Zweihänder

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The Zweihänder (help·info) (German for "two hander", also called Bidenhänder or Bihänder), is a two-handed sword primarily of the Renaissance.

While implemented in Germany in the 14th century^{[citation needed]}, it gained renown during the 16th century as the hallmark weapon of the German Landsknechts from the time of Maximilian I. They were allegedly used by the front lines of the Landsknecht, where they would be used to hew through the opposing pikemen and spearmen whose spears presented a difficult barrier for normal weapons and cavalry.

The Zweihänder could be up to 6 ft (1.8 m) long from the base of the pommel to the tip of the blade, with a 4–5 ft (1.2–1.5 m) blade and 1–1½ ft (30–45 cm) hilt. The weight could range between 2 kg and 3.2 kg. However, a ceremonial Zweihänder could weigh up to 16 lb (7 kg).

Some were shorter, though. Earlier versions in particular often had an overall length of about 5 ft (1½ m), weighing in at as little as 1½ kg.

Guards could be plain or ornate, while hilts usually ended with heart or pear shaped heavy pommels. Occasionally a blunted portion of the forte, the ricasso at the base of the blade allowed a hand to be placed below the lower guard to "shorten the grip" and make the handle like a polearm. The swords have hilt-mounted side-rings and enlarged cross-guards of up to 35 cm (14 in) across. Along the blade, some 10–20 cm (4–8 in) from the upper guard, Parierhaken ("parrying hooks") shaped like lugs or flanges acted as a guard for the ricasso to prevent other weapons from sliding down the blade.

[edit] Application

1548 depiction of a Zweihänder used against pikes in the Battle of Kappel

According to post-medieval accounts, the earlier, more practical Zweihänder types were used to break up pike formations, first by smashing the pikes and then by hitting the pikemen themselves. Other longer versions of the sword were used to take the front legs off a steed in combat^{[citation needed]}.

Some scholars suggest that this is a latter-day legend, and that the type was mainly used for display. But at least as a legend, the notion appears to date to at least the 17th, if not the late 16th century: Cesare d'Evoli in 1583 discusses the impossibility of cutting pikes with a halberd and also dismisses the Zweihänder as a useless weapon. A fanciful depiction of a Zweihänder used against a halberd in a battle line appears in a Polish chronicle dated to 1597. [1]

Soldiers trained in the use of the sword (the title Meister des langen Schwertes was granted by the Marx brotherhood) earned twice the pay of a common footman and were called "Doppelsöldner". The Doppelsöldner were often used as guards of artillery batteries.

The "Goliath fechtbuch" (1510) [2] shows fencing with Zweihänder-sized swords, albeit without the parrying hooks. This fechtbuch depicts Zweihänder being used in a manner similar to longswords.

[edit] References

Arnold, Thomas. The Renaissance at War. London: Cassell, 2003. ISBN 0304363537.
Miller, Douglas. Landsknechte 1486–1560. Sankt Augustin, Germany: Siegler, 2004. ISBN 3877486363. (In German.)
Miller, Douglas, and Gerry Embleton (illustrator). The Landsknechts. Oxford, England: Osprey Publishing, 1976. ISBN 0850452589.
Richards, John Harald, and Gerry Embleton (illustrator). Landsknecht Soldier 1486–1560. Oxford, England: Osprey Publishing, 2002. ISBN 1841762431.