The baselard, Schwiizerdolch in Swiss-German (also basilard, baslard, in Middle French also badelare, bazelaire and variants, Latinizedbaselardus, basolardus etc., in Middle High Germanbeseler, baseler, basler, pasler; baslermesser) is a historical type of dagger or short sword of the Late Middle Ages.
A 14th-century baselard (Swiss National Museum)Drawing of the baselard shown on the effigy of Thomas de Topcliffe (died 1365) (Dillon 1887).
In modern use by antiquarians, the term baselard is mostly reserved for a type of 14th-century dagger with an I-shaped handle[1] which evolved out of the 13th-century knightly dagger. Contemporary usage was less specific, and the term in Middle French and Middle English could probably be applied to a wider class of large dagger. The term (in many spelling variants) first appears in the first half of the 14th century. There is evidence that the term baselard is in origin a Middle French or Medieval Latin corruption of the German basler [messer] "Basel knife".[2][3]
Both the term baselard and the large dagger with H-shaped hilt or "baselard proper" appear by the mid 14th century. Several 14th-century attestations from France gloss the term as coutel "knife".[4]
Historical usesedit
A 14th-century Swiss basler, predecessor of the classical Swiss dagger used in the 16th century.
Depictions of mid-14th-century examples are preserved as part of tomb effigies (figuring as part of the full military dress of the deceased knight). By the mid-14th century, the baselard is a popular sidearm carried by the more violence-prone section of civilian society, and it retains an association with hooliganism. One early attestation of the German form pasler (1341) is from a court document of Nuremberg recording a case against a man who had injured a woman by striking her on the head with this weapon.[5] Several German law codes of the 14th to 15th centuries outlaw the carrying of a basler inside a city.[6] By the late 14th century, it became fashionable in much of Western Europe, including France, Italy, Germany and England. Sloane MS 2593 (c. 1400) records a song satirizing the use of oversized baselard knives as fashion accessories.[7]Piers Plowman also associates the weapon with vain gaudiness: in this case, two priests, "Sir John and Sir Geoffrey", are reported to have been sporting "a girdle of silver, a baselard or a ballok knyf with buttons overgilt."[8]
Wat Tyler was slain with a baselard by the mayor of London, William Walworth, in 1381, and the original weapon was "still preserved with peculiar veneration by the Company of Fishmongers" in the 19th century.[9]
In the Old Swiss Confederacy, the term basler seems to have referred to the 14th- to 15th-century weapons with the characteristic crescent-shaped pommel and crossguard, which occurred with widely variant blade length, and which by the early 16th century had split into the two discrete classes of the short Swiss dagger (Schweizerdolch) and the long Swiss degen (Schweizerdegen), indicating a semantic split between the formerly synonymous terms Dolch and Degen. The baselard proper falls out of use by the early 16th century.
The term baselard and its variations persist for some time, but lose their connection with a specific type of knife. French baudelaire could now refer to a curved, single-edged hewing knife. Basilarda is the name of a sword in Orlando Furioso.
Also in English, the term could now refer to a Turkish weapon like the yatağan.[10]
A very late occurrence of the term is found in 1602, in the context of a duel fought in Scotland, in Canonbie. The document recording the agreement on the weapons used in the duel mentions "two baslaerd swords with blades a yard and half quarter long".[11]
After this, use of the term is restricted to antiquarian contexts.
