The sabre

A sabre is a type of backsword with a curved blade. It is primarily associated with light cavalry from the early modern period and the Napoleonic era. Initially, it was linked to Central European cavalry, such as the Hussars, but during the Thirty Years' War, its use spread throughout Western Europe. Lighter sabres also became popular with infantry in the early 17th century. In the 19th century, models with less curved blades were common and were also used by heavy cavalry.

The military sabre was also used as a dueling weapon in academic fencing in the 19th century. This led to the development of the modern form of saber fencing, which was introduced at the Summer Games of 1896 and is based on the characteristics of the historical weapon.

The English word sabre is mentioned from the 1670s and is directly borrowed from French, where sabre is an adaptation of sable. This French word was in turn a loanword from the German  Säbel or Sabre from the 1630s. The German word has been known since the 15th century and comes from the Polish szabla, which in turn originates from the Hungarian szabla (14th century, later szablya). The spread of the Hungarian word to other European languages occurred in the context of the Ottoman wars in Europe from the 15th to 17th centuries.

The exact origin of the Hungarian word is uncertain. It possibly comes from South Slavic (Serbo-Croatian sablja, Old Slavic sabľa), which ultimately traces back to a Turkish source. 

History

These weapons were valued at the Hungarian royal court as the Sword of Attila. Hungarian sabres are known from the first half of the 10th century.

Although single-edged cutting swords already existed in antiquity, such as the Egyptian and Sumerian sickle swords, these were often chopping weapons for infantry. These later developed into heavier chopping weapons like the Greek Machaira, the kopish and the Iberian falcata. The Anatolian Drepanon even survived as the Kukri of the Gurkhas. In ancient China, infantry and cavalry often used straight, single-edged swords. Around the 6th century AD, a longer, slightly curved variant for cavalry appeared in Southern Siberia. This “proto-sabre” or Turko-Mongolian sabre developed into the true cavalry sword around the 8th century and became the customary sidearm on the Eurasian steppes in the 9th century.

The oldest sabres had a slight curvature, short downward-curved cross-guards, a grip opposite to the blade, and a sharp tip, with the upper third of the back edge sharpened.

The use of the sabre in Western Europe, along with the name, began in the 17th century. This was mainly due to the deployment of Hungarian Hussars in Western European armies. Hussars were light cavalry who attacked enemy sharpshooters and artillery positions and pursued fleeing troops.

In the late 17th and early 18th centuries, many Hungarian Hussars settled in other European countries and formed the core of light cavalry units there. The word szablya in Hungarian comes from the northwestern Turkish selebe, influenced by the Hungarian verb szab ("to cut").

The original type of sabre, or Polish szabla, was used as a cavalry weapon, possibly inspired by Hungarian or Turko-Mongolian weapons.

The karabela was a popular type of szabla in the late 17th century, worn by the Polish nobility (szlachta). Although intended for cavalry, it also replaced straight infantry swords.

The Swiss sabre originated as a straight-edged single-sided sword in the early 16th century, but from the 17th century displayed special hilt types.

The sabre was widely used in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth during the early modern period, especially by light cavalry in the 17th century. After the Thirty Years' War, the use of the sabre spread throughout Europe and was also adopted by infantry. For the Polish nobility (szlachta), the sabre was moreover an important status symbol and an essential part of traditional men's attire.

Hungarian-Polish szabla
The first type of szabla, the Hungarian-Polish szabla, became popular among the szlachta during the reign of the Transylvanian-Hungarian king of Poland, Stefan Batory, in the late 16th century. This sabre had a large, open hilt with a cross-shaped guard, formed by quillons and upper and lower langets. The blade was heavy and single-edged, and could be straight or slightly curved. Because the sabre offered little hand protection, a chain was attached from the crossguard to the pommel. Many of these sabres were commissioned by King Batory and featured his portrait; thus, this type is also called batorówka, after the king.

Armenian szabla
At the end of the 17th century, the first notable modification of the sabre appeared: the Armenian szabla, also called czeczuga . This type had a protected hand guard and was inspired by the curved sabres from the East. The Armenian szabla possibly emerged due to Armenian merchants and swordsmiths who at that time managed a large part of the arms production in the Commonwealth.

The Armenian szabla developed into three types. The Czeczuga was a curved sabre with a small crossguard, an open, decorated hilt, and a cap that partially protected the hand. The Ordynka was a heavier cavalry weapon that combined features of the Czeczuga with a stronger and more durable hilt and blade, similar to a short sword. The Armenian karabela was the first ceremonial sabre of the szlachta, with a curved blade and crossguard, a short grip, and decorations with engravings, gemstones, and ivory. In the 18th century, this evolved into the standard karabela, which was used both as part of clothing and in combat.

