Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1115758
A double-handed sword dating from the first half of the 16th century, technically called Zwei- händer, has been recently donat- ed by Dott. Francesco Pegoiani Penna from his private collec- tion to Heritage Malta's Palace Armoury located at the Grand Master's Palace in Valletta. Users of the Zweihänder had to have particular skills and were even paid in excess of their usual pay. These types of swords were terribly feared since they could easily cut through the period ar- mour and sever an opponent in two with just one blow. Such swords were used by the knights of the Order of St John and by the mercenaries in the defence of Malta during the Great Siege of 1565. The use of such weapons is documented in the wall painted frieze by Matteo Perez d'Aleccio in the Grand Council Hall (Throne Room) at the Grand Master's Palace in Valletta, such as in the scenes showing the Piccolo Soccorso and the attack on the Post of Castile. The Zweihänder or Doppel- händer (double-hander) or Bei- dhänder (both-hander) devel- oped from the so-called bastard sword or montante (longsword) of the Late Middle Ages. It became a hallmark weapon of the German Landsknechte from the time of Maximilian I (d. 1519) and was popular dur- ing the Italian Wars of 1494– 1559. This particular weapon repre- sents the final stage in the trend of the increasing length of the blade which started in the 14th century. In its developed form, the Zweihänder acquired the characteristics of a pole arm rather than a sword. Consequently, it was not car- ried in a sheath but across the shoulder like a halberd. The Palace Armoury holds two similar 'hand-and-half' swords which date to the same period. Even these swords were used during the Great Siege, as were the large quantities of issue plate armour and pole arms that are still preserved in the Palace Armoury collection, all dating to the same period. The donated double-handed sword is considered as a histori- cally important weapon since its date and typology has filled a lacuna in the present collec- tion. 42 similar double-handed or hand-and-half swords were documented to be found at the Palace Armoury in the late 18th century. Unfortunately, only the two hand-and-half swords men- tioned above remain, the rest, presumably, having been re- moved to England in the early 19th century. The double-handed sword was received by the Curator of the Palace Armoury, Rob- ert Cassar, and Senior Curator, Emmanuel Magro Conti. It is now at the Heritage Malta Conservation Laboratories to be prepared for display at the Palace Armoury in the section representing edged weapons from the early decades of the 16th century together with the hand-and-half swords. maltatoday | SUNDAY • 12 MAY 2019 11 CULTURE RIFORMA GVERN LOKALI Nifs Ġdid lill-Gvern Lokali SEGRETARJAT PARLAMENTARI GĦALL-GVERN LOKALI U KOMUNITAJIET www.localgovernment.gov.mt C M Y CM MY CY CMY K Riforma 2019 adverts EN + MT PRINT .pdf 1 10/05/2019 10:39 Double-handed sword donated to Heritage Malta Terribly feared sword could cut an armoured opponent in two with just one blow The donated double-handed sword is considered as a historically important weapon