Executioner's sword Franz Schmidt, 16-18 cen, class B

Executioner's sword Franz Schmidt, 16^th-18^th century

Sword class B

Although the death penalty in the form of decapitation appeared many centuries ago in Europe, most of the survived original swords come the period between the first half of the 16th and the mid-18th century. These swords resemble the late medieval war weapons. The specialized Executioner's sword is not a weapon but a tool. It appeared at the beginning of the 16th century as a result of the gradual evolution and professionalization of the executioner craft and in its highest form survived until its end. The archaising of the court and executioner's swords invoked the medieval tradition of justice and the exercise of justness. This sword was named in honor of Franz Schmidt. As an official executioner of Nuremberg in the period from 1578 to 1618 Franz Schmidt executed nearly 400 people and tortured hundreds.

A customized sheath made of 2mm thick cowhide is available for this special sword for an extra charge. The leather-wrapped handle and scabbard can be made in other colours on request.

• Total length approx. 1124mm
• Blade length approx. 870mm
• Length of the cross-guard approx. 180mm
• Width of the blade at the guard approx. 49.8mm
• Blade thickness at the guard approx. 4.8mm
• Width of the blade 10cm off the blade point approx. 47,2mm
• Blade thickness 10cm off the blade point approx. 4,1mm
• Thickness of the cutting edge approx. 0,8mm
• The Point of Balance (PoB) is approx. 15cm off the guard
• Length of the pommel approx. 94mm
• The fuller is approx. 270mm long and approx. 13mm wide
• Weight approx. 1870 g
• Blade made of spring steel DIN 1.7103, oil-quenched to approx. 52-54 HRC.

Due to manual finalization, the specifications given above may vary slightly from item to item. Made in the Czech Republic.

Please read also our Directions for the use of bladed weapons.