Schiavona markings

[Victrix]

Originally Posted by urbanspaceman

I just came across this coat of arms of Dalmatia.
Is it long-since known to everyone that it is the Schiavona pommel?
I'm still catching up.

You may be right. Although I thought the characteristic cat’s head pommel of Schiavonas was meant to represent the winged lion of Venice, which is the symbol of its patron saint St. Mark.

Parts of Istria and Dalmatia with islands were for some time lost by the Croatian-Hungarian dual Kingdom to the Republic of Venice during the Ottoman wars (see map). The Schiavona was named after the Slavonic people in this region, many of who served in the Venetian armed forces. Plenty fascinating history here.