The Swiss ''degen'' (') was a

short sword The English language terminology used in the classification of swords is imprecise and has varied widely over time. There is no historical dictionary for the universal names, classification, or terminology of swords; a sword was simply a single- ...

('' Degen''), an elongated version of the Swiss dagger, with the same double-crescent shape of the

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

. It was used as a type of side arm in the

Old Swiss Confederacy The Old Swiss Confederacy, also known as Switzerland or the Swiss Confederacy, was a loose confederation of independent small states (, German or ), initially within the Holy Roman Empire. It is the precursor of the modern state of Switzerlan ...

and especially by

Swiss mercenaries The Swiss mercenaries were a powerful infantry force constituting professional soldiers originating from the cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy. They were notable for their service in foreign armies, especially among the military forces of th ...

, from the first half of the 15th century until the mid 16th century. The native term used in the 15th century for this weapon was

baselard The baselard, ''Schwiizerdolch'' in Swiss-German (also ''basilard, baslard'', in Middle French also and variants, Medieval Latin, Latinized etc., in Middle High German ) is a historical type of dagger or short sword of the Late Middle Ages. E ...

. The term ''Schweizerdegen'' (as

Early New High German Early New High German (ENHG) is a term for the period in the history of the German language generally defined, following Wilhelm Scherer, as the period 1350 to 1650, developing from Middle High German and into New High German. The term is the ...

') is first attested in 1499. The blade length could be anywhere between and . Although there was a general trend towards longer blades over time, this development was not linear and disparate blade lengths coexisted throughout the 15th century, and only in the 16th century a more or less discrete split between the short dagger (') and the long ' becomes evident. These weapons were widely worn both by soldiers and by civilians. They were very popular with the

Swiss mercenary The Swiss mercenaries were a powerful infantry force constituting professional soldiers originating from the cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy. They were notable for their service in foreign armies, especially among the military forces of the ...

pikemen A pike is a long thrusting spear formerly used in European warfare from the Late Middle Ages and most of the early modern period, and wielded by foot soldiers deployed in pike square formation, until it was largely replaced by bayonet-equipped ...

throughout the late 15th and early 16th century. ''Degen'' were not usually issued as ordnance weapons, but purchased privately as secondary weapons by soldiers. For this reason, there never emerged a definite standard form, and variations in hilt and blade design remained the rule from their inception in the 13th century until the weapon's decline in the 17th century. The

Cgm 558 The Cgm 558, or ''Codex germanicus monacensis'', is a convolution of two 15th-century manuscripts with a total of 176 folia, bound together in the 16th century. It is kept at the Bavarian library in Munich. The first manuscript contains two chroni ...

' (Hugo Wittenwiler) mentions a few techniques for unarmed defense against an attack with a ' (Swiss degen). Use of the weapon has parallels to the fencing with the German ', and indeed the section on the ''basler'' in Wittenwiler's treatise takes the place of the ''Messer'' section in comparable German manuscripts (Wittenwiler treats ' techniques alongside the

longsword A longsword (also spelled as long sword or long-sword) is a type of European sword characterized as having a cruciform hilt with a grip for primarily two-handed use (around ), a straight double-edged blade of around , and weighing approximatel ...

rondel dagger A rondel dagger or roundel dagger is a type of stiff-bladed dagger used in Europe in the late Middle Ages (from the 14th century onwards), used by a variety of people from merchants to knights. It was worn at the waist and could be used as a ...

('), Swiss dagger (') and unarmed ''

ringen ''Ringen'' is the German language term for grappling (wrestling). In the context of the German school of historical European martial arts during the Late Middle Ages and the German Renaissance, ''Ringen'' refers to unarmed combat in general, in ...

''). File:Spiezer Chronik Hasle1334 detail.jpg, Scene of Hasle swearing fealty to

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

, from the Spiezer Chronik (1480s). Several men of either party are wearing the classical Swiss degen of the late 15th century.

References

* *Hugo Schneider, ''Waffen im Schweizerischen Landesmuseum'' vol. 1 (1980). *W. Blum, "Der Schweizerdegen", ''Anzeiger für schweizerische Altertumskunde : Neue Folge = Indicateur d'antiquités suisses : Nouvelle série'
21.221.3
(1919). {{Authority control Early Modern European swords Medieval European swords Old Swiss Confederacy Renaissance-era swords Weapons of Switzerland

See also

References