In essence a scaled-up belt knife, much easier for a smith to make en masse, Messers (and their distant Medieval cousin, the Falchion) were common features on battlefields – Kriegsmessers were wielded by the Landsknechte mercenaries, for instance. While versions of the Messer (and other single-edged swords) existed back well into the Middle Ages it was during the Renaissance that the name and current versions emerged as common articles of both civilian and military life.Īrming soldiers was among the most expensive tasks of an army, and as such weapons that could be made cheaply and quickly were most popular. Literally, the word “Messer” is German for “knife” – and so too are the various versions similarly named “Langes Messer” (long knife), “Gross Messer” (great knife), and “Kriegsmesser” (war knife). In this way of all swords the Messer most closely resembles its distant ancestors. Unlike double edged blades that had a complicated evolution dating back pre-Roman empire, the Messer evolved separately from the single-bladed belt knife. The Messer has perhaps one of the most “honest” lineages of any European martial sword. These needs ran parallel to the need for weapons of war, and blades of all sizes evolved to become utilitarian tools for daily activity, hunting, self-protection, and war. Hunting, cooking, and everyday chores required the constant presence of a knife or dagger to hand, and this need did not vanish as civilization flourished. Bladed tools were staples of everyday life for millennia.
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