Messer (weapon)

Messer
Type Sword
Service history
In service c. 1300–1500
Specifications
Weight avg. .96–1.4 kg (2.1–3.1 lb)
Length avg. 75–113 cm (30–44 in)
Blade length avg. 62–85 cm (24–33 in)
Blade type Single-edged
Hilt type Cruciform, with pommel and nagel
A Kriegsmesser in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.

A messer (German for "knife") is a single-edged sword with a knife-like hilt construction. While the various names are often used synonymously, messers are divided into two types:

Langes messers ("long knife") are one-handed swords by Bourgeoisie (middle-class civilians) for personal self-defence.[1] They were about a meter long and may have evolved from the Bauernwehr ("peasant's sidearm"). They are also known as Großes Messer (Great Knife).

Kriegsmessers ("war knife") are curved weapons up to 1.5m long, used with one or two hands, and normally wielded by professional warriors of the 14th to 16th century, such as the Landsknecht.

Morphology

There is a typology[2] created by James G. Elmslie for messers and falchions similar to the Oakeshott typology based on ongoing research.

Blade

Messers are characterized by their single-edged blades. The lengths and shapes of the blade can vary greatly. Messer blades can be straight or curved. Extant examples of langes messers seem to have an overall length of 30 inches (76 cm) with a 24.5 in (62 cm) blade, and a weight between 2–2.5 lb (0.91–1.13 kg).

Hilt

The defining characteristic of messers is their hilt construction. Quite notable in its construction was the attachment of blade to the hilt via a slab tang sandwiched between two wooden grip plates that were pegged into place. Messers often include a straight cross-guard and a nagel: a nail-like protrusion that juts out from the right side of the cross-guard away from the flat of the blade, to protect the wielder’s sword hand. The lengths of hilts can range from one or two-handed grips.

Pommel

Messers do not necessarily have pommels. Sometimes they may have end caps instead. However, messers with pommels generally are of the type that were 'drawn out' or curved to one side of the hilt (edge side), a feature known as a "hat-shaped pommel".

Fighting with a Messer and a "Hungarian shield" (Gladiatoria Fechtbuch fol. 55r, mid 15th century)

Fighting with the messer

The messer was part of the curriculum of several fencing manuals in the 14th and 15th centuries, including Lecküchner (dealing with the lange messer), Codex Wallerstein, Hans Talhoffer, Paulus Kal and Albrecht Dürer.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u8RDw3dFXQ
  2. ↑ Barbara Grotkamp-Schepers, Isabell Immel, Peter Johnsson, Sixt Wetzler: "Das Schwert. Gestalt und Gedanke: The Sword. Form and Thought" Deutsches Klingenmuseum. Solingen, 2015, ISBN 3930315408
  3. ↑ Anglo, Sydney; B. Norman (2000). The martial arts of Renaissance Europe. Yale University Press. pp. 102–103. ISBN 978-0-300-08352-1.
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