Saxon Janissary Corps Sword

Editor's Note: Below translated by Google from German.

Circa 1729

A single edged blade with broad fullers on both sides, double-edged for the last third of the blade. The cipher "AR" under a crown (King August II. 1697 - 1755) is etched on the obverse side. Two-piece cast brass hilt with more raised ciphers on the languets on each side. Leather covered wooden scabbard with chevron-shaped brass mountings in relief and two side-mounted suspension rings (wooden body and leather covering replaced).

Sword length 81.2 cm.

In 1729, Colonel Christop von Unruh established a Janissary corps, which was mainly composed of Poles and Hungarians. By 1731 it had already been dissolved to be amalgamated into the newly-established grenadier battalion. Cf. Kalus Hilbert, "Trag' diese Wehr zu Sachsens Ehr" (tr. Carry this weapon in Saxony's honour). Dresden. 1994. No. 4.)

Editor's Postscript: Note the similarity between this blade form and the single edged Viking Sword blade form which preceeded it by approximately one thousand years.

Source: www.hermann-historica.de/auktion/hhm63.pl?f=NR_LOT&c=2556&t=temartic_A_GB&db=kat63_a.txt