Need help in the identification of Coat-of-Arms
 

Hello,

Would somebody know this Coat-of-Arms ? :confused:

Thanks,

jm

The crossbar resembles the one in the arms of Saxony.

m

Indeed Super Michael, but it is not Saxon :rolleyes:

Sorry but that was the only shot I had ... ;)

m

Perhaps Baden is a possibility, the "Schraffur" suggests red colour.

Thanks Gustav. A hatched band indeed corresponds to a red color according to heraldry code.

This is the coat-of-arms of Strassburg (Strasbourg), the free city of the 17th century :D , now Capital of Europe !

Bingo :cool:

Thank you for the update on that Jean Marc. It means a great deal to have that kind of follow through on these queries which often remain unsolved. These threads are an ever growing archives of data which have become a valuable resource for those researching arms and armour, and updated data is ever important.

With much appreciation,
Jim

The Executioner's Sword of the Capital of Europe !
 

:eek: Thanks Fernando and Jim.

Indeed, it is Bingo, as this city is currently the capital of Europe ! :D

In fact, I have had access to a bank of more than 15,000 original German coat-of arms of the 17th century (see below the link to some of the coat-of-arms, which shows the coat-of-arms of Strassburg (Strasburg or Strasbourg), free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire (top right):

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...bmacher219.jpg

For information, the vertical lines are always representative of the red color according to general heraldry.

Because the executioner's sword was dated to 1670 by several experts, it can be attributed to Johann-Michael Grosholtzen (Jean-Michel Grosholtz), executioner of Strasburg from 1670 to 1686 (the city was about 26,000 people at that time). Many poor guys were likely beheaded with this executioner's sword.... as evidenced by looking at the blade :eek:

Here is the page showing this coat-of arms
 

:p

Heraldic Coats of Arms.
 

Salaams Jean-Marc S.]. This is a great thread. I hope it can develop since Heraldic Coats of Arms are a significant indicator to age and style. It would be great to have an in forum source for research on this otherwise cloudy subject. I think you have laid the foundation stone for that. Shukran.. :shrug:

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Salaams Ibrahiim al Balooshi.
Indeed, it is interesting to note that the particular design of this coat-of-arms of Strasburg (which evolved overtime) matches perfectly the dating of sword manufacture, ca. 1670. :)

Salaams Jean-Marc S. Great ! In fact Brilliant !!

You are probably aware of the detailed thread on blade marks at http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=5453but there is, as yet no dedicated thread on Heraldic Symbols

~ This is a superb secondary and sometimes primary method of ID on dating and in my view is a vital addition to Forum Library. Using this thread as the lead perhaps you could gradually add to this and build up a system for members to trace such information...Other members I'm certain would dive in to assist and it could be quite excellent..I even have a small book on Heraldic Symbols !! I am particularly interested in the details of " The Men of The Pen and Men Of The Sword" heraldic insignias of the Mamluke Empire etc and generally fascinated by the vast European story on Heraldry.

Apologies to Forum for not floating this idea to Moderators, therefor, hopefully this post can act as a request? In addition I shall place a small note on the blademarks thread ...

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

See a couple of links on this executioner's sword
 

;)

http://www.franceinfo.fr/faits-diver...897-2013-08-23


http://www.dna.fr/actualite/2013/08/...-de-strasbourg


http://strasbourghub.blogspot.fr/201...torique-l.html

Epee du bourreau de Strasbourg - Strasbourg Executioner's sword, XVIIth Century
 

Dear All,

In the case of the free imperial city of Strasbourg, it appears that the sword of the executioner was a special order of the city to a blacksmith. Therefore, the richness of engravings on an executioner's sword would likely rely on the relative 'importance' of this particular city (or region or 'baillage' in french) at the time (XVIIth Century), rather than the money available to the executioner. This could explain why there were both richly engraved executioner's swords actually used for beheadings and more simple ones. :D