SABRE Hussar With FINGER ON THE BOARD

POLISH HUSSAR SABER WITH THUMB-RING WITHOUT SCABBARD ON BOARD

Manufacturer: Spanish armourers

The presented sabre is an exact reconstruction of original Polish Hussar sabre. Hussar sabre is a weapon common in 17^th and 18^th century in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, used by hussars and other types of Polish cavalry. It predecessor was Hungarian - Polish sabre.

Specifications:

Length: 91 cm
Weight: 1,2 kg

This sabre has slightly moved forward pommel. The cross-guard made of brass, is almost completely closed and strengthened the sabre in place where blade joint the hilt. Relatively heavy handle make the sabre perfectly balanced. The sabre has thumb-ring – ring served to base the thumb is placed in the middle of cross-guard.
The upper part of the blade, so-called forte is blunt, and served as a defence. The lower part is finished by feather, double-edged served to thrusts. On the one side of the blade is engraved inscription “HUSSARIA” and Polish Hussar character on the horse with a pennant. On the other engraved “JESUS MARIA JOSEF SPES MEA” – these inscriptions are often decorated original Polish Hussar sabres. Moreover the forte and the foible are decorated by floral motifs.

The set also includes a wooden tablo.

Manufacturer: armorer

(G026)

Material: plywood

length: 100 cm
height: 18 cm

WEIGHT: 1.6 kg

A set of brass handles in the set.

Tablo gives you the possibility hang a sword horizontally or vertically.

Historical sketch:

History of sabre in Polish military reaches the second half of the 15^th century. It appeared in Poland under the influence of the Hungarians, who maintained contacts with Turks.
Initially it was only weapon of light cavalry and infantry, but even knights, who used sword in the battle, willing to use the sabre while travelling, hunting and various festivals. 
Above all, served them where they performed without armour, but wanted to have an effective weapon by side.
To the beginning of the 16^th century sabre gained a great popularity in Poland. Already in 1503, on the streets of Cracow people said, that no one wanted to buy swords, everyone preferred sabre.

So quick growth of popularity of sabre was related with military raids the Crimean Tatars into lands of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Tatars cavalry, armed with bows and sometimes also sabres were mostly highly mobile and uncatchable. They’re attacking  in a small groups called besh-bash (five heads). The reception of sabre into the polish army was necessity from the military point of view. An invasions of Crimean Khanate were especially often in 1474-1534 and in 1605-1633. Those raids, a lot of wars with Russia and also military alliance between Cossacks and Tatars (1648-1654) forced changes in the polish army, which extend beyond the armour modernization. After the reforms of polish parliament (sejm) in 1562 the vocational army called Permanent Defence (obrona potoczna) was replaced by quarter army (wojsko kwarciane) financed by a quarter of income from the regal land. Moreover at the beginnings of the 16^th century developed new military formation called Old Polish Unit (stare urządzenie polskie). Two strongest detachments set one after the other were supported on the flanks by three lines of smaller detachments. At the second half of the 16^th century to the unit included infantry and artillery.

The Polish Hussar, which at the beginning were light cavalry, at the half of the 16^th century took over the role of lancers. Armoured with a lance (only comrades), sabres, plate armour and helmets (often kettle hats), polish hussars were the base of polish army. From the 1630s the number of polish hussars were gradually reducing. Abandoned plate armour and replaced these with leopards and tigers skin leathers. They started to use pistols. In the 1690s, at the end of wars with Turks, the lances were replaced by muskets. The Polish Hussar proved to be the decisive factor in the spectacular wins in the following battles: battle of Curtea de Arges (1600), battle of Kircholm (1605), battle of Kłuszyn (1610), battle of Chocim (1621) and also battle of Vienna (1683). Polish Hussar existed to the half of the 18^th century.