Original Item: Only One Available. This is an excellent original French Model 1833 Naval Boarding Cutlass, or sabre de bord modèle 1833, manufactured at the Manufacture Royale de Châtellerault in September 1847 during the reign of King Louis-Philippe. The sword retains its characteristic blackened iron shell guard, faceted iron grip, broad slightly curved naval blade, and faint engraved anchor devices on both faces.

During the Crimean War (1853–1856), a naval campaign was fought in the Sea of Azov between the Royal Navy and the French Navy against the Russian Navy between 25 May–22 November 1855. British and French warships struck at every vestige of Russian power along the coast of the Sea of Azov. Except for Rostov-on-Don and Azov, no town, depot, building or fortification was immune from attack. Contrary to established images of the Russian War, here was a campaign which was well-planned, dynamically led and overwhelmingly successful.

The spine of the blade is faintly marked with Manuf're R'ale de Châtellerault 7'bre 1847, indicating September 1847 manufacture at the famous arsenal in Châtellerault, France. There are also very faint engraved anchors on both sides of the blade. The hilt retains a couple of inspector stamps under the crossguard. There is staining and oxidation present but the overall condition of the cutlass is spectacular for the age.

The French Model M1833 Cutlass has the sweeping upturned blade (called a falchion), a single wide fuller, and the distinctive closed cup hilt which was made of iron. This French cutlass has that traditional "pirate" look and feel of a true boarding cutlass seen in all of the movies and artwork of the time. The cutlass had its entire hilt (grip, guard, closed cage and pommel) coated in a heavy black japanning to protect the metal from rusting but little of it was retained. Sometimes collectors thought this was black paint which was added on post-production, but it was actually part of the manufacturing process.

This example was manufactured during the final year of the reign of Louis-Philippe, six years before the beginning of the Crimean War in 1853.

The French Navy subsequently played a major role in that conflict alongside the Royal Navy. Anglo-French naval forces maintained communications with the allied armies in the Crimea, blockaded Russian naval forces, and carried out extensive operations in the Black Sea, Baltic, and Sea of Azov. In the Sea of Azov campaign of 1855, British and French vessels attacked Russian coastal supply facilities and supported amphibious operations against ports and military installations.

The combination of its September 1847 Manufacture Royale de Châtellerault inscription, original blackened iron shell hilt, surviving inspection stamps, and faint engraved anchors on both sides of the blade places this sword securely within the established Model 1833 pattern. Its date makes it a particularly appealing pre-Crimean War example of a regulation French naval cutlass that remained in service through one of the most important periods of mid-19th-century naval warfare.