Landsknecht Emporium – Large Bauernwehr with Sheath

This large Bauernwehr Dagger by Landsknecht Emporium is a rather vicious fighting blade that is lavishly imbued with the Gothic spirit of the Holy Roman Empire. While many Bauernwehr doubled both as weapons for self defense and practical tools, the sheer scale of this broad-bladed example implies that war and campaign is its raison d’etre. The blade is entirely rigid and has an astonishingly thick spine that not only gives it impressive durability, but allows for it to be reliably used as lever to pry through and into the defense of an opponent, or control them in a grappling scrum of a melee. A clipped point gives it a good thrusting tip and allows for the blade to get its hold on the foe whereby the rest of the wide and thick blade could be driven home. Such a fearsome dagger would look right at home slung at the hip of a hard-bitten Landsknecht mercenary or professional soldier.

The blade is crafted from well tempered 6150 high carbon steel and finished with a satin polish and sharpened edge. The guard is of resilient mild steel and the substantial nagel is pinned straight through the guard and peened on the other side for the strongest construction possible for this essential bit of hand protection. The very thick tang is stoutly riveted to grip scales of polished walnut which flare out greatly toward the end to seat the dagger in the hand and making it hard for it to slip through the hand or be seized from its bearer. This grip shape is based on several surviving antique Bauernwehren which also feature a greatly narrowed section by the guard to allow the leading part of the hand to grip and direct the weapon with precision.

The dagger comes with a a tough leather halftan sheath which is lavishly hand-etched with a Totentanz theme – a perfect stylistic match to complete the dagger. It has a belt loop for wear.

Landsknecht Emporium’s research into more historically accurate leather sheaths and their construction led them to using a “Half Tan” method for sheath making to get the properties needed for an excellent leather sheath that was particularly robust. “Half Tan” means that the tanning chemicals don’t fully penetrate the hide – This process means that the grain and flesh side become vegetable-tanned leather whilst the middle and back remain rawhide. It opens up a variety of possibilities, including deeper and crisper embossing and much more resilience during sewing. Due to the rawhide middle its nearly impossible to tense the threat so much that it tears out a hole. When dry, this type of leather becomes highly resistant to cuts to create a particularly tough, lasting and durable sheath.

andsknecht Emporium products aim to have the aesthetics of historical pieces, not the finish of mass-produced items. Each product bears the signs of its making; small tool marks and imperfections, which do not affect the build quality or usability but give each of our pieces its unique character.