Hussar-szabla
The Hussar-szabla was the best-known type of szabla of its time and a precursor to many European swords. The weapon was introduced around 1630 and mainly used by the heavy Polish cavalry, the Hussars. This sabre was less curved than the Armenian sabres, making it ideal for mounted combat. The hilt was heavy and almost fully enclosed, providing both good hand protection and better control over the weapon.

On either side of the blade were two spring-shaped metal plates, the so-called moustache (wąsy), which reinforced the connection between blade and hilt. The thumb ring, a small ring of steel or brass at the transition from grip to crossguard, enabled powerful downward strikes and accelerated the recovery of the weapon for the next strike. A typical Hussar-szabla had a blade of medium 85 cm, a tip of 15–17 cm, and was often double-edged. These sabres were durable, stable, and were used in combat well into the 19th century.

The Polish and Hungarian szabla’s influenced many other European swords. A well-known example is the British 1796 Pattern Light Cavalry Sabre, designed by Captain John Gaspard Le Marchant after research in Central and Eastern Europe. Although Poland as a state no longer existed, Hungary remained and served as the inspiration for this primarily cutting sword, not the often-cited Indian tulwar. This sabre was also used by Hanoverian troops, the Prussians under General Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, and later by the cavalry of the United States during the War of 1812.

Karabela-szabla
The karabela came into use around 1670 in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It had a curved blade and crossguard, a short grip, and was decorated with engravings, gemstones, and ivory. The karabela was popular as a ceremonial sabre and part of traditional attire. The exact origin of the name "karabela" is uncertain; a theory by Zygmunt Gloger suggests it originates from the Iraqi city of Karbala, known for trading this type of sabre.

In the Napoleonic era, the British used the sabre extensively for light cavalry and infantry officers. The 1803 Pattern sabre for infantry officers featured a curved blade, often blue-colored and engraved to personal taste, based on the 1796 light cavalry sabre, renowned for its cutting power.

The sabre became increasingly popular in Great Britain in the 18th century, influenced by Hungarians and Austrians. Its usage spread throughout Europe, making the sabre an important military weapon, although backswords with straight blades sometimes remained in use by the heavy cavalry.

The introduction of pattern swords in 1788 briefly led to the use of the spadroon in the infantry, a lighter straight sword. However, many officers preferred the sabre. In 1803, a special pattern-sabre was introduced for certain infantry officers, which quickly gained widespread popularity due to its effectiveness and appearance.

The 1796 light cavalry sabre is the most famous British sabre from this period, co-designed by John Le Marchant, who made improvements based on experience with Austrian and Hungarian sabres. This sabre was known for its tremendous cutting power and was also used by cavalry artillery and militias.

The experience in Egypt led to a fashion for Mameluke-sabres, a type of Middle Eastern scimitar, popular among infantry and cavalry officers. These blades were more strongly curved, usually not grooved, and tapered more. They were also used in France. Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington, carried a Mameluke-sabre.

In 1831, the Mameluke-sabre became the standard sword for British generals and officers of the United States Marine Corps; in this role, it is still used today.

During the American Civil War, the sabre was rarely used, but it was present at the Battle of Brandy Station and East Cavalry Field in the Battle of Gettysburg (1863). Many cavalrymen, especially in the Confederacy, switched to revolvers and carbines.

The last sabre issued by the American cavalry was the Patton-sabre of 1913, designed to be attached to the saddle. This weapon resembled a straight thrusting sword more than a classic sabre. In 1934, it was decided not to issue the sabre as standard to the cavalry and to retain it solely as a ceremonial item for officers.

In the early 19th century, the sabre was a widely used weapon, especially during the Napoleonic Wars, where Napoleon deployed heavy cavalry charges with great effect. Shorter variants were also used by infantry and dragoons but gradually gave way to fascine-knives and bayonets.

Although there was debate about the effectiveness of sabres and lances, the sabre remained the standard weapon of the cavalry until World War I, and in some armies even until World War II. Afterward, the sabre was mainly assigned a ceremonial role.

In Germany, the sabre was still worn until after the Polish campaign of 1939, after which they were placed in storage in 1941. The Romanian cavalry carried straight "thrusting sabers" until at least 1941.

Sabres are still part of ceremonial uniforms of armies, navies, air forces, marines, and coast guards. Some services also present ceremonial swords to high-ranking non-commissioned officers. Nowadays, sabres are almost exclusively decorative or ceremonial, as seen in the well-known saber arch at military weddings.