Sabres

Buy Sabre

At Celtic WebMerchant you will find an impressive collection of sabres — from historical Polish-Hungarian szabla’s to Napoleonic cavalry swords. Each model is carefully selected for quality, detail, and authenticity. Thanks to our lowest price guarantee, you can order with confidence, while shipping before 20:30 ensures you can get started quickly. View our sabre collection now and choose the weapon that fits your collection or reenactment.

History of the sabre

The sabre is a curved, single-edged cutting sword that became especially known as the weapon of light cavalry in the early modern period and the Napoleonic era. Although the origin of the sabre goes back to the Eurasian steppe peoples, where the first true cavalry sabers emerged around the 8th and 9th centuries, the weapon quickly spread across Europe in the centuries that followed. Hungarian and Polish cavalrymen, such as the famous Hussars, played a major role in this spread. Their agile, curved sabres proved ideal for swift attacks on horseback and later influenced many Western European weapon designs.

Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, various variants developed, such as the Hungarian-Polish szabla, the Armenian szabla, and the karabela, each with its own characteristics in curvature, hilt, and decoration. For the Polish nobility, the sabre was more than a weapon: it was a status symbol and part of traditional attire. The Hussar szabla, with its closed hilt and recognizable “mustache” plates (wąsy), became one of the most influential types and formed the basic for later cavalry swords throughout Europe.

Peak of sabre usage

During the Napoleonic wars, the use of the sabre in Western Europe reached its peak. Models like the British 1796 light cavalry sabre were known for their immense cutting power and were emulated by many armies. Middle Eastern designs, such as the Mameluke-sabre, also became popular among officers.

With the rise of firearms, the sabre gradually lost its function as a combat weapon. In the 20th century, it became mainly ceremonial, although it remained in use by some cavalry units until World War II. Today, the sabre still forms part of official uniforms and military ceremonies, where it symbolizes tradition, honor, and military history.