Polish-Saxon Janissary cleaver

The Janissary Corps as part of the Royal Guard was formed in 1729 by Colonel Christoph von Unruh. The corps consisted of four companies, 100 people each, located in Warsaw and Dresden . The staff was recruited mainly from the Poles and Hungarians. The corps did not last long, already in 1731 it was disbanded, the personnel became part of the newly formed grenadier battalion of Count Frieze ^[1] . During the reign of Augustus II, this was the second formation of such a detachment. For the first time, the short-lived Janissary squad was formed specifically on the occasion of the wedding of the son of Augustus (the future Polish king Augustus III ) with Maria Josepha , which took place in 1719 ^[3] .

The blade is a steel straight one-blade, with one wide dale, the combat end is two-blade. On a blade near the hilt, the monogram of Augustus in the form of woven letters AR (Augustus Rex) under a crown placed in an oriental-style cartouche is knocked out. The monogram is correctly read when the blade is pointed upward. Ephesus brass, cast, hilt and cross are one piece. The cross is short, the ends are rounded and bent to the blade. The center of the crosshairs is decorated in the form of a rhombus, in the center of which there is also placed a royal monogram on both sides, turned in the opposite direction relative to the monogram on the blade - it is correctly read when the weapon is pointed down. Shank of the handle of an asymmetric shape, covered with a relief pattern in the form of a "herringbone". At tesakov of non-commissioned officers, the surface of the cut and the ends of the cross were covered with silver. The form of the hilt imitates the hilt of Polish saber- carabel ^{[1] [5]} .

Wooden scabbard, covered in black leather. The brass scabbard device consists of a mouth, a nut and a tip covered with a relief pattern in the form of a “Christmas tree”. On the mouth and nut are one fixed ring for the pass straps ^[5] . The sheath length is 700 ^[4] -705 ^[6] mm. Cleats were worn behind their backs ^[6] .

There are two Janissary cleaver in the Museum of the Polish Army (inventory numbers MWP 2022 * / 1-2 and MWP2030 *) ^[5] . There is one in the Livrustkamaren Museum (accession number LRK 7211) ^[2] .

• Krulikiewicz T. History of knives: Cords, daggers, knives, bayonets = Historia Broni Sieczney: Kordy, Puginaly, Noże i Bagnety. - Rostov-on-Don: “Phoenix”, 2010. - 277 p. - ISBN 978-5-222-17213-1 .
• Kulinsky A.N. Cold steel of the German states. - SPb. : “Atlas”: “Baltika”, 2000. - 416 p. - ISBN 5-9250-0008-0 .
• Nordström, Lena. White arms of the Royal Armory. - Stockholm: Ex. A, B, 1984. - ISBN 91-7810-165-4 .
• Sander, Nils Fredrik. Underdånig berättelse angående emottagandet för statens räkning af de utaf Hans Maj; t konung Carl XV till staten testamenterade samlingar af konstverk, vapen och andra föremål: Afgifven den 14 aug. 1873 af tf intendenten vid Nationalmuseum. - Stockholm, 1873. - ISBN 99-3174762-5 .
• I Orientaliska samlingen; II. Vesterländska samlingen // Hans Majestät Konung Carl XV: s vapensamling. - Stockholm.

• Janissary cleaver on the site of the Museum of the Polish Army
• Janissary cleaver on the site of the museum Livrustkammarin