Napoleonic French Imperial Guard Light Cavalry Saber – Universal Swords
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$229.99
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- Class
- Battle Ready
- Blade
- 1060-1065 High Carbon Steel
- Overall Length
- 39 5/8''
- Weight
- 2 lb 8 oz
- Brand
- Universal Swords
- Culture
- French
- Era
- 19th Century
Overview
Napoleonic French Imperial Guard Light Cavalry Saber - Universal Swords
Issued to Napoleons elite Imperial Guard troops, this saber was introduced in 1803 to the enfants cheris the Chasseur a Cheval de la Garde - the cherished children of Napoleon, the Horse Chasseurs of the Imperial Guard. This unit, second only to the Horse Grenadiers of the Imperial Guard, was Napoleons personal guard that accompanied him through his campaigns, establishing a top-notch reputation for their time fighting with him until the bitter end of Waterloo. This saber would be widespread in units of the Imperial Guard of the Grand Arm.
This reproduction of the Imperial Guard Light Cavalry Troopers Saber has a unsharpened, tempered blade of high carbon steel. It bears the signature of Klingenthal, the French state-run sword manufactory on its spine. It reads; "Mfture Nale de Klingenthal Coulaux fres Entreps". The reverse of the blade bears inspection stamps, the LW for Director Levavsseur and the M for Controleur Jean-Jacques Mouton. The hilt is of brass and the grip is ribbed black leather inlaid with brass wire.The wood-core scabbard is covered with black leather overlaid with extensive brass fittings and two steel suspension rings. A leather washer at the base of the blade protects the crossguard from colliding into the metal throat of the scabbard
Specifications
Every measurement that matters
- Brand
- Universal Swords
- Culture
- French
- Era
- 19th Century
- Pommel
- Nut
- Overall Length
- 39 5/8''
- Blade Length
- 33 3/4''
- Blade
- 1060-1065 High Carbon Steel
- Weight
- 2 lb 8 oz
- Edge
- Unsharpened
- P.O.B.
- 8 1/4''
- Thickness
- 7 mm - 4.4 mm
- Width
- 34.5 mm
- Grip Length
- 4 1/2''
- Class
- Battle Ready
- Country of Origin
- India
- Type
- Saber
Reviews
What collectors are saying
Q&A
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The Maker
Universal Swords
With origins going back to 1960, India’s Universal Swords has been making reproduction swords for decades. With an emphasis on military sabers, universal produces a number of designs not found elsewhere. As the official US distributor of Universal Swords, KOA will be expanding to stock their entire line over time.
Often paired together
Dynamically not too bad. Historical accuracy could be better. The taper of the blade here is ahistorical (as usual), but the values balance out fairly close to historical. Foible (the pointy end) is too heavy, but not so much as to be unmageable; just slowed down some. Put a real one next to this one and at six feet they look pretty well matched.
Historicity gets sticky. The blades do come from Klingenthal, but the sabers were finished at the Versailles arsenal. There are critical makers marks missing, such as the “versailles” stamp on the quillon. The grip is not correct; it should recede to the pommel.
The scabbard is good enough to use with an original saber.
This is a reasonable repro for reenactor use. With 1050 carbon steel it can be sharpened and used as a light cutter.
This fills in nicely for a true Napoleonic-era saber at just a small fraction of the cost of an original. It’s excellent for a collector who wants a representative piece but who cannot afford $1,500 or more.