#curassier

[hippography]

Kürassier, 1705

From: THE VINKHUIJZEN COLLECTION OF MILITARY UNIFORMS, located in the THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY DIGITAL COLLECTIONS

[fluentisonus]

guy who's only ever read one literary account of waterloo reading another: getting a lot of les mis vibes from this

[blue-and-gilt]

Early 17th Century Swept Hilt Rapier

I've had this sword for a couple of months, but I've been slow to post it while learning more about it. When I started out collecting, there were always a couple of dream swords that I'd love to own. On the top of that list were the schiavona and the swept-hilted rapier.

For the most part, rapiers have been out of reach for me. Decent swept hilts command significant money while determining their authenticity is a further challenge that adds unwanted risk. Fortunately, I found a sword within my fiscal comfort zone and quirky enough to attract my attention.

The genesis of rapiers first appeared in 15th Century Spain as a distinctly civilian sword. The progressively improved hand protection resulted in swords equally good in the defence as the offence. This allowed the users to forgo armour and earned these weapons the name espada roperas, 'swords of the robe'. As their use spread, the name mutated. They became known as la rapiere in France and rapier in England.

As so often happens, the term rapier came to encompass a wide selection of swords with various blade profiles. Broadly speaking, rapier describes a large civilian sword for dismounted combat with a complex hilt that offers significant hand protection and a thrust-centric blade. The latter is essential because complex hilts weren't limited to just rapiers; they were mounted on other blades more suited to cutting than thrust-based fencing. As Ewart Oakshott writes, "If you can cut off a man's arm with it, then it's a sword, if not a rapier."

However, as the use of armour declined in the 17th Century, its use peaked, with rapiers making their way onto the battlefield during the latter stages of the Eighty Years' War, where the Dutch fought for independence from Spain; the Thirty Years' War in Germany, and the English Civil War.

By the end of the 17th Century, a new, smaller rapier with its' own form of fencing began to appear in France. It was significantly shorter and lighter than what came before, with an even more specialised thrusting blade. This sword became known as the smallsword and persisted until the end of the 18th Century as the gentleman's sidearm to defend self and honour.

This recent addition to my collection is not an extravagant sword; in fact, it can be better described as 'munitions grade'. The hilt and blade are very functional, robust, and devoid of the decorations and markings usually seen on higher-grade rapiers. It is the type of sword that a musketeer might have worn in the service of one of the many pike and shot armies that fought in the wars that plagued Europe in this era.

Using the A. V. Normans' typology, my rapier has a Type 58 swept hilt and a Type 30 inner guard. According to A. V. Norman, this hilt type appeared around 1560 and remained until about 1635, although my sword likely dates to between 1600 and 1630.

This rapier is a shockingly large weapon. On paper, one and a quarter metres is just a number without real context. But when you stand it against your side and realise it nearly comes up to your chest, it takes on a whole new meaning. The sword is also heavy, a fraction heavier than my French AN XI Curassier swords, which up until now had been my heaviest swords by a good margin.

The sword is in excellent condition, without significant corrosion or other signs of neglect. Only the grip wire is a recent replacement but nicely done in the style of the time, with a Turk's head knot at both ends.

Stats: Overall Length - 1,245 mm Blade Length - 1,070 mm Point of Balance - 75 mm Grip Length - 153 mm Inside Grip Length - 100 mm Weight - 1,340 grams

[cal-1maf]

Just finished up the first batch of 1st Canopian Curassiers. Tried a bit of a chaparral/beach theme for these ones as Canopus looks like it has a lot of water.

[canesenzafissadimora]

Io da te non volevo nulla, o forse solo stare bene, nient'altro.

Non pretendevo che curassi le mie ferite e nemmeno che mi insegnassi che non ero capace di sentirmi vivo da solo, che le storie d'amore non sono altro che storie di vita destinate a finire.

Non volevo niente, perchè quando mi sono aspettato qualcosa, la vita mi ha risposto “tanto non succederà”, perchè quando ho provato a essere felice, ho capito che mi sarebbe bastato solo stare meno male.

Perchè quando mi sono innamorato, ho capito che da me si puó solo fuggire.

A. Dikele Distefano

[nightbringer24]

And now we arrive at the battle of Rocroi.

My only major gripe with this battle is the French curassiers firing their pistols WAY too far away from the Spanish tercio. Other than that, it's a thing to watch for sure.

