Stick with retractable blade

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Rod with three retractable blades
Rod with a retractable blade

The stick or staff with retractable blade is a stabbing weapon with the outward appearance of a hiking or walking stick or pilgrim's staff .

technology

In terms of the intention of taking up a hidden blade, the stick with a retractable blade is similar to the stick rapier , but has a completely different construction principle. In a sword-stick which is blade on the handle attached, the remaining hollow floor serves as a sheath . After pulling it out, it is used like a sword .

In the case of a stick with a retractable blade, the blade (or several blades in some types) is concealed in the direction of the handle. As with a drop knife , the blade, driven by a jerky movement, pops out of the stick and is locked by means of a mechanism driven by spring force . With the blade extended, the stick is used like a short skewer . Some of these weapons also have protruding side blades as parrying elements to ward off the opponent's blade. In order to lower the blades again, the locking mechanism must be released by hand.

history

Sticks with retractable blades appeared in the late 16th century . They come mainly from northern Italy , including Turin and Milan . But there are also known specimens from Germany .

In this regard, different names and theories published in the literature cause confusion. The Italian “brandistocco” or French “brin d'estoc” was often adopted as a designation. Since this designation can often be found in the historical inventory lists of the armories , it was assumed that these sticks were used on a large scale. Accordingly, officers should have carried these sticks outside of duty. The term “brandistocco” is a runke , a military polearm with smaller secondary blades. Recent findings rule out the assumed frequent use by officers. In addition, in Anglo-Saxon literature at the beginning of the 20th century, sticks with retractable blades were incorrectly referred to as "swine's feather", "leading staff" or "feather staff". According to recent studies, these names stand for polearms with the possibility of supporting muskets .

Sticks of this kind were used primarily for self-defense on wanderings or pilgrimages . Some of these sticks are decorated with a pilgrim shell , which supports this assumption.

In Italian, weapons with retractable blades are generally called "buttafuori", ie sticks with one or more blades, but also battle hammers and battle axes . The staff with three retractable blades is specified in Italian with the addition “ad alette” (German: “with wings”). The total length of this type comes extended to up to two meters. Compared to the polearms that were common at the time, production was much more complex.

In the 19th century sticks were with retractable blades in series production. These were based on the walking sticks customary at the time. As a result, the overall length was significantly shorter.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lewerken: combined arms , 1989, p 133
  2. ↑ Lewerken: combined arms , 1989, p 134
  3. ↑ Lewerken: Kombinationswaffen , 1989, pp. 277-278, 283
  4. ↑ Lewerken: combined arms , 1989, p 134
  5. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Viebahn: Buttafuori ad Alette
  6. ↑ Lewerken: combined arms , 1989, p 134
  7. ↑ a b Stone: Glossary ... of Arms and Armor , 1934, p. 227
  8. ^ Vita: Dizionari terminologici: Armi bianche , 1983, plate 58
  9. ↑ Lewerken: combined arms , 1989, p 134
  10. ^ Vita: Dizionari terminologici: Armi bianche , 1983, plate 70
  11. ↑ Lewerken: combined arms , 1989, pp 277-278
  12. ↑ Lewerken: combined arms , 1989, p 133
  13. ↑ Lewerken: combined arms , 1989, p 137
  14. ↑ Lewerken: combined arms , 1989, p 171