Ethnographic Arms & Armour
 

Go Back   Ethnographic Arms & Armour > Discussion Forums > European Armoury

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Old 16th January 2026, 07:45 PM   #1
Perl
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2026
Posts: 6
Default Executioner Sword

How about this one ?
107 cm , 2.2 kg
Attached Images
     
Perl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 17th January 2026, 09:01 AM   #2
corrado26
Member
 
corrado26's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Black Forest, Germany
Posts: 1,257
Default

I assume this is a contemporary original. The completely nonsensical saying, dated 1633 and intended to give the tool a meaning, alone speaks for the time of its creation.
corrado26 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 17th January 2026, 02:49 PM   #3
Perl
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2026
Posts: 6
Default

Yes, that is my conclusion too, as well as details etc., in addition, the Latin is misspelled which is said to be common at the time, it is probably German made.
Perl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 17th January 2026, 06:02 PM   #4
corrado26
Member
 
corrado26's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Black Forest, Germany
Posts: 1,257
Default

The blacksmith was certainly not a trained expert on the Latin language and its orthography
corrado26 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 18th January 2026, 12:29 PM   #5
Victrix
Member
 
Victrix's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Sweden
Posts: 773
Default

In those days full literacy was probably constrained to the priesthood and legal counsels. The inscriptions are meant to say “Glory to God in the highest” and “St Mary patron of Thorens church.” My first guess was that it’s an execution sword of one of the catholic church city states where the head of state had to dispense punishments to maintain law and order. But there is in fact a castle Thorens in France where this sword may have been used. Struggled a bit with the word “Thorensis” which I take to mean “of Thorens.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_de_Thorens
Victrix is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 18th January 2026, 02:16 PM   #6
Perl
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2026
Posts: 6
Default

Very interesting, trying to figure out where this sword was used - this is what the coat of arms on the sword looks like, maybe someone has an idea!
Attached Images
 
Perl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 18th January 2026, 05:17 PM   #7
Akanthus
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2023
Posts: 96
Default

Perhaps the polish city of Korun is ment.The city was called Thorn in the time when the area was German.
Akanthus is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 18th January 2026, 05:39 PM   #8
corrado26
Member
 
corrado26's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Black Forest, Germany
Posts: 1,257
Default

30 Stivers / Daalder - Margaret IV van Brederode

I think this is the solution:

Netherland talerAbbey of Thorn

Abbess Margaret of Brederode (Margaretha van Brederode) (1557-1577)


Year 1563
Obverse
Standing Madonna with baby Jesus and scepter behind coat of arms of Brederode
Script: Latin
Lettering: SANCTA ★ MARIA ★ THORENSIS ★ ECCLESIĆ ★
Translation: Saint Mary, Church of Thorn
corrado26 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 18th January 2026, 06:30 PM   #9
Akanthus
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2023
Posts: 96
Default

But why an abbey should have an executener sword or even an executioner ? These executive tools are mostly refer to the jurisdiction of towns or nobility.In some cases they were property of the executioner himself and his name is to find on the blade.For me this sword is a original one.Many others you find in auctions or even in museums are made in historistic times in the second half of the 19 th.century.
Akanthus is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 19th January 2026, 03:28 AM   #10
CSinTX
Member
 
CSinTX's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 237
Default

Does the blade appear to be broken at some point? It looks to terminate at an odd angle.
CSinTX is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Yesterday, 09:03 AM   #11
Perl
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2026
Posts: 6
Default

I think Thorn ( now in Poland ) and that it was taken from there in 1633+
and Swedish troops bring it here to Sweden , also sword is not broken
Perl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Yesterday, 09:04 AM   #12
Perl
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2026
Posts: 6
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Akanthus View Post
Perhaps the polish city of Korun is meant. The city was called Thorn in the time when the area was German.
Perl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Yesterday, 08:27 PM   #13
Victrix
Member
 
Victrix's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Sweden
Posts: 773
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by corrado26 View Post
30 Stivers / Daalder - Margaret IV van Brederode

I think this is the solution:

Netherland talerAbbey of Thorn

Abbess Margaret of Brederode (Margaretha van Brederode) (1557-1577)


Year 1563
Obverse
Standing Madonna with baby Jesus and scepter behind coat of arms of Brederode
Script: Latin
Lettering: SANCTA ★ MARIA ★ THORENSIS ★ ECCLESIĆ ★
Translation: Saint Mary, Church of Thorn
From Grokipedia: “This expansion underpinned Thorn's political influence as an Reichsunmittelbarkeit entity, exempt from local feudal overlords and directly accountable to the emperor, allowing the abbess to exercise judicial and economic rights over approximately 35 km˛ of territory divided into administrative quarters.” The heads of state of these territories still needed to maintain law and order even if they were theocracies. The crown and spire signify Mary as the Queen of Heaven.
Attached Images
 
Victrix is online now   Reply With Quote
Old Yesterday, 10:28 PM   #14
Akanthus
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2023
Posts: 96
Default

That's it.....sunk.....
Akanthus is online now   Reply With Quote
Old Today, 09:17 AM   #15
Perl
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2026
Posts: 6
Default

Yes, either that or Polish Thorn - I'll see if I can find out more about the coat of arms, it's very unclear.
Perl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Today, 08:24 PM   #16
Victrix
Member
 
Victrix's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Sweden
Posts: 773
Default

The Swedes were notorious plunderers in the 30 year war. Vast fortunes were made from war booty. I’m sure they were in both Thorns. They seem to have occupied the Polish one in mid 1600s but its coat of arms is an angel apparently. The inscription seems rather like the Nertherland coin. One other clue is I have seen those crosses on a Hospitaller sword (Order of St John) so if either Thorn was a place for Hospitallers then that could be it.
Victrix is online now   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 08:41 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2026, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Posts are regarded as being copyrighted by their authors and the act of posting material is deemed to be a granting of an irrevocable nonexclusive license for display here.