Photo of Joyeuse, the Sword of Charlemagne by P.poschadel. The sword was kept in the Saint Denis Basilica since at least 1505, and it was moved to the Louvre in 1793.
Charlemagne had his seal embossed in the pummel of his sword, and used it to seal his letters, which he would then hand over to a courier, saying, “These are my orders.”
He would then show his sword, and add, “And here is what makes my enemies respect them.”
Edmond Guérard, Dictionnaire encyclopédique d’anécdotes (Paris: Firmin Didot, 1872), Vol. 2, p. 352 (Nobility.org translation).
Short Stories on Honor, Chivalry, and the World of Nobility—no. 415
