Model 1831 French Infantry Briquet – Deepeeka

This French Model 1831 French Infantry Briquet has a blade forged from EN45 high carbon steel mounted with a hilt of brass. It is paired with a brown leather scabbard with a brass chape and locket.

To a casual observer this sword might look like a Roman sword and would seem out of place in the rifle-and-bayonet battles of the 19th century. They are not entirely wrong. These Gladius-like swords came in several varieties in several countries. While some were issued solely issued to artillery crews, the one reproduced here is a French model intended for the infantry. The styling is intentionally Roman-esque as Neo-Classicism was the dominant art style of the time and the sword is meant to make a pointed connection between the soldiers it was issued to and the famous Roman Legions of old.

While these swords were made for the rigors of battle, few were used as such in an age when most soldiers practically opted for the longer reach of the bayonet in close combat. Instead this Gladius-Briquet was more of a symbol to dignify the infantry. The ever-practical infantry however, always found a use for these items when the parade was far behind them and thus this sword earned the moniker of coupe choux – the cabbage cutter.

You can see this sword represented in paintings of the Crimean War among the French Infantry. The Russians also had a sort of knock-off of this sword – the Model 1847 which was an artillery sword modified with a serrated edge spine which was used to make fascines.