page_title: Mameluke sword
section_title: British Army
hierarchical_section_title: Mameluke sword / British Army
caption_attribution_description: Lieutenant General the Hon. Charles William (Vane-)Stewart (later 3rd Marquess of Londonderry) in hussar uniform, wearing the Army Gold Medal which he was awarded in 1810 for the Battle of Talavera, and the Star and Ribbon of the Order of the Bath. There are two versions of this portrait, the "Camden version" (this painting) and the "Londonderry version" (now in the National Gallery, London). The Londonderry version shows less of the figure, while the Camden version is inscribed "Thos. Lawrence Pinx. 1812" on the edge of the cloak and has the star and ribbon of the Bath which Stewart received in 1813 (added later, with underpainting now showing through the ribbon). There is some confusion in the literature about which version of the painting is the one being referred to (especially since Stewart sat for Lawrence for different portraits painted in 1811 and 1818). It was probably the Camden version which was exhibited at the RA in 1813, the Londonderry version being painted afterwards.
context_page_description: A Mameluke sword is a cross-hilted, curved, scimitar-like sword historically derived from sabres used by Mamluk warriors of Mamluk Egypt after whom the sword is named. It is related to the swords of the Seljuq empire.
  The curved scimitar blades were Central Asian Turkic in origin from where the style migrated to India, Egypt and North Africa and the Turkish kilij. It was adopted in the 19th century by several Western militaries, including the French Army, British Army and the United States Marine Corps. Although some genuine Ottoman sabres were used by Westerners, most "mameluke sabres" were manufactured in Europe or America; their hilts were very similar in form to the Ottoman prototype, but their blades tended to be longer, narrower and less curved than those of the true kilij, while being wider and also less curved than the Persian shamshir.
  In short, the hilt retained its original shape. but the blade tended to resemble the blade-form typical of contemporary Western military sabres. The Mameluke sword remains the ceremonial side arm for some units to this day.
context_section_description: Mameluke swords were adopted by officers of light cavalry regiments in the first decade of the 19th century, some were used as 'walking out swords' (for ornamental wear on social occasions on foot) but others were employed on active campaign.  They are prominent in images of officers of the Hussars painted by Robert Dighton in 1807. As officially regulated dress or levée swords they first appear in 1822 for lancer regiments. Later, other light cavalry and some heavy cavalry regiments also adopted similar patterns. Though broadly similar in form, each regiment's swords had individual variations in the decoration of both blade and hilt. The current regulation sword for generals, the 1831 Pattern, is a Mameluke-style sword, as were various Army Band swords.
  There are a number of factors which influenced the fashion for Mameluke swords in the British Army.
  Napoleon raised a number of Mameluke units during his Egyptian campaigns in the French Revolutionary Wars, leading to the adoption of this style of sword by many French officers. In the post-Napoleonic period French military fashion was widely adopted in Britain.
  The Duke of Wellington carried a Mameluke sword from his days serving in India and throughout his career. After he defeated Napoleon his status was a national hero, Commander-in-Chief of the Forces, and then prime minister; as such, his tastes had considerable weight.
  The United States Marine Corps sword, discussed above, has been suggested as also being influential. The 1831 Pattern General Officers' Sword is very similar to the USMC Mameluke that pre-dated it.
caption: Charles Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry, a British Hussar general, with a scabbarded kilij (related to Mameluke sword) of Turkish manufacture (1812)
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