Messer (weapon) of several "Fechtbücher" (fighting manuals) of the 14th and 15th centuries, including that of Johannes Lecküchner (dealing with the "langes messer"), the "Codex Wallerstein", Hans Talhoffer, Paulus Kal and Albrecht Dürer. Messer (weapon) A messer (German for "knife") is a single-edged sword with a knife-like hilt construction. While the various names are often used synonymously, messers are divided into two types: "Lange Messer" ("long knives") are one-handed swords used by Bourgeoisie (middle-class civilians) for personal self-defence. They were about a meter long and may have evolved from the "Bauernwehr" ("peasant's sidearm"). They are also known as "Großes Messer" (Great Knife).
Messer (weapon) Landsknecht. There is a typology created by James G. Elmslie for messers and falchions similar to the Oakeshott typology based on ongoing research. Messer are characterized by their single-edged blades. The lengths and shapes of the blade can vary greatly. Messer blades can be straight or curved. Extant examples of langes messer seem to have an overall length of with a blade, and a weight between . The defining characteristic of messer is their hilt construction. Quite notable in its construction was the attachment of blade to the hilt via a slab tang sandwiched between two wooden grip plates that