Weirdly recurved sword guards

Jim McDougall · 4th May 2020, 04:50 PM

Hi Luka,
You have chosen a most interesting and somewhat under discussed topic, which is the 'landsknecht' mercenaries, which essentially prevailed as mercenary soldiers, primarily pikemen and foot soldiers from 15th into 17th c.

While always associated with the Swiss Confederations, the first officially recognized 'armies' of these men were organized in Burgundy, and later c. 1486 in German regions, but trained by the Swiss.

The familiar S shape or figure 8 guards were well known on the 'katzbalger' swords and many 'zweihander' (two hander) huge swords, but cannot be distinctly designated a 'Swiss' style. As mercenary soldiers in these times tended to supply their own arms and equipment, these styles of weapon were being produced in various arms centers throughout these regions, and tended to adopt the popular designs and style of the times.

The 'katzbalger' was the smaller sword worn by these forces to be employed in the ensuing melee after the pikemen and two hander men broke the ranks of the enemy. Its name denotes a 'cat fight' as in a brawl of feral cats and alludes to the vicious attacks associated.

These forces took great pride in thier fearsome demeanor, and wore wildly colored clothing which was often deliberately tattered to recall the aftermath of battle, which reflected those well seasoned in combat.

There are many of these katzbalger swords still around (remember there were tens of thousands of these popular forces before principalities were established countries and no standing (regulation) armies.
There are less of the huge two hander swords, which fell out of use as warfare changed and they became more typically a sword with parade or ceremonial applications.

The S or figure 8 guards evolved into more complex hand guard systems adding various bars to them as sword designs evolved.

Hope this might offer some insight, and using the search features here or online using the terms 'katzbalger' or 'zweihander' will give you far more depth and information. Thanks for asking a great question!!!

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4th May 2020, 04:50 PM	#2
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,295	Hi Luka, You have chosen a most interesting and somewhat under discussed topic, which is the 'landsknecht' mercenaries, which essentially prevailed as mercenary soldiers, primarily pikemen and foot soldiers from 15th into 17th c. While always associated with the Swiss Confederations, the first officially recognized 'armies' of these men were organized in Burgundy, and later c. 1486 in German regions, but trained by the Swiss. The familiar S shape or figure 8 guards were well known on the 'katzbalger' swords and many 'zweihander' (two hander) huge swords, but cannot be distinctly designated a 'Swiss' style. As mercenary soldiers in these times tended to supply their own arms and equipment, these styles of weapon were being produced in various arms centers throughout these regions, and tended to adopt the popular designs and style of the times. The 'katzbalger' was the smaller sword worn by these forces to be employed in the ensuing melee after the pikemen and two hander men broke the ranks of the enemy. Its name denotes a 'cat fight' as in a brawl of feral cats and alludes to the vicious attacks associated. These forces took great pride in thier fearsome demeanor, and wore wildly colored clothing which was often deliberately tattered to recall the aftermath of battle, which reflected those well seasoned in combat. There are many of these katzbalger swords still around (remember there were tens of thousands of these popular forces before principalities were established countries and no standing (regulation) armies. There are less of the huge two hander swords, which fell out of use as warfare changed and they became more typically a sword with parade or ceremonial applications. The S or figure 8 guards evolved into more complex hand guard systems adding various bars to them as sword designs evolved. Hope this might offer some insight, and using the search features here or online using the terms 'katzbalger' or 'zweihander' will give you far more depth and information. Thanks for asking a great question!!!