German Two-Handed Landsknecht Sword, Late 16th C

Receiving twice the pay of the common Landsknecht soldier, the Doppelsoldner generally held the front and rear position in the formation. It was his duty to advance wielding the massive two-handed sword to cut the pike shafts of the opposing infantry and open a gap in their formation to be exploited by his comrades. This original example of the massive “Zweihander” has the much sought after flamboyant blade, which is unmarked and 44 ½" long, 2 1/4" wide at the tip. Long ricasso with wood and leather covering, probably redone in the 19th Century. Thick angled “parierhaken” (lower blade guard), sometimes improperly called blade breakers in English. Slightly downturned 20 ½" crossguard of common German form with double hook quillons and expanded finials. Large double side rings. Guard decorated with incised lines in geometric pattern. Velvet and leather covered wood grip with brass tack ornaments. Pommel of 8 semicircular segments, similar to a mace head in form. Hilt likely restored in the 19th Century. Very good condition with metal a dull armour finish. Overall length of this extremely impressive sword is 69 1/4". A 16th C woodcut illustration below shows a Doppelsoldner carrying a virtually identical sword.


	Antique Swords, Rapiers, Broadswords, Pole Arms, Guns, and Armour \| home \| Use browser's back button to return to the previous page __________________________________________________________________________ German Two-Handed Landsknecht Sword, Late 16th C Receiving twice the pay of the common Landsknecht soldier, the Doppelsoldner generally held the front and rear position in the formation. It was his duty to advance wielding the massive two-handed sword to cut the pike shafts of the opposing infantry and open a gap in their formation to be exploited by his comrades. This original example of the massive “Zweihander” has the much sought after flamboyant blade, which is unmarked and 44 ½" long, 2 1/4" wide at the tip. Long ricasso with wood and leather covering, probably redone in the 19th Century. Thick angled “parierhaken” (lower blade guard), sometimes improperly called blade breakers in English. Slightly downturned 20 ½" crossguard of common German form with double hook quillons and expanded finials. Large double side rings. Guard decorated with incised lines in geometric pattern. Velvet and leather covered wood grip with brass tack ornaments. Pommel of 8 semicircular segments, similar to a mace head in form. Hilt likely restored in the 19th Century. Very good condition with metal a dull armour finish. Overall length of this extremely impressive sword is 69 1/4". A 16th C woodcut illustration below shows a Doppelsoldner carrying a virtually identical sword. SB174 $9950