Dutch-Belgian pallasch
Jul 21, 2018 19:30:12 GMT
Post by Pino on Jul 21, 2018 19:30:12 GMT
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
The geo-political background of the Dutch and Belgians during the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars is a very confusing yet fascinating task to describe.
For centuries the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg were part of a single political entity known as the Low Countries (or Benelux for some) and was a major world power before 1789. The North was made up of the Dutch population and the South, which was under Austrian control since long, had a more francophone population.
Following the events of the French Revolution the Southern part (roughly modern Belgium) simply became part of France after the ousting of the Austrian overlords while the North (roughly the modern Netherlands) was annexed into French dominion as the Batavian Republic, s sister republic which enjoyed partial autonomy until in 1806 when it became the kingdom of Holland under Napoleon’s brother Louis as its king. Again it enjoyed a semi-autonomous freedom as a client state with its own administration and raised troops, including a Royal Guard and a cuirassier regiment, something which was, in Napoleon’s point of view, not a light thing to raise.
1806-1814
However realtions were tense between the two brothers, not least due to the economical setbacks that the Continental Blockade did to Louis' subjects and he wasn't happy with it. Just 4 years later Napoleon decided he had enough of it and absorbed this short-lived kingdom into Metropolitan France and all its troops now being completely under control of the French army: the Dutch Royal Guard Hussars and Foot Grenadiers becoming units of the famed Imperial Guard, respectively the (Red) lancers and the (white) grenadiers and the Dutch cuirassier regiment now becoming the 14th regiment.
Ever since their creation by Louis Bonaparte, these cuirassiers were armed and trained the same as their French cousins but had a white tunic as opposed to a blue one and their swords a variant of the French pattern AN XI sword, later called the 1814 type 3 model. Its form was not so different from the French model except it didn’t have the ferrule on the grip, the wire turns were more numerous and the pommel cap had a slightly altered form in its tail/back end part.
1814-1815
Dutch-Belgian troops were thusly equipped until the end of French rule in 1814. Afterwards these two lands were reunited back as a single political entity and its army was reformed and remodeled under Allied Coalition standards. The result of these reforms is that the cuirassiers regiment was divided into 2 Dutch Carabiniers regiments and a Belgian Carabiniers rgt, dressed and equipped differently.
To confuse even more 3 pattern swords allegedly issued in 1813 were given to the 3 regiments:
1813 type 1 sword: given to 3rd (Dutch) carabiniers
1813 type 2: given to 1st (Dutch) carabiniers
1813 type 3: given to 2nd (Belgian) carabiniers
1st (Dutch) Carabiniers
2nd (Belgian) Carabiniers
3rd (Dutch) Carabiniers
In the closing campaign of the era fought on their soil in 1815, the Dutch-Belgians fielded many troops for the Allies and at Quatre-Bras and Waterloo, despite facing their old comrades, the Dutch-Belgians fought gallantly and its cavalry performed very well after taking over the British one which was put out of action. Whereas the Prince of Orange’s infantry and artillery was pivotal in the failure of the Medium Guard’s famed final attack, the carabiniers were instrumental in stopping and routing several times the French cavalry charges, clashing head on with the cuirassiers and even units of the Imperial Guard.
1830
Following the end of the Empire and subsequent peace it turned out the Belgians were fed up of living with the Dutch (a nation of Uhlans, can you blame them??) and after much turmoil ended creating their own kingdom of Belgium in 1830. With their military background the Belgians built their own army which was rather well organized to included infantry, artillery, engineers and light & medium cavalry and cuirassiers regiments .
A very nice website about the Belgian cuirassiers
More background
THE SWORDS: 1813-1830-1852 MODELS
As I said above, the 3 newly formed Carabiniers regiments were equipped with specific weapon different in form and seemingly issued since 1813.
After being triggered by Afoo about possible resemblance of the sword below to the British HC sword I remembered that the 1813 Type 1 sword was a copy of the Russian HC pallasch so I looked up at the sabels.net website and from checking at the type 1 model I can see that the type 2 was a step further in evolution. Now because of the ear rivets and especially the blade point, there might be another possible source of influence for this weirdo: the Austrian HC 1769/75 sword. The plot thickens.
Dutch 1813 sabre Type 2
It's not certain what triggered the creation of this specific model in Holland; termed 1813 type 2 it would mean it was invented during French rule, which is strange considering they already had the AN XI sword as a standard weapon for the cuirassiers but regardless the newly formed Dutch carabiniers were now equipped with this sabre model which I spoke about on the pallasch article.
This was made entirely of iron, with a spear-pointed single fuller blade and conical pommel cap, the grip was wood wrapped in leather and held by two ear rivets. The hilt had branches which joined with the crossguard in the form of tear drops. The pommel has been engraved with a rather crude 1815 and V 76 markings,
Spex
Total: 44'' / 112cm
Sword: 42'' / 108cm
Blade: 37'' / 94cm
POB: 5.5'' / 14cm
Weight: 2.07lbs / 1109gr
Belgian sword 1830’s retooled 1814 type 3
I do not have a 1814 specimen to present but its form was not so different from the French model except it didn’t have the ferrule on the grip, the wire turns were more numerous and the pommel cap had a slightly altered form in its tail/back end part.
No surprise that when the Belgians got their independence they would recycle old patterns for their troops, and their cuirassier sword was only the continuation of this Napoleonic Dutch-Belgian pallasch, only revamped.
As I said earlier, the shape is basically the same as the French model but you can see the pommel cap is different in shape, the ferule is missing and the grip wire (missing here) has more turns. The main difference between the original 1814 sword and the 1830 Belgian is the shape of the crossguard: whereas it was plain with the former, with the latter it has a ridge on the borders and the quillon is much more acute.
The first batch of 1830ish swords had the hatchet type point double fuller blade but later examples were made with a spear point blade.
The knuckle bow is stamped with the AR inspection/acceptance stamp, the only mark encountered so far.
Spex
Total: 46'' / 117cm
Sword: 43.5'' / 111cm
Blade: 38'' / 97cm
POB: 5.5'' / 14cm
Weight: 2.14lbs / 1307gr
Valuable info about this model
Belgian Supply Train sabre Mod. 1852-88
Belgian swords are unique and this is one prime example of it. In terms of look it is distinct to the rest of Europe and so easily recognizable.
In 1852 a special Belgian model was created which was made in two forms, one for the cuirassiers and one for the train:
- the cuirassier sword took the hilt components of the 1814 Dutch-Belgian sword (not the 1830 Belgian mind you) and reshaped the grip and blade
- the Train version was made with a more elaborate crossguard similar to the Belgian 1830 and one of the branches was removed.
Both had the same type of spear-pointes double fullered blade and the wood and leather grip with wire turns.
The most impressive feature of the Train model is the form of the pommel, which is rounder than usual and follows the boot-like extension of the grip.
The illustrated model is a production model dated 1891; the blade is extensively stamped with army inspection marks on both sides of the ricasso and at the back of the blade.
Spex
Total: 41'' / 105cm
Sword: 40'' / 102cm
Blade: 34.5'' / 88cm
POB: 4 3/4'' / 12cm
Weight: 2.04lbs / 1039gr
More info about this sword here
CONCLUSION
Of the 3 swords the one I like most is the 1830, it is the most balanced despite having a longer blade and handles as well as a French cuirassier sword although I enjoy the looks of Dutch 1813 sword whose exotic form gives it points; lastly I'd adore the Belgian 1852-88 but the problem is the wooden grip has movement, meaning it can be brittle in field use and the guard branches do not cover enough of the hand as the others; but on the other side, for a supply unit model it has very few equals!
