Katzbalger / one hand medieval sword ?

[corrado26]

There is missing a protection for the thumb at the inner side of the hilt, a fact what is normally not to be found on real swords of the 17. or 18. century. So I think it could be an object of the stock of a theatre. A flat inner side eases wearing of such a sword during action on stage
corrado26

[francantolin]

Hello Corrado,
do you say that there should be te the round piece on both side of the hilt ?
Makin a 8 ?
I saw it on most katzbalger sword that's why i Found ''strange'' this one.

For the theatral use, I really don't think so, the blade as I said is of good quality,really sharp and flexible too like the blade of a good old sword,
Unless it would be bloody representations !

[francantolin]

Found thes one on internet,
one is said to be a swiss katzbalger 1500-1600, no ''8'' protection, only on one side.
The other nothing ?

[francantolin]

What about these ?
Between 16th and 18th century.

I think the guard shape with/without protection show the period and the different fighting techniques,
( like the s quillons shape in comparison with the straight one.)

[RobertGuy]

I'm not sure that I would categorise the sword in the original post as a Katzbalger. The Katzbalger was the iconic sword of the German and Swiss Landsknechts. Usually fairly short and stout with a fullered blade. The quillons had a much more exagerated curve usually forming a figure 8. The hilt also usually featured a pomel splayed in the plane of the blade. I know there are always variations in form but I feel the sword in question is too far from the norm to be called a Katzbalger.

[Victrix]

Does the absence of a pointed sword tip suggest it might be an executioner's sword?

[francantolin]

Hello everybody and thank you for your comments,
in the auction, they sold it as a ''Felddegen'' ,
german word for ''field sword''

[Philip]

Originally Posted by Victrix

Does the absence of a pointed sword tip suggest it might be an executioner's sword?

Quite a few swords from various cultures which have seen some combat have tips which are not truly pointed, but are sharpened all round the end. This includes katzbalgers, a number of Scots basket hilts, and even a few Indian and Chinese double edged swords I've handled. I'm sure other collectors on this forum can add others from their experience.

Most likely, the original points were broken or chipped away in battle, and what we see now is just a carrying-along of a field-expedient repair to get the sword back in action. My experience in restoring and polishing old blades tells me that re-grinding the original tip profile on a broken point can involve a lot of labor. Also, a swordsmith friend has pointed out that if the edge is sharp all around the blunted profile, the blade is still deadly!

European executioners' swords (at least the familiar "Germanic" type also used in Switzerland, Bohemia, Poland, and Hungary) have much wider blades than the typical combat broadsword, and the width does not taper, i.e. they are parallel-sided. In fact, one in my collection widens slightly from forte to end by a few millimeters. Their cross-sections are, for specialized functional purposes, a lot more restricted as to form -- invariably they have a short fuller at the forte which usually extends no more than 20% or so of total length, and the remainder is relatively thin and of lenticular-section with no central ridge or flat.