[Merenti]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

Again, this is most interesting, and while it seems over years on occasion I have seen swords identified as "Saxon' but simply regarded it as as a term of heightened specificity over the more general 'German' classification.

I have always recognized the axiom, 'weapon forms have no geographic boundaries' . Obviously certain forms had preferences in certain local regions and were preponderant in them, but was there some distinct characteristic that would signify a sword was specifically from the defined Saxon area?
Clearly there have been notable geopolitical changes in this state over many centuries, so that further begs the question, what defines a Saxon sword?

In the more recent centuries of course, military swords would have cyphers, inscriptions, coats of arms which specified Saxony, but with images of edged weapons without such identifying elements, what in the images in the OP signifies that these are 'Saxon'.

The serpent on the ricasso in the second image is of course associated with Milan and used by makers variously in that context.

very well worded


the Reformation gave Saxony a very high status. I'll try to share what I know so far this weekend.