^Pearce (2007) calls this "a hilt in the form of a capitol (sic) 'I'" (meaning the letter I including serifs. The idea is that the grip has two pronounced guards at a right angle, on either side of the hand, like the two vertical bars of the letter H, or alternatively like two pronounced horizontal serifs of the letter I)
^Harold L. Peterson, Daggers And Fighting Knives of The Western World (1968)
^OED in its current (2010) online edition preserves the suggestion from the original New English Dictionary fascicle Ant–Batten by Murray (1885), suggesting that the word is "probably a derivative of late Latin badile, badillus a bill-hook (P. Meyer [1874])". This ad hoc etymology has been obsolete since antiquarian Claude Blair discovered an explicit record of 14th-century baselards manufactured in Basel (basolardi di basola) in the accounts of an arms dealer of Florence, Francesco Datini, dated to 1375. See Meier (1998). Earlier authors made other attempts at suggesting plausible etymologies. Jonathan ooucher in his Glossary of Archaic and provincial words (1833) judges this task to be "almost desperate", but goes on to suggest a corruption from bastard (as used in "bastard sword"). Johan Ihre based on a Swedish form basslere assumed the word to be "Old Teutonic" (according to Boucher). Oberlin (1781) also claims Germanic origin by connecting it to a "Gothic basslara", but alternatively also to "Lat. Barb. bisacuta, bizachius, besague". The first printed dictionary of the German language, the 1477 Vetus Teutonista by Gerardus de Schueren, lists the word as baslere.
^suggesting that the reader was at the time not assumed to be familiar with the term. E.g.: cutellos ... seu badelares (1355), un coutel, appellé Badelare (1348), Basalardum seu cutelhum (1386), coustel portatif, appellé Baudelaire (1415)
^W. Schultheiss, Die Acht-, Verbots- und Fehdebücher Nürnbergs von 1285–1400 (1960), 68, 21
^* Nuremberg : man hat verboten [...] daz dhein burger weder in der stat noch auzwendig niht sol tragen dhein silberin gürteln [...] dhein welhisch messer noch dheinen basler (Satzungsbücher und Satzungen der Reichsstadt Nürnberg aus dem 14. Jahrhundert ed. Werner Schultheiß, 1965, p. 217)
Mainzer Friedgebot (1300), 101: wel man zu Meinze inne woninde ist, der rutinge dregit odir swert odir beseler, der sal uz Meinze varin ein vierteil iaris (ed. Rudolf Steffens), in: Mainzer Zeitschrift 98 (2003), 1-10; beseler glossed as "two-edged knives" in F. J. Mone, Der Friedensbruch der Stadt Mainz, um 1430 (1856).
A 1427 law code of Tegernsee lists paslär as one of a number of illegal weapons (verpotne wer), setting a fine for carrying them in the street: Gustav Winter, Osterreichische Weistümer, vol. 8 (1896), p. 970.
see also mhdwb-online.de
^prenegarde prenegarde, thus bere I myn baselard; Wright, Thomas (1836). Songs and Carols Printed from a Manuscript in the Sloane Collection in the British Museum. W. Pickering.
^according to Boucher, Glossary of Archaic and provincial words (1833). But the depiction of the death of Wat Tyler in the late-14th-century Royal MS 18.E shows Walworth wielding a large, curved falchion. The corresponding image in the Chronicle of Froissart shows a group assaulting Tyler with a variety of weapons (including a Falchion), while the weapon used to slay Tyler is drawn as a long, straight baselard sword.
^"a hoked Baslarde is a perelse wepon with the Turkes." (Horman's Vulgaria, cited after Dillon 1887)
^cited in Joseph Nicolson, Richard Burn The history and antiquities of the counties of Westmorland and Cumberland (1777), here cited after OED. Apparently intended is the long form of the rapier which is contemporaneously also called a "long sword" by George Silver. C.f. Thimm, Carl A. A Complete Bibliography of Fencing and Duelling. Pelican Publishing. p. 269. ISBN978-1-4556-0277-3.
Bibliographyedit
Lionello G. Boccia, Armi d'attaco, da difesa e da fuoco, la collezione d'armi del Museo d'Arte Medievale e Moderna di Modena, Modena 1996, nr. 80.
Michael 'Tinker' Pearce, The Medieval Sword in the Modern World (2007), ISBN978-1-4303-2801-8, pp. 34, 65f.
