Napoleonic French Imperial Guard Briquet – Universal Swords

The Universal Swords Napoleonic Imperial Guard Infantry Briquet has a tempered blade of 1060-1065 High Carbon Steel. The blade is stamped with replicated inspection marks and etched on the spine with the manufacturing signature of the Klingenthal sword factory. The hilt is brass and the knuckle-guard is stamped with recreated production and inspection markings. The grip is wrapped in black leather and bound with twisted brass wire.

The scabbard is of thick leather and finished with brass fittings.

The elite infantry Grenadiers of Napoleons Grande Arm were issued short, stout sabers to bear in both parade and battle. Though fully functional, these sabers lacked the reach afforded by a bayonet or saber and thus were rarely chosen for melee over the bayonet when the time came. Many of these swords instead found use as a large camp knife, though their primary use truly was in dignifying the Grenadiers from standard infantry by allowing them to wear sabers en-masse - the mark of elite warriors of the period.

The version replicated here by Universal Swords is an even more embellished version of the infantry briquet; this finer example were issued to the Grenadiers of the Imperial Guard - essentially the elite of the elite. These were crafted with finer fittings, a leather-and-wire bound grip and a substantially longer and notably more practical blade than the shorter, standard Briquets of normal Grenadiers.

The wide blade of the Imperial Guard Grenadier version of the Briquet was well-capable of bringing decisive chops and hacks unto the foe. Whilst the knuckle-guard serves to protect the hand, it serves admirably as an integrated knuckle-duster in the melee when the opportunity presents itself.