Weapons always went side by side with a man, changed, evolved, adapting to the needs of warriors. Some samples were immediately sent to a landfill of history, recognized as worthless, while others were actively used for centuries. The latter include the Flamberg sword - a formidable weapon that claimed many lives on the battlefields.
What is flamberg?
To begin with, the two-handed sword Flamberg got its name from the German word Flamme, which translates as flame. So it can be described as a flaming sword.
He got his name because of the unusual shape of the blade. Instead of the usual direct blades that were widespread in Europe, this one had a wave-shaped blade. Mostly flambergs were of significant size - they were one and a half or even two-handed. One-handed also met, but relatively rarely.
Its length is more than serious - from 100 to 150 centimeters. The corresponding weight is up to 4.5 kilograms. Therefore, we can say with confidence that it is Flamberg that is one of the heaviest swords that existed in Europe.
The handle of this weapon is quite large - so that you can comfortably grab with both hands. For a better grip, it was wrapped in strips of dense fabric or leather.
In addition to the usual guards, which all swords were equipped with, the flambergs also had an additional one - located further from the owner. Moreover, it was located not perpendicular to the line of the sword, but at an angle of 30-40 degrees. This made it possible to seize the enemy’s weapons, and with a certain amount of luck, even pull them out of their hands.
Now that you know what the Flamberg sword looks like, let's plunge into the history of its creation.
Flamberg - Western Sword with Eastern Blade
Europeans got acquainted with edged weapons with a curved blade during the first crusades. However, in Europe it did not take root - fights took place mainly in cities, where it was problematic to swing for a really strong chopping blow with an easy saber. And a weak blow was clearly not enough to penetrate even relatively thin steel armor. And the curved saber was also unusual for a knight’s hand.
But nevertheless, the idea received a certain development. Around the fifteenth century, Germany began to manufacture long weapons with a wavy blade. It gained special distribution during the Thirty Years War - perhaps the most difficult in the history of the German people. Of course, it was the Flamberg sword - any person who is at least a little interested in knives will easily recognize his photo.
The gunsmiths knew that one of the advantages of the Arab saber was its small impact area, which, with sufficient force, could well have cut the armor.
Therefore, it was decided not to reduce the size and weight of the good old sword, instead simply reducing the area of contact with the armor. It is for this reason that instead of a straight blade they began to produce a wavy one. Of course, as a result of this, the area was significantly reduced, which led to an increase in the force of impact - that is exactly what the gunsmiths pursued.
They were predominantly two-handed in order to provide maximum impact force. The heavy sword of Flamberg, whose weight reached 4 kilograms or more, in capable hands could crush almost any armor.
Main advantages
As already mentioned, the main advantage of the new weapon was the ability to cut through medium and even heavy armor. The main, but not the only one.
Experienced fighters, striking, tore the sword out of the enemy’s body with a “pull” - a sharp cutting edge with a wavy surface acted as a saw, cutting muscles. Some blacksmiths even deliberately slightly raised their teeth to increase the severity of the wounds inflicted by the weapon.
It was very effective in stabbing. The tip was not only carefully sharpened, but also had no wavy surface, so due to its large weight it was relatively easy to break through armor. And then the irregularities of the blade came into effect. As a result, the wounds practically did not heal. Even a relatively small wound (in the arm, leg, or chest along the tangent) turned out to be extremely severe - pieces of meat just pulled out of the body.
Finally, the Flamberg sword turned out to be very convenient in defense. Substituting the blade under the blow of the enemy, the warrior did not receive a crushing shock - the blow was extinguished gradually, sliding down the bumps of the sword. As a result, it became much easier to recover and counterattack the enemy.
Shortcomings
Any weapon, gaining an advantage, acquires certain disadvantages with it. Flamberg is no exception.
One of the main disadvantages is the complexity of manufacturing. Forging an even sword was much easier than a flaming sword. Therefore, only people who could make money on their luxurious, albeit not always long, life could afford such a purchase — we will talk about them a little later. Sometimes cheaper analogues were made - the blade of an ordinary two-handed sword was trailed so that waves appeared on it.
Due to the wave-like shape, the strength seriously suffered - with a strong blow, the blade could simply break. This happened extremely rarely, but almost always resulted in the death of the owner.
Unlike classic swords, stamped in Europe by thousands and tens of thousands, flambergs were issued individually and for a specific owner. This not only additionally increased the cost, but also made the creation process more difficult - it was necessary to select the appropriate steel, shape, balancing, and method of hardening the metal.
Attitude towards owners
Many sources that describe the flamberg swords mention the people who owned them.
Often these were landsknechts, or doppelszoldners. The last term can be literally translated as "double soldiers". Why? Everything is simple. Because they always received double salaries. True, every coin spent was justified.
To begin with, mercenaries (and regular army soldiers almost never used flambergs) armed with these terrible weapons were always put in the front line before the battle. That is, the main blow fell on them. They did not do this in order to get rid of the mercenaries and not to pay them after the battle. Just working with a long flamberg while in the midst of the Allies was very problematic and completely unproductive. But chopping long spears, crushing the armor and helmets of the enemy with a good scope is the very thing. Since the two-handed sword Flamberg had a very large weight (for comparison, an ordinary bastard sword rarely weighed more than 2 kilograms), he easily cut through thick poles. Of course, mortality was just huge. You had to pay well for such a risk.
However, the owners of Flambergs were vehemently hated by both enemies and allies. Just because swords inflicted so-called vile wounds - non-healing.
Therefore, mostly soldiers captured with such weapons were hung right on the spot. It is not surprising that the glory of daredevils, who are not afraid of nothing and nobody, has entrenched themselves in such people.
Flaming sword
Gradually, swords became a thing of the past - when the first muskets and pistols appeared. But they were replaced by swords. Few people know, but for some time flambergy swords were also made.
They retained all the advantages that swords possessed - they easily pierced light armor, extinguished the blow taken on the blade gradually, and did not get stuck in the body of the defeated enemy.
But their dignity did not end there. An experienced warrior, having put on a thick leather glove, could intercept the usual sword, immediately after that he easily pierced the enemy. With a flaming sword, this method did not work - it was enough to tear it on yourself, just to leave the enemy without fingers.
Flambergs Nowadays
This will surprise many, but the Flamberg sword is still in production today. Of course, no one wants to use it on the battlefield. But it still remains part of the traditional equipment of the Swiss guards. Huge flambers in the height of a person not only look ominously, but also allow you to pay tribute to the memory of the ancestors.
After all, South Germany (where, apparently, flambergi originated) borders on Switzerland, so there is nothing strange here.
Photos showing scary two-handed swords (flambergs) are widespread - they can be found in many magazines, newspapers and encyclopedias, and often the Swiss hold the weapon in their hands in a traditional black and yellow striped outfit.
Was there poison?
Quite often, one can hear legends that Landsknechts specially oiled the blade of their flambergs with poison, so that, if not immediately, but they would certainly kill the enemy.
However, no historical evidence has been found. The legend is of quite logical origin.
When a non-fatal wound was inflicted with a flamberg, the blade tore the flesh, damaging cells and blood vessels. Of course, local doctors did not use any antibiotics, they did not cleanse the wound from dirt and the tissue and skin that got into it from armor - at best they simply rewound it with a clean cloth. As a result, this led to gangrene. A man whose wound was just starting to rot died in terrible agony. This gave rise to the legend of poison applied to the blade.
Conclusion
Our article is drawing to a close. In it, we tried to tell as much as possible about such an unusual weapon as a flamberg. This sword passed a considerable one, it was noted in thousands of battles. Of course, it is a rather brutal, but colorful page in the history of European edged weapons.