there was a specialized type of sword called the executioner’s sword which had no taper on the blade (meaning the same width all the way down). the extra weight at the end provided more angular momentum for deeper, more powerful strokes when striking downward, and also made it too heavy for practical use in battle, specially designed for beheading. one example from Germany in the 1400s has a poem etched on the blade, “Wan Ich Das Schwert thue Auffheben / So Wünsche Ich Dem Sünder Das Ewige Leben” translated “When I do raise this sword, so I wish the sinner eternal life”
there was a specialized type of sword called the executioner’s sword which had no taper on the blade (meaning the same width all the way down). the extra weight at the end provided more angular momentum for deeper, more powerful strokes when striking downward, and also made it too heavy for practical use in battle, specially designed for beheading. one example from Germany in the 1400s has a poem etched on the blade, “Wan Ich Das Schwert thue Auffheben / So Wünsche Ich Dem Sünder Das Ewige Leben” translated “When I do raise this sword, so I wish the sinner eternal life”