The Zweihander is a large German two-handed sword that grew out of the late medieval longsword and reached its height of use in the 16th century, from the reign of Emperor Maximilian I through the Italian Wars of 1494 to 1559. Examples reached up to 213 centimeters in length and weighed between two and four kilograms, with a straight double-edged blade and a hilt long enough, at least 25 centimeters, to be gripped with both hands, and later versions added parrying hooks at the ricasso and side rings on the guard. The sword became the hallmark weapon of the Landsknechte, the German and Swiss mercenary pikemen who dominated European battlefields of the period, and the mercenary force known as the Black Band fielded 2,000 two-handed swordsmen among its roughly 17,000 troops. A Zweihander attributed to the Frisian rebel leader Pier Gerlofs Donia, preserved today in the Fries Museum, weighs about 6.6 kilograms and measures 213 centimeters, illustrating the physical strength the weapon demanded of its wielder.
Facts
Disputed
Introduced YearZweihander swords developed from Late Medieval longswords and are primarily associated with the 16th century, becoming the hallmark of the Landsknechte from the time of Maximilian I (d. 1519); no single origin year is recorded, 1500 marks the conventional start of the 16th century. Classification
Service Status Weapon ClassTwo-handed sword (greatsword) 1 Weapon Class
Weapon Class (category)Sword / Polearm / Bladed 1 Sources
1. Wikipedia: Zweihander
WikipediaLead paragraph, first sentence
is a large two-handed sword that was used primarily during the 16th century.
Third paragraph, first sentence
This represented the final stage in the trend of making very large swords, which started in the 14th century, and ended in the 16th century.
service-status
service = ~1500-1600
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