14th-15th century
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Jeanne de Clisson
Jeanne de Clisson (c. 1300–1359) was a Breton noblewoman who turned privateer against the French crown after her husband, Olivier IV de Clisson, was beheaded in Paris on August 2, 1343, on a treason charge that contemporaries widely regarded as unjust. She sold her remaining lands, raised several hundred men for reprisal raids in Brittany,…
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Two-Handed Sword (Bidenhänder)
A large, two-handed sword used by some medieval sea raiders; a sword traditionally attributed to the famous Baltic pirate Klaus Störtebeker of the Victual Brothers is preserved in Hamburg’s Museum of Hamburg History. Such swords required significant strength to wield but delivered devastating blows in close combat. They represent the weaponry of Europe’s medieval, pre-firearms…