For centuries the finest swords were produced in Toledo, Spain – Toledo Steel, but now the Spanish Ministry of Defence prefers to buy them from China…

Spanish sword and sabre manufacturers are not pleased, even though the contract went to a Spanish company, Crealmat S.L. that specializes in Chinese imports.

Yes the Ministry of Defence ordered 1,078 swords from a Chinese manufacturer; i.e., opted to import them, for use in the Academia General Militar de Infantaria in Zaragoza.

Why did the Spanish Military Academy opt for Chinese sabres as opposed to Spanish ones? Because they were five euros cheaper per sword.

Thanks to the present economic crisis the Spanish sword manufacturer has already had to reduce its workforce from 100 to just 20. The said company, apart from churning out replicas of El Cid’s sword, also provides swords for Hollywood in such films as Alexander the Great, Braveheart and The Lord of the Rings.

One last historical note, what we know as the standard Roman legionary short sword was the Iberian short sword (Gladius Hispanensis) made from Toledo steel, adopted by both the Carthaginians and the Romans from the 2nd Punic war on.

Editorial Comment: Three cheers for the Ministry of Defence who managed to save just under 5,500 euros and help sink a struggling, traditional, Spanish manufacturing sector!

(News: Toledo, Spain)