Swiss degen

The Swiss degen, called Schweizerdegen in German, was a short sword and an elongated version of the Swiss dagger, sharing its double-crescent guard. It served as a side arm in the Old Swiss Confederacy and above all among Swiss mercenaries, from the first half of the 15th century until the mid 16th century. Its fifteenth-century name was baselard, and the term Schweizerdegen is first attested in 1499. Blade length ranged from about 40 cm to 70 cm; longer blades became more common over time, but not in a straight line. Soldiers usually bought these weapons privately as secondary arms rather than receiving them as issue, so no standard form ever emerged, and both soldiers and civilians wore them.