Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is a tremendous sword with a fascinating history. It began life as a Danish Dragoon Officer’s sword but was captured by the British Royal Navy, supposedly during the Gunboat War at the Battle of Copenhagen in 1807, and converted to a British Officer’s Sword. The blade itself appears to be of the 17th Century with a Napoleonic Era hilt. The blade is inscribed on both sides with:

GROSE: SCHLESW: HOLST: LEIB. DRAGONS. OFFICIR. DEGEN:
Größe Schleswig-Holstein Life Dragoons Officer’s Rapier

This would indicate that the blade belonged to a member of Holstein's (Schleswig-Holstein) National Cavalry Regiment (the name of the regiment in the 17th Century), later known as Funen's Regiment of Light Dragoons and now known as the Jutland Dragoon Regiment. The engraving of the blade dates it to the 17th Century.

The 32” blade shows heavy oxidation from over the centuries but still retains its shape and form well. The inscription is still mostly clear on both sides, and the edges are free from chipping. The ricasso of the blade originally bore a lovely decorative motif, but it has since been lost due to the oxidation. The original blade buffer is still retained.

The beautiful ivory-gripped hilt is in good condition with much of the gilt finish still retained, although there are areas of heavy loss. The crossguard has a lovely engraved naval anchor cut-out of it with some light denting. The ribbed ivory grip is in good condition with some areas of material loss around the pendant in the center. The pendant is engraved with a Naval Anchor under a Crown, indicating the British Royal Navy. The loss of ivory has made the hilt a bit loose to the blade, but it is still mostly tight. The suspension ring is still retained at the pommel. The sword has an overall length of 37⅞”.

This is certainly a sword which was captured by a British Royal Navy officer who brought it back to England to have it re-hilted as a status symbol, a true war trophy. This sword came to us with the provenance that it was captured at the Battle of Copenhagen (1807). Despite being a primarily Naval battle, the Danish forces in the city amounted to 5,000 regular troops and a similar number of militias.

This sword could also have been captured at the Battle of Køge. On 26 August, General Wellesley was detached with his reserve and two light brigades of British artillery, as well as one battalion, eight squadrons and one troop of horse artillery from the King's German Legion (KGL) to disperse a force which had been sent to relieve the beleaguered city. On 29 August, at the rivulet of Køge, this significant British force swiftly overpowered the Danish troops, which amounted to only three or four regular battalions and some cavalry.

This is a truly tremendous piece of both Danish & British history, a rare artifact from one of the most devastating conflicts in Danish history. Comes ready for further research and display!

Approximate Dimensions:
Blade Length: 32"
Blade Style: Double-Edged Rapier
Overall length: 37 7/8”

The Second Battle of Copenhagen (or the Bombardment of Copenhagen) (16 August – 7 September 1807) was a British bombardment of the Danish capital, Copenhagen, in order to capture or destroy the Dano-Norwegian fleet during the Napoleonic Wars. The incident led to the outbreak of the Anglo-Russian War of 1807, which ended with the Treaty of Örebro in 1812. The attack on Denmark, a neutral country, was heavily criticized internationally.

Britain's first response to Napoleon's Continental System was to launch a major naval attack on Denmark. Although neutral, Denmark was under French pressure to pledge its fleet to Napoleon. In September 1807, the Royal Navy bombarded Copenhagen, seizing the Danish fleet and assured use of the sea lanes in the North Sea and Baltic Sea for the British merchant fleet. A consequence of the attack was that Denmark did join the Continental System and the war on the side of France, but without a fleet it had little to offer. The attack gave rise to the term Copenhagenize.