[privateclubcultura]

Che ne diresti se io scrivessi le nostre storie pornografiche e tu le curassi nei minimi particolari arricchendone la trama?

RelaxBeach© (Tutti i Diritti  Riservati.) 27/01/2024

[be-appy-71]

🔥Io da te non volevo nulla, o forse solo stare bene, nient'altro.

Non pretendevo che curassi le mie ferite e nemmeno che mi insegnassi che non ero capace di sentirmi vivo da solo, che le storie d'amore non sono altro che storie di vita destinate a finire.

Non volevo niente, perchè quando mi sono aspettato qualcosa, la vita mi ha risposto “tanto non succederà”, perchè quando ho provato a essere felice, ho capito che mi sarebbe bastato solo stare meno male.

Perchè quando mi sono innamorato, ho capito che da me si puó solo fuggire... ♠️

(A. Dikele Distefano)

[crossroad1960]

Secondo i novax è evidente la correlazione tra i vaccini e il pestaggio🤡

[hippography]

Kürassier, 1740

From: THE VINKHUIJZEN COLLECTION OF MILITARY UNIFORMS, located in the THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY DIGITAL COLLECTIONS

[a-doll-like-you]

Louis, Earl Mountbatten of Burma ‘scratches an itch’ with his aiguillette after parade 

[awallofswords]

And….. I’ve gone and changed it again. I’ve added the new 1788 Pattern Light Cavalry troopers Sabre, moved the 1796 Pattern Light Cavalry officers Sabre over to where the Mameluke was. The Mameluke will go up later on another display. The sword knots on the Dutch swords are reproductions. 

They are: 

Dutch m1800 Light Cavalry officer’s or NCO’s sabre

French An XI Light Cavalry officer’s sabre

French ‘Garde de Bataille’ Dragoon officer’s sword

French An XIII Heavy Cavalry troopers’ sword

French An XI Light Cavalry trooprs’ sword

Dutch m1813 No.2 Light Cavalry troopers’ sabre

Dutch m1814 No.3 Heavy Cavalry troopers’ sword

British 1796 Pattern Light Cavalry troopers’ sabre (Dutch issued as the 1813 No.1 for light cavalry)

British 1788 Pattern Light Cavalry troopers’ sabre

British 1796 Pattern Heavy Cavalry troopers’ sword

British 1796 Pattern Heavy Cavalry officer’s sword for dismounted service

British 1796 Pattern Light Cavalry officer’s sabre

British 1796 Pattern Light Cavalry officer’s sabre

[medieval-shitposter]

favorite armor style? mine is probably maximillian and cuirassier

Definitely gothic, I mean

Look at this. Stunning. Beautiful. 10/10.

Maximillian is also pretty neat (I love the fluting!!), and while curassier armour looks a lil weird to my eye (dem legs???) I absolutely have to share what is my favourite curassier art ever:

Bang ™

[crocutable]

loose English Civil War sketch

[peashooter85]

Curassier's half armor, Europe, early 17th century

from Czerny's International Auction House

[everyonewasabird]

Brickclub 2.1.11 ‘Bad guide for Napoleon, good guide for Bulow’

A short chapter about the moment the tide turns in this battle.

Napoleon squints into the distance and can’t see, quite--he thinks maybe it’s help for him. Others think it’s just trees. In fact, it’s the force that will destroy him. The order is given, and the cannonballs begin to rain down.

And the difference was made by two peasants, one who led the French forces wrongly, the other who gave good advice to the reinforcements for the English. Such are the inscrutable workings of Providence in this book.

seeing the peril Wellington was in, Blücher ordered Bülow to attack and said this remarkable thing: “We must give the English army time to come up for air.”

@synteis has pointed out the huge, discordant contrast between the horror of the human loss and Napoleon’s blithe disregard for it--this catastrophic loss isn’t at all incompatible with success for him. Wellington is maybe half a shade better, looking at the decimated curassiers fighting like centaurs and whispering, “Sublime”--an acknowledgment of other men’s greatness in the face of horrors during his own defeat and a nod to one of the novel’s central themes, vs. Napoleon’s utter disconnection--but he doesn’t see the horror of war and death for what is either.

But in the above quote, someone in charge sees and acknowledges the drowning metaphor that we always come back to in this book. That acknowledgment turns the tide of history.