Executioner's sword

The quillons were quite short, and mainly straight, and the pommel was often pear-shaped or faceted.

In the Middle Ages, decapitations were performed with regular swords.

The earliest known example of a specifically designed executioner's sword dates to ca.

The last executions by sword in Europe were carried out in Switzerland in 1867 and 1868, when Niklaus Emmenegger in Lucerne and Héli Freymond in Moudon were beheaded for murder.

The blades of executioner's swords were often decorated with symbolic designs.

Executioner's sword (16th century)
A decapitation scene as shown in Cosmographia universalis of Sebastian Münster (1552).