CC BY 4.0
Halberd
Halberd, Sempacher variety, um 1400
About the object
The Halberd is marked with an open Swiss Cross on its blade. Slashing and thrusting weapons like this were named after the Battle of Sempach. The Swiss confederates had devastatingly defeated the well-armed knights of the Habsburgs there in August 1386. The death of many Freiburg nobles made the craftsmen’s guilds the strongest power in the city administration.
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In 1386, a large number of Freiburg troops fought on behalf of the Habsburgs against the Swiss Confederates near Sempach, north of Lucerne. Archduke Leopold's forces were defeated. The demise of the Freiburg nobility, many of whom were killed at Sempach, contributed significantly to the loss of its supremacy in the council and to the concomitant strengthening of the guilds. The special form of the Swiss halberd, which was in use until the 16th century, was named after this famous battlefield.