March 26, 2024
baselard, this, article, unclear, citation, style, references, used, made, clearer, with, different, consistent, style, citation, footnoting, october, 2011, learn, when, remove, this, template, message, baselard, schwiizerdolch, swiss, german, also, basilard, . This article has an unclear citation style The references used may be made clearer with a different or consistent style of citation and footnoting October 2011 Learn how and when to remove this template message The baselard Schwiizerdolch in Swiss German also basilard baslard in Middle French also badelare bazelaire and variants Latinized baselardus basolardus etc in Middle High German beseler baseler basler pasler baslermesser is a historical type of dagger or short sword of the Late Middle Ages A 14th century baselard Swiss National Museum Drawing of the baselard shown on the effigy of Thomas de Topcliffe died 1365 Dillon 1887 Contents 1 Etymology 2 Historical uses 3 See also 4 References 5 BibliographyEtymology editIn modern use by antiquarians the term baselard is mostly reserved for a type of 14th century dagger with an I shaped handle 1 which evolved out of the 13th century knightly dagger Contemporary usage was less specific and the term in Middle French and Middle English could probably be applied to a wider class of large dagger The term in many spelling variants first appears in the first half of the 14th century There is evidence that the term baselard is in origin a Middle French or Medieval Latin corruption of the German basler messer Basel knife 2 3 Both the term baselard and the large dagger with H shaped hilt or baselard proper appear by the mid 14th century Several 14th century attestations from France gloss the term as coutel knife 4 Historical uses edit nbsp A 14th century Swiss basler predecessor of the classical Swiss dagger used in the 16th century Depictions of mid 14th century examples are preserved as part of tomb effigies figuring as part of the full military dress of the deceased knight By the mid 14th century the baselard is a popular sidearm carried by the more violence prone section of civilian society and it retains an association with hooliganism One early attestation of the German form pasler 1341 is from a court document of Nuremberg recording a case against a man who had injured a woman by striking her on the head with this weapon 5 Several German law codes of the 14th to 15th centuries outlaw the carrying of a basler inside a city 6 By the late 14th century it became fashionable in much of Western Europe including France Italy Germany and England Sloane MS 2593 c 1400 records a song satirizing the use of oversized baselard knives as fashion accessories 7 Piers Plowman also associates the weapon with vain gaudiness in this case two priests Sir John and Sir Geoffrey are reported to have been sporting a girdle of silver a baselard or a ballok knyf with buttons overgilt 8 Wat Tyler was slain with a baselard by the mayor of London William Walworth in 1381 and the original weapon was still preserved with peculiar veneration by the Company of Fishmongers in the 19th century 9 In the Old Swiss Confederacy the term basler seems to have referred to the 14th to 15th century weapons with the characteristic crescent shaped pommel and crossguard which occurred with widely variant blade length and which by the early 16th century had split into the two discrete classes of the short Swiss dagger Schweizerdolch and the long Swiss degen Schweizerdegen indicating a semantic split between the formerly synonymous terms Dolch and Degen The baselard proper falls out of use by the early 16th century The term baselard and its variations persist for some time but lose their connection with a specific type of knife French baudelaire could now refer to a curved single edged hewing knife Basilarda is the name of a sword in Orlando Furioso Also in English the term could now refer to a Turkish weapon like the yatagan 10 A very late occurrence of the term is found in 1602 in the context of a duel fought in Scotland in Canonbie The document recording the agreement on the weapons used in the duel mentions two baslaerd swords with blades a yard and half quarter long 11 After this use of the term is restricted to antiquarian contexts See also editSwiss arms and armour List of daggers