Austro-Hungarian Hussar Officer's Saber, Reign of Francis II, circa 1792. 32215

AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN HUSSAR OFFICER'S SABER, Reign of Francis II, circa 1792. 32215

Gilt bronze hilt. Hungarian-style one-branch guard. Crossguard decorated with lines and a straight quillon. Beaded guard branch. Cap with long decorated tail featuring scalloped shell at the top. Pommel with the arms of the Austrian Empire. Ebony handle intricately carved to resemble filigree, with a transversal perforation near the pommel for the passage of the sword knot.
Wide curved blade with hollow facets in damascus steel, elaborately acid-etched along its length. Blade length 80.4 cm, width at the base 4.5 cm.
On one side, on the first half: profile of Francis II topped with a royal crown, with a trophy of arms at the bottom and the inscription "FRANCIS / CUS 2 / ROM / IMP Elect / V Julÿ Com / ....", along the edge is engraved "EDIGNA TRIUMPHALS QUA CIRCUM .... ". On the second half of this side: a course of vegetal decoration and foliage scrolls, as well as a medallion depicting the coronation of a queen.
On the other side, on the first half: profile of Maria Theresa topped with a crown with the inscription "MARIA / THERESIA / Com.L.MAŸTT", below is a profile of a child and the inscription "LEOPOLD / US PALA / TINUS REG / HUNGA / ...". On the second half of this side: a course of vegetal decoration and foliage scrolls, along with a medallion depicting a tavern scene.
Wooden scabbard covered in black waxed shagreen with three large gilt brass relief-embossed decorative fittings featuring vegetal motifs and gadroons. They are connected by three relief gadroon attelles. Chape with raised inlet cup with beaded edge. Tip of the scabbard with a flat chape and gilt bronze bouterolle.

Austria-Hungary.
Reign of Francis II, circa 1792.
Very good condition, slight wear on the blade edge and some points of oxidation.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
Francis II, the last emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, the first hereditary emperor of Austria, son of Leopold II and nephew of Marie Antoinette. The reign of Francis II (1792-1835) dates back to the Napoleonic Wars era and demonstrates that relations between the Czech lands and France were not always friendly. Here is a portrait of Emperor Francis II and his era.
Francis II was born on February 12, 1768, in Florence. At the age of sixteen, the young heir prince was sent to Vienna, to the family of his uncle Joseph II. He was entrusted to the care of Count Francis Colloredo, who subjected his education to strict discipline. Initially, the uncle criticized his nephew's character traits, but later came to appreciate his discretion, rational behavior, sense of responsibility and justice, as well as his diligence, devoid of any passion or sentimental impulse.
After his father's death, Francis II ascended the throne in 1792 to reign until 1835. He was successively crowned King of Hungary, Holy Roman Emperor, and King of Bohemia in 1792 in Prague. That same year, Austria and Prussia went to war against France, a conflict that logically followed from the policies of Leopold II, a staunch opponent of the revolutionary movement in France.
The first war against France ended in defeat for Francis II, who had to cede Belgium and Lombardy to his enemy. However, the wars did not cease. Two years later, Austria entered a second coalition war against Napoleonic France, to suffer another defeat. The third coalition war was very short, lasting only four months and resulting in a crushing victory in the Battle of the Three Emperors near Slavkov, known to the French as the Battle of Austerlitz. In accordance with the Treaty of Pressburg, signed in December 1805, Francis II ceded Venetia, Istria, Dalmatia, and part of Tyrol to France, and was forced to recognize the Rhine Confederation created by Napoleon, which included the Rhine princes and France. In response to the Confederation's creation, Francis II abdicated the crown of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806.