Pirate swords and weapons

TVV · 22nd February 2008, 12:53 AM

Considering the fleet size, wealth and overall achievements of Hayreddin Barbarossa, I cannot think of any other pirate in history that nearly comes close to him. Captain Morgan was promoted to governor of Jamaica? Well, Brabarossa had all of Algeria and Tunisia as a fiefdom. Considering that his fleet had more ships than his Catholic enemies combined, I would expect him to have possessed more than one sword, and I would expect his weapons to have been quite ostentatious and lavish in their decoration. I remember the portrait published in North's monograph on Islamic Arms, but I think this portrait is a century later than Barbarossa. I would expect a nimcha as far as the blade is concerned - something similar to the nimcha in Elgood's book on Arab arms, but I am not so sure about the hilt. The quillons and the hand protection typical of the Maghrebi seifs/nimchas perhaps came as a result exactly of Barbarossa's campaigns in the Western Mediterranean, as his men must have captured a large quantity of European swords and other weapons. We might perhaps even be treated to a sword of Genoese manufacture, a gift or trophy. I too am eager to see what one of Barbarossa's swords may have looked like.

22nd February 2008, 12:53 AM	#23
TVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 1,664	Considering the fleet size, wealth and overall achievements of Hayreddin Barbarossa, I cannot think of any other pirate in history that nearly comes close to him. Captain Morgan was promoted to governor of Jamaica? Well, Brabarossa had all of Algeria and Tunisia as a fiefdom. Considering that his fleet had more ships than his Catholic enemies combined, I would expect him to have possessed more than one sword, and I would expect his weapons to have been quite ostentatious and lavish in their decoration. I remember the portrait published in North's monograph on Islamic Arms, but I think this portrait is a century later than Barbarossa. I would expect a nimcha as far as the blade is concerned - something similar to the nimcha in Elgood's book on Arab arms, but I am not so sure about the hilt. The quillons and the hand protection typical of the Maghrebi seifs/nimchas perhaps came as a result exactly of Barbarossa's campaigns in the Western Mediterranean, as his men must have captured a large quantity of European swords and other weapons. We might perhaps even be treated to a sword of Genoese manufacture, a gift or trophy. I too am eager to see what one of Barbarossa's swords may have looked like.