#karabela

Karabela sabre with scabbard (1868)

An ornate karabela sabre presented by Galician noble families to Adam Sapieha. The sabre references the history of the Sapieha family, including prominent ancestors such as Paweł Jan and Lew Sapieha, 17th-century Grand Hetmans of Lithuania.

Type: Karabela sabre, ceremonial weapon

Overall length: 85.5 cm

Blade length: 73.5 cm

Blade width: 3.7 cm

Scabbard length: 75.9 cm

Weight (sabre): 1004 g

Weight (scabbard): 597 g

Origin: Lviv / Vienna / Kraków (Poland / Austria, Galicia)

Material: Pattern welding, gold, silver, diamond, wood (plant material), velvet, topaz, spinel, silver thread

Technique: enameling, inlay, stone setting, gilding, repoussé, chiselling

Miku in Haitian attire (karabela)

Karabela, XVII century.

KARABELA

Long, wide, slightly-curved blade, enlarged towards the weak, with wide fuller, featuring a pandur's head at the first part, trophies, sun, fur hat with half-moon, half-moon and cabalistic motifs. Marked "N & K" at the base. Brass hilt with Indian-style quillon engraved with floral motifs; grip with anatomic, ivory grip scales.

Poland, 18th Century

length 90 cm.

The way I tend to use the word sabre is in reference to any curved, single-edged sword. Typically they are one handed, although there are two handed examples. This is a very broad use of the word, and it covers an incredibly wide variety of swords from all sorts of places and times.

A karabela is a specific style of sabre, typified by its hilt shape.

I’m not entirely sure how to describe it, so I’ll provide a couple of examples. Pay attention to the shape of the grip in particular, as that is what really defines the karabela style.

As best as I can tell, this style of hilt came about in Eastern Europe, possibly in Poland, in the early 17th century. 

There are examples from as late as the 19th century.

So, to clarify, karabela is a style of hilt, which is mostly seen on sabres, although there are straight bladed “pallasch” examples.