Landsknecht Katzbalger

Incepted at the behest of Emperor Maximilian as a counter force to the ascendant Swiss Pikemen monopolizing Europe’s theatres of war, the Landsknechts rapidly metamorphosed into a cadre of martial virtuosos. These mercenaries were celebrated not merely for their vivid sartorial extravagance but also for their combat zeal and martial dexterity, qualities that paralleled their adversaries.

Armed much in the same way as their period counterparts, each Landsknecht brandished a secondary weapon known as the Kaltzbalger—an eponym for ‘Cat gutter.’ Amidst the cacophonous and lethal disarray of hand-to-hand skirmishes, this bladed instrument proved indispensable. Designed to strike a balance between compactness for proximal melees and extension for maiming maneuvers, the Kaltzbalger became a harbinger of doom across multiple battlegrounds.

Further enhancing its utility was its ostentatious figure-eight guard—a not-so-subtle implication that the flat of this weapon frequently parried oncoming blades. Such a feature served a twofold purpose: It conferred a tactical advantage by rebuffing inbound aggressions and safeguarded the user’s hand from descending strikes.

Inspired by the tales of the Landsknecht, Deepeeka set out produce their own version of the Katzbalger. This sword is not only a tribute to history, it has been forged like the originals. Equipped with a tempered EN45 high carbon steel blade that can be edged for the sword enthusiast, this sword is suitable for soft target cutting by the backyard practitioner of western martial arts.