Cinquedea
Encyclopedia
The cinquedea is a civilian short sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...

 (or long dagger
Dagger
A dagger is a fighting knife with a sharp point designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon. The design dates to human prehistory, and daggers have been used throughout human experience to the modern day in close combat confrontations...

). It was developed in northern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 and enjoyed a period of popularity during the Italian renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...

 of the 15th and early 16th centuries.

The name means "five fingers", and it describes the width of the blade next to the guard
Hilt
The hilt of a sword is its handle, consisting of a guard,grip and pommel. The guard may contain a crossguard or quillons. A ricasso may also be present, but this is rarely the case...

. The blade was heavy, about 45 cm (15 in) in length, and tapered to a somewhat rounded point. The grip was simple with a small pommel
Hilt
The hilt of a sword is its handle, consisting of a guard,grip and pommel. The guard may contain a crossguard or quillons. A ricasso may also be present, but this is rarely the case...

, and the guard was curved with the concave side toward the point. There were typically several fullers
Fuller (weapon)
A fuller is a rounded or beveled groove or slot in the flat side of a blade . A fuller is often used to lighten the blade, much in the way that an I-beam shape allows a given amount of strength to be achieved with less material...

 along the wider sides of the blade to lighten the weapon. The wide blade was useful for decorative etching. This weapon was varied in size, being anywhere in size from 10" to 28". It was often carried in place of a knife or larger sword.

The cinquedea was used primarily as a thrusting weapon. It was carried horizontally next to the buttocks so that it could be drawn laterally from the back.

Collections

The cinquedea is usually available for collectors, whether they are looking for replicas or actual authentic antiques. Since it is not very well known (unlike the Katana
Katana
A Japanese sword, or , is one of the traditional bladed weapons of Japan. There are several types of Japanese swords, according to size, field of application and method of manufacture.-Description:...

 or Claymore
Claymore
The term claymore refers to the Scottish variant of the late medieval longsword, two-handed swords with a cross hilt, of which the guards were in use during the 15th and 16th centuries.-Terminology:...

) and therefore not very popular, finding one for an affordable price is difficult. However, some daggers listed under different names still resemble cinquedeas (such as having the broad base) so they could make a good alternative.

Popular culture

  • In the Myst
    Myst
    Myst is a graphic adventure video game designed and directed by the brothers Robyn and Rand Miller. It was developed by Cyan , a Spokane, Washington––based studio, and published and distributed by Brøderbund. The Millers began working on Myst in and released it for the Mac OS computer on September...

    series, both Gehn
    Gehn
    The Gehn is a small ridge of hills between Bramsche and Ueffeln in Germany's Central Uplands, that are an extension of the Wiehen Hills .The ridge runs from northwest to southeast and is about long and an average of wide. The highest point is the Kettelberg which is high. The Gehn forms a link...

     and Veovis have daggers that strongly resemble cinquedeas.
  • In Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
    Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
    Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, known in Japan as , is an action-adventure game developed and published by Konami. It is part of Konami's Castlevania video game series and the first Castlevania game to be released on the Nintendo DS. The game is the sequel to Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow and...

    , Soma can acquire a very wide and decorative dagger called the Cinquedia.
  • In Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
    Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
    is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance. A spin-off of the popular Final Fantasy series, the game shares several traits with 1997's Final Fantasy Tactics, although it is not a direct sequel. The player assembles a clan of characters, and...

    and Final Fantasy Tactics A2, the Cinquedea is an equippable item under the category of daggers. Thieves, Jugglers and Rangers can equip this weapon.
  • In Diablo II
    Diablo II
    Diablo II is a dark fantasy/horror-themed hack and slash, with elements of the role playing game and dungeon crawl genres. It was released for Windows and Mac OS in 2000 by Blizzard Entertainment, and was developed by Blizzard North. It is a direct sequel to the 1996 hit PC game, Diablo.Diablo II...

    the cinquedea appears as an exceptional dagger weapon (although its pickup graphic incorrectly portrays it as a kris
    Kris
    The kris or keris is an asymmetrical dagger or sword nowadays most strongly associated with the culture of Indonesia, but also indigenous to Malaysia, Southern Thailand and Brunei. It is known as kalis in the southern Philippines. The kris is famous for its distinctive wavy blade , but many have...

    ).
  • In Assassin's Creed 2 Ezio can purchase and wield both channeled and notched Cinquedeas, which are the most powerful short blades. A notched Cinquedea also appears in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
    Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
    Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is a historical third person, stealth action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. It was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November 2010, Microsoft Windows in March 2011 and Mac OS X in May 2011...


See also

  • List of daggers
  • Arming sword
    Arming sword
    The arming sword is the single handed cruciform sword of the High Middle Ages, in common use between ca. 1000 and 1500, possibly remaining in rare use into the 16th century...

  • Baselard
    Baselard
    The baselard is a historical type of dagger or short sword of the Late Middle Ages.In modern use by antiquarians, the term baselard is mostly reserved for a type of 14th...

  • Billao
    Billao
    A billao , also known as a belawa, is a horn-hilted Somali shortsword or dagger. It served most notably as a prominent close-quarters weapon in the Dervish State.-Features:...

  • Gladius
    Gladius
    Gladius was the Latin word for sword, and is used to represent the primary sword of Ancient Roman soldiers. Early ancient Roman swords were similar to those used by the Greeks. From the 3rd century BC, the Romans adopted swords similar to those used by the Celtiberians and others during the early...

  • Katzbalger
    Katzbalger
    A Katzbalger is a short Renaissance arming sword, notable for its sturdy build and a distinctive s-shaped or figure-8 shaped guard. Measuring 75–85 cm long and weighing 1–2 kg, it was the signature blade of the Landsknecht...

  • Kodachi
    Kodachi
    A , literally translating into "small or short tachi ", is a Japanese sword that is too long to be considered a dagger but too short to be a long sword...

  • Model 1832 Foot Artillery Sword
    Model 1832 Foot Artillery Sword
    The Model 1832 Foot Artillery Sword was a shortsword with a straight, double-edged blade and brass-mounted leather scabbard.-History:The U.S. Model 1832 foot artillery shortsword has a solid brass hilt, a crossguard, and a blade usually in length. This model was the first sword contracted by...

  • Tantō
    Tanto
    A is one of the traditional Japanese swords that were worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The tantō dates to the Heian period, when it was mainly used as a weapon but evolved in design over the years to become more ornate...

  • Wakizashi
    Wakizashi
    The is one of the traditional Japanese swords worn by the samurai class in feudal Japan.-Description:...

  • Xiphos

External links

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