WITH A SHARP BLADE: The Cutting and Stabbing Weapons of the Habsburg Monarchy 1600-1848

1-253410

This large-scale, lavishly-designed two-volume color publication describes the swords, pallasches, sabres, and small swords with which the Habsburg army was armed. The first volume covers the period from the beginning of the 17th century, the end of the Thirty Years' War, the beginning of standing armies from around 1650, to the end of the Seven Years' War in the middle of the 18th century. Contains around 850 photographs from public and private collections. Part One is based on the unique holdings of the Styrian Armoury in Graz. Part Two draws on previously overlooked material from the Vienna War Archives, namely the hand-drawn archive of artillery captain Anton Dolleczek.

The second volume covers the period from the mid-18th century to the reign of Emperor Franz Joseph I. Particular emphasis is placed on the Economic Pattern Books. These documents, preserved in six handwritten volumes and supplemented by extremely precise drawings by contemporary artists, are a key source for research into the army reforms initiated by Emperor Joseph II and Field Marshal Lacy. Part Three of this work was compiled based on this unique compendium, carefully explained and vividly documented with images of pieces in public and private collections. Part Four is based on the Schmideder sheets, preserved in the Museum of Military History in Vienna, which comprise around 1,200 finely executed lithographs, some of which are artfully hand-colored.