 The sword currently known as Szczerbiec was forged and decorated in a style characteristic of the late 12th and 13th centuries , so it could not have belonged to any of the three great <unk> of the 11th and early 12th centuries . Additionally , it is a purely ceremonial sword which , unlike the original Szczerbiec , was never used in combat . It was originally used as a sword of justice ( gladius <unk> ) , or insignia of the sovereign 's judicial power , by one of the many local dukes during Poland 's Age of Fragmentation . A silver plate , now lost , on the sword 's grip bore an inscription which indicated a duke by the name Boleslaus as its original owner . An inscription on the <unk> ' replica of Szczerbiec , now also lost , could provide an additional hint as to the duke 's identity : " Boleslaus , Duke of Poland , Masovia , and Łęczyca " – except that no duke of this name and titles ever existed . Historians have variously identified the duke in question as Boleslaus the Curly ( r . 1146 – 1173 ) , Boleslaus the Chaste ( r . 1226 – 1279 ) , Boleslaus I of Masovia ( r . 1229 – 1248 ) or Boleslaus the Pious of Greater Poland ( r . 1239 – 1247 ) . 
