Medieval Collectibles Catalog : Swords : Renaissance Swords : Back Swords
Back Swords from Medieval Collectibles
A general term for heavy military swords that have a straight single-edged blade and a well-developed closed guard—usually a basket hilt or a shell guard. The blade, sometimes grooved and ridged on both faces, had a more or less thick back to give to give the blade the necessary rigidity. A short section of the back near the point often had a sharpened edge to carry out cutting strikes without changing the position of the sword. The point itself was sometimes rather originally contoured since the backsword was essentially a cutting weapon; however, some military models had blades gradually narrowing into a sharp point designed for thrusts. It was also popular in Germany. Back-swords may be related to later single-edged European blade forms and came in a variety of hilts and lengths. They also include later Hangers and hunting swords, as well as Mortuary-hilt and Walloon-hilt broad swords. The backsword was widely used in European heavy cavalry from the 17th century, and a most popular variety was the pallasch. Also known as a "Mortuary Sword", or the German "Reitschwert."