A falchion.

A falchion ([fɔːlʃən], from Old French fauchon, ultimately from Latin falx "sickle") is a medieval one-handed, single-edged sword of European origin, whose design is reminiscent of the Persian scimitar and the Chinese dao. The weapon combined the weight and power of an axe with the versatility of a sword. Falchions are found in different forms from around the 11th century up to and including the sixteenth century. In some versions the falchion looks rather like the scramasax and later the sabre, and in some versions the form is irregular or (as is the case in the picture to the right) like a machete with a crossguard. While some propose that encounters with the Islamic shamshir inspired its creation, these "scimitars" of Persia were not developed until long after the falchion. More likely, it was developed from farmer's and butcher's knives in the manner of the larger Messer. Image File history File links Falchion. ... Image File history File links Falchion. ... Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories corresponding roughly to the northern half of modern France and parts of Belgium and Switzerland from around 1000 to 1300 A.D. It was known at the time as the langue doïl to distinguish it from the langue... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... 19th century French Navy officer sabre A backsword is a sword having a blade with only one edge. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ... Look up Persian in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Scimitar, XVII Century, from India. ... Chinese Saber Dao (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: tao1) is a category of single-edge Chinese swords primarily used for slashing and chopping (sabers), often called broadswords in English because some varieties have wide blades. ... Axe For other uses, see Axe (disambiguation). ... Swiss longsword, 15th or 16th century Look up Sword in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... As a means of recording the passage of time, the 11th century was that century which lasted from 1001 to 1100. ... King or Chief of Franks armed with the Scramasax, from a Miniature of the Ninth Century, drawn by H. de Vielcastel. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Szabla. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... Shamshir (شمشیر) is the Persian word for sword It has come to refer to a type of sabre with a curve that is considered radical for a sword: 15 to 30 degrees from tip to tip. ... Scimitar, XVII Century, from India. ... Motto: official: Esteqlāl, āzādÄ«, jomhÅ«rÄ«-ye eslāmÄ«[1]   (Persian for Independence, freedom, (the) Islamic Republic Anthem: SorÅ«d-e MellÄ«-e Īrān[2] Capital (and largest city) Tehran Official languages Persian Government Islamic Republic  - Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei  - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Establishment    - Proto-Elamite... fighting with a messer and a hungarian shield (Gladiatoria fechtbuch fol. ...

The blade designs of falchions varied wildly across the continent and through the ages. They almost always included a single edge with a slight curve on the blade towards the point on the end; they also were affixed with a quilloned crossguard for the hilt in the manner of the contemporary long-swords. While one of the few surviving falchions is shaped very much like a large meat cleaver, or large bladed machete (the Conyers falchion), the majority of the depictions in art reflect a design similar to that of the großes Messer. A surviving example from England's thirteenth century was just under two pounds in weight. Of its 37.5 inches (95.25 cm) in length, 31.5 inches (eighty centimeters) are the straight blade which bears a flare-clipped tip similar to the much later kilij of Turkey. This blade style may have been influenced by the Turko-Mongol sabres that had reached the borders of Europe by the thirteenth century. Hilt of Szczerbiec silver damascened rapier guard, between 1580 and 1600. ... In a sword, the crossguard (or cross-guard) is a flat bar of metal at right angles to the blade, placed between the blade and the hilt. ... See also: Hilt (band) and Peter Hilt Hilt of Szczerbiec The hilt of a sword is its handle, consisting of a guard, grip and pommel. ... The term long-sword is ahistoric in the sense that it refers to a different kind of sword depending on historical context. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... fighting with a messer and a hungarian shield (Gladiatoria fechtbuch fol. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... The pound (abbreviations: lb or, sometimes in the United States, #) is a unit of mass in a number of different systems, including various systems of units of mass that formed part of English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... An inch (plural: inches; symbol or abbreviation: in or, sometimes, ″ - a double prime) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... The metre, or meter (U.S.), is a measure of length. ... The kilij (also spelled kilic) is a sword used by the Ottoman Empire starting around the late 15th century. ... Chinese Saber Dao (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: tao1) is a category of single-edge Chinese swords primarily used for slashing and chopping (sabers), often called broadswords in English because some varieties have wide blades. ...

Unlike the double-edged swords of Europe, few actual swords of this type have survived to the present day; fewer than a dozen specimens are currently known.^[1] It is presumed that these swords had a lower average quality and status than the longer, more expensive swords. It is also possible that falchions were used as tools when they were not pressed into service as weapons. Although it is commonly thought that falchions were primarily a peasant's weapon, some were very ornate and used by nobility. In particular, there is a very elaborately engraved and gold plated falchion from the 1560s. This weapon is engraved with the personal coat of arms of Cosimo de' Medici, Duke of Florence. In Act V Scene III of William Shakespeare's "King Lear", the mad king alludes to his falchion. William Shakespeare is born. ... A modern coat of arms is derived from the medi val practice of painting designs onto the shield and outer clothing of knights to enable them to be identified in battle, and later in tournaments. ... Jacopo Pontormo: Cosimo de Medici, 1518-1519 Cosimo di Giovanni de Medici (September 27, 1389 – August 1, 1464), was the first of the Medici political dynasty, rulers of Florence during most of the Italian Renaissance; also known as Cosimo the Elder (il Vecchio) and Cosimo Pater Patriae. ...

These swords were produced in their hundreds by blacksmiths. They were generally made from iron with steel edges.

References

January 27 is the 27th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ...

External links

• Arms & Armor Medici Falchion replica

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