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This is a photograph of a well-preserved Carolingian sword. It likely belonged to a warrior serving under Charlemagne or one of his immediate successors and was discovered in the Scheldt estuary.

These were high-quality weapons, manufactured on a near-industrial scale in specialized workshops within the Frankish Empire (notably in the Rhineland). Examples have been found as far afield as the region of Kazan (in present-day Russia)—dating from before Charlemagne regulated, and subsequently banned, their sale to non-Franks under penalty of death.

Due to trade and conflicts with the Scandinavians, such swords have been recovered from the graves of several Scandinavian chieftains; this is why they are sometimes referred to as "Viking swords."

Although produced in large numbers, these swords made up only a small fraction of the weaponry used by Carolingian troops, for whom the axe and the spear remained the preferred arms.

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