Medieval daggerReferences edit Pearce 2007 calls this a hilt in the form of a capitol sic I meaning the letter I including serifs The idea is that the grip has two pronounced guards at a right angle on either side of the hand like the two vertical bars of the letter H or alternatively like two pronounced horizontal serifs of the letter I Harold L Peterson Daggers And Fighting Knives of The Western World 1968 OED in its current 2010 online edition preserves the suggestion from the original New English Dictionary fascicle Ant Batten by Murray 1885 suggesting that the word is probably a derivative of late Latin badile badillus a bill hook P Meyer 1874 This ad hoc etymology has been obsolete since antiquarian Claude Blair discovered an explicit record of 14th century baselards manufactured in Basel basolardi di basola in the accounts of an arms dealer of Florence Francesco Datini dated to 1375 See Meier 1998 Earlier authors made other attempts at suggesting plausible etymologies Jonathan ooucher in his Glossary of Archaic and provincial words 1833 judges this task to be almost desperate but goes on to suggest a corruption from bastard as used in bastard sword Johan Ihre based on a Swedish form basslere assumed the word to be Old Teutonic according to Boucher Oberlin 1781 also claims Germanic origin by connecting it to a Gothic basslara but alternatively also to Lat Barb bisacuta bizachius besague The first printed dictionary of the German language the 1477 Vetus Teutonista by Gerardus de Schueren lists the word as baslere suggesting that the reader was at the time not assumed to be familiar with the term E g cutellos seu badelares 1355 un coutel appelle Badelare 1348 Basalardum seu cutelhum 1386 coustel portatif appelle Baudelaire 1415 W Schultheiss Die Acht Verbots und Fehdebucher Nurnbergs von 1285 1400 1960 68 21 Nuremberg man hat verboten daz dhein burger weder in der stat noch auzwendig niht sol tragen dhein silberin gurteln dhein welhisch messer noch dheinen basler Satzungsbucher und Satzungen der Reichsstadt Nurnberg aus dem 14 Jahrhundert ed Werner Schultheiss 1965 p 217 Mainzer Friedgebot 1300 101 wel man zu Meinze inne woninde ist der rutinge dregit odir swert odir beseler der sal uz Meinze varin ein vierteil iaris ed Rudolf Steffens in Mainzer Zeitschrift 98 2003 1 10 beseler glossed as two edged knives in F J Mone Der Friedensbruch der Stadt Mainz um 1430 1856 A 1427 law code of Tegernsee lists paslar as one of a number of illegal weapons verpotne wer setting a fine for carrying them in the street Gustav Winter Osterreichische Weistumer vol 8 1896 p 970 see also mhdwb online de prenegarde prenegarde thus bere I myn baselard Wright Thomas 1836 Songs and Carols Printed from a Manuscript in the Sloane Collection in the British Museum W Pickering cited after Dilon 1887 according to Boucher Glossary of Archaic and provincial words 1833 But the depiction of the death of Wat Tyler in the late 14th century Royal MS 18 E shows Walworth wielding a large curved falchion The corresponding image in the Chronicle of Froissart shows a group assaulting Tyler with a variety of weapons including a Falchion while the weapon used to slay Tyler is drawn as a long straight baselard sword a hoked Baslarde is a perelse wepon with the Turkes Horman s Vulgaria cited after Dillon 1887 cited in Joseph Nicolson Richard Burn The history and antiquities of the counties of Westmorland and Cumberland 1777 here cited after OED Apparently intended is the long form of the rapier which is contemporaneously also called a long sword by George Silver C f Thimm Carl A A Complete Bibliography of Fencing and Duelling Pelican Publishing p 269 ISBN 978 1 4556 0277 3 Bibliography editLionello G Boccia Armi d attaco da difesa e da fuoco la collezione d armi del Museo d Arte Medievale e Moderna di Modena Modena 1996 nr 80 Harold Dillon On some of the Smaller Weapons of the Middle Ages The reliquary and illustrated archaeologist 1887 https archive org details reliquaryandill01unkngoog Jurg A Meier Sammlung Carl Beck Sursee 1998 http www waffensammlung beck ch waffe197 html Michael Tinker Pearce The Medieval Sword in the Modern World 2007 ISBN 978 1 4303 2801 8 pp 34 65f Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Baselard amp oldid 1209188377, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
