Austrian Funerary Sword

Victrix · 7th January 2023, 10:35 AM

Interesting sword, Jim. Also it begs the question in a historical context as to why coffin bearers should carry swords? Was it a sign of a militarised society in Europe in those days, or did they have to be armed to fend off grave robbers? Methinks the former. It seems postmen and railway employees also had their own swords. Many of these men were probably demobilised former soldiers or had a background in the armed forces. It would be interesting to see a statistic of what proportion of males served in the armed forces at some stage in the 19thC in continental Europe.

7th January 2023, 10:35 AM	#4
Victrix Member Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Sweden Posts: 755	Interesting sword, Jim. Also it begs the question in a historical context as to why coffin bearers should carry swords? Was it a sign of a militarised society in Europe in those days, or did they have to be armed to fend off grave robbers? Methinks the former. It seems postmen and railway employees also had their own swords. Many of these men were probably demobilised former soldiers or had a background in the armed forces. It would be interesting to see a statistic of what proportion of males served in the armed forces at some stage in the 19thC in continental Europe.