Zweihänder

The (German for “two hander”, also called Great sword, Bidenhänder or Bihänder), is a two-handed sword primarily of the Renaissance.

The Zweihänder swords develop seamlessly out of the German "Langschwert" (longsword) of the Late Middle Ages, and they became the hallmark weapon of the German Landsknechts from the time of Maximilian I (d. 1519) and during the Italian Wars of 1494–1559. The Goliath Fechtbuch (1510) shows an intermediate form between longsword and Zweihänder

These swords represent the final stage in the trend of increasing size started in the 14th century. In its developed form, the Zweihänder has acquired the characteristics of a polearm rather than a sword. Consequently, it is not carried in a sheath, but across the shoulder like a halberd.

It is unclear to what effect these swords were used during their period of service on the battlefield. What is clear is that this period is comparatively short, limited to the first half of the 16th century. The Black Band of German mercenaries (active during the 1510s and 1520s) included 2,000 two-handed swordsmen in a total strength of 17,000 men. During this time, the Zweihänder swords were allegedly used by the forlorn hope Doppelsöldner taking the front lines of the Landsknechts, where they would be used to hew through the opposing pikemen and spearmen whose spears presented a difficult barrier for normal weapons and cavalry.

By the second half of the 16th century, these swords had largely ceased to have a practical application, but they continued to see ceremonial or representative use well into the 17th century.

Morphology

The Zweihänder could be up to 180 cm (6 ft) long from the base of the pommel to the tip of the blade, with a 120–150 cm (4–5 ft) blade and 30–45 cm (1–1½ ft) hilt. The weight could range between 2 kg and 3.2 kg (4½–7 lb). However, a ceremonial Zweihänder, which was unsuitable for combat, could weigh up to 7 kg (16 lb).

Some were shorter, though. Earlier versions, in particular, often had an overall length of about 150 cm (5 ft), weighing as little as 1½ kg (3 lb 5 oz).

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 or Fehlschärfe (meaning “missing sharpness”) 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. This allowed the user to crudely repel a cavalry charge. 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.

Application

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..

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. A fanciful depiction of a Zweihänder used against a halberd in a battle line appears in a Polish chronicle dated to 1597.

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 (“double mercenary”). Doppelsöldner were often used to guard artillery batteries.

Pier Gerlofs Donia is reputed to have wielded a Zweihänder with such skill, strength and efficiency that he managed to behead multiple people with it in a single blow. The Zweihänder ascribed to him is, as of 2008, on display in the Frisian museum. It has a length of 213 cm (84 in) and a weight of about 6.6 kg (14½ lb).^[1]

References

External links

• Essay by Anthony Shore (Journal of Western Martial Art)
• The Weighty Issue of Two-Handed Greatswords, by John Clements