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Originally Posted by Jim McDougall
... The actual use of these and to what degree has been debated, suggesting that by 17th century, this means of execution was not actually as widely employed as thought...
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This being one perspective, Jim. Looking at records of executions by the sword in a city of a small European country, for one, between the XV and XVIII centuries, the numbers shown for the 1700's far from from being scarce.
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Originally Posted by NeilUK
...As for Fernando's comment about the cross-guard: it could serve to prevent the user's hands from slipping down onto the blade, and also if the recipient of justice (the victim/criminal) is sentenced to 'die by the sword' then the instrument has to look like a sword! even if it is not a real weapon. Just my thoughts.
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I wouldn't go for the first theory, Neil; the gesture applied in these 'non weapon' swords is not that of thrusting, hence no slipping down taking place. But i would well accept the second suggestion, as making good sense. Actually it is rather plausible that middle age executions were performed with ordinary swords, these 'fashionable' implements having not yet been developed.
Even in such later years these things were not compelled to follow period styling, as represented by an example kept in the Oporto Military Museum, which hosts the Araújo collection. See the swordish hilt and the face to face half moon symbols in the ricasso, a posture away from simbolizing the sordid purposes of these things.
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