A dusack or dussack (also ''dusägge'' and variants, from Czech ''tesák'' "

cleaver A cleaver is a large knife that varies in its shape but usually resembles a rectangular-bladed tomahawk. It is largely used as a kitchen knife, kitchen or butcher knife and is mostly intended for splitting up large pieces of soft bones and slas ...

; hunting sword", lit. "fang") is a single-edged sword of the

cutlass A cutlass is a short, broad sabre or slashing sword with a straight or slightly curved blade sharpened on the cutting edge and a hilt often featuring a solid cupped or basket-shaped guard. It was a common naval weapon during the early Age of ...

sabre A sabre or saber ( ) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the Early Modern warfare, early modern and Napoleonic period, Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such a ...

type, in use as a side arm in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

during the 16th to 17th centuries, as well as a practice weapon based on this weapon used in early modern German fencing.

Military sidearm

The Czech term entered German usage in the

Hussite Wars The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, a ...

, after the sidearm used by the

Hussites upright=1.2, Battle between Hussites (left) and Crusades#Campaigns against heretics and schismatics, Catholic crusaders in the 15th century upright=1.2, The Lands of the Bohemian Crown during the Hussite Wars. The movement began during the Prag ...

. In the late 16th century, ''Dusägge'' could refer to a type of weapon combining a

blade with the hilt of a

sidesword The ''spada da lato'' (Italian) or ''side-sword'' is a type of sword popular in Italy during the Renaissance. It is a continuation of the medieval knightly sword, and the immediate predecessor, or early form, of the rapier of the early modern ...

(the German ''Degen''), also known as ''Säbel auf Teutsch gefasst'' ("sabre fitted in the German manner"). The ''Dusägge'' in this sense was used as a military sidearm; e.g. in 1579,

Styria Styria ( ; ; ; ) is an Austrian Federal states of Austria, state in the southeast of the country. With an area of approximately , Styria is Austria's second largest state, after Lower Austria. It is bordered to the south by Slovenia, and cloc ...

records delivery of some 700 ''Dusäggen'' by local bladesmiths, besides payment of 40 ''Dusäggen'' delivered from

Passau Passau (; ) is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is also known as the ("City of Three Rivers"), as the river Danube is joined by the Inn (river), Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north. Passau's population is about 50,000, of whom ...

, as part of the preparation for the war against the Turks under Archduke Charles II. The German sabre together with the name ''tessak'' was adopted in Norway. A closely related weapon is the ''schnepf'' or Swiss sabre used in Early Modern Switzerland.

Practice weapon

Joachim Meyer in 1570 depicts the ''Dusäck'' as the practice weapon with broad, curving blade and a simple oval grip. The dussack represented a short, single-edged weapon in a training environment. As usage of the dussack became more widespread, various schools turned use of the dussack into a sport as opposed to training for a real weapon. Practice dussacks had a short, thick, single-edged blade measuring between long. A dussack was usually made of wood. Additionally there is a single reference to dussacks also being made from leather, and there are a small number of simple metal known to survive. The dussack was gently curved and brought to a point at the tip. The dussack often lacked a hilt. Instead, the handgrip was merely a hole cut inside of the blade; without a pommel or upper

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 looked something like a large hole for gripping scissors. Egerton Castle claimed that dussacks were used by the French Navy up through the 19th century.Castle (1885), p.247. No wooden (or leather) practice dussacks are known to have survived; unsurprising given the perishable nature of these dussacks, and only woodcuts and training manuals from the period document their existence.

References

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External links

"tessak" (digitalmuseum.no)Tessak – The Farmer's Sword (norskevaapen.no)
Early Modern European swords European swords Renaissance-era swords Renaissance-era weapons Single-edged swords

Military sidearm

Practice weapon

See also

References

External links