muriel, B. (n.d.). Coronation sword and scabbard
of the Kings of France. Retrieved from Louvre :
I find it curious that Joyeuse was repurposed and continuously used over the centuries instead of buried with Charlemagne or preserved in some other form of storage. At the same time, I love the sense of rich history that it gives the sword for it to have been passed down through the ages instead of left to the taint of time in a tomb of its one and only owner.
ReplyDeleteI really like this response! We all learned about Charlemagne, but never about the sword. This was really interesting to learn about how he battled and came out victorious in these battles. Joyeuse looks powerful and I love the visual to back this claim.
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