ABriefHistoryofKlingenthalSwords

Manufacturing
ByJeanBinck
RegulationFrenchswordsofthe19thcenturywereprimarilyissuedbytwomajorgovernment
manufacturers:Klingenthal,intheeastofFrancenearStrasbourg(Alsace)and,later,Chtelleraultin
thecentreofthecountrynearPoitier.
DuringtheNapoleonicperiod,regulationswordswerealsoproducedbythesmallermanufacturerof
Versaille,nearParis,whichassembledweaponswithbladesfromKlingenthal.Swordsbearingthe
stamp"BOUTET",DirecteurArtistefromVersailles,onthehiltandareverydesirabletocollectors.
HistoryofKlingenthal
Atthebeginningofthe18thcentury,kingLouisXVdecidedtocreateastatecontrolledsword
manufacturingcompanyinordertolimittheimportsofSolingenbladestoFrance.In1733,the
Manufactured'ArmesBlanchesd'Alsacecommencedoperationwiththehelpof25skilledworkers
fromSolingen,Germany.TheAlsaceprovince,inEastofFrance,waschosenfortheavailabilityof
ironmines,forgesandwoodsforcharcoal,butalsobecausethelocallanguagewassimilartoGerman.
In1768,accommodationfortheDirectorandhisstaff(artilleryofficers)wasbuiltinaplacecalled
Klingenthal(Klingen=blades,thal=valley),thefactorybecameManufacturedeKlingenthal.Under
thisname,thousandsofbladeswereproduceduntiltheendofthe19thcentury.
Organization
TheManufacturedeKlingenthalbelongedtothegovernment,butitsgeneralmanagementwas
entrustedtoagovernmentappointedentrepreneur.Theentrepreneuroperatedinapurelyfiscalrole.
Histaskwastobuythesourcematerial(ironingots,charcoaletc.),paywithhisownmoneythe
salariesoftheworkers,andorganisethecompanyinordertocomplywiththecontractsofthe
government.Thegovernmentthenboughtthefinishedproductsfromhim,leavinghimaprofitof
about20%.TheplantDirectorcontrolledtheproductionforthemilitarycontracts.Hewasanartillery
seniorofficer,appointedforonlyafewyears(24usually),andhelpedbyastaffofaroundfour
artilleryofficers.Itwashisresponsibilitytomaintainqualitycontrolandcontrolofspeedof
productionetc.tofulfilthegovernmentcontracts.Hereportedimmediatelytothearmy,andearnedno
morethanhisofficer'ssalary.
TheRevisersandControllerswerehighlyskilledworkersinchargeofthetrainingoftheother
workersandthequalitycontrolofbladesandswordsforthemilitarycontracts.From1808onwards,
theywereconsideredmembersoftheartillerycorps.
ThereisnodoubtthatCOULAUXwasthebestknownentrepreneurofKlingenthal.TheCoulaux
brothersappliedforthejobofentrepreneurinFebruary1801andthefamilyremainedinchargeofthe
managementoftheManufacturedeKlingenthaluntilthefirmceasedbusinessin1962.
MarkingsofKlingenthal

ThischaptergivesaquickviewofthestyleofmarkingsofKlingenthalthroughdifferentperiod.
Thesearethemostcommonmarkings,itisnotanexhaustivelist.Thecompany'snamemarkingis
usuallyfoundonthebackofthebladewhenpresent.

ThericassoborethestampsoftheDirector,theControllerandtheReviser.Ontrooperswordsthese
marksstoodalsoontheguard.

Exampleofregulationstampsonthericassoand
mainbranchoftheguardofaLightCavalrysword
Model1822datedMay1824onthespineofthe
blade.

ThefollowingabbreviationsarecommonlyfoundonFrenchswords:
Forthemonths(referringtotheLatinsoundofthefigures):

7 bre=Septembre
8 bre=Octobre
9 bre=Novembre
X bre=Dcembre
Theothermonthsbeingwritteninfull:Janvier, Fvrier, Mars, Avril, Mai, Juin, Juillet, Aot.

Manuf e=Manufacture=Manufactory
M re

Manuf re
Manuf.
Mf ture
M ture
R le=Royale=oftheKing
Rl e
R ale
Natl e=Nationale=National
Nl e
N le
Impal e=Impriale=oftheEmperor
Impe ale
Impa le
Imp ale
Imp le
Imp.
Startingin1733

Manufacture d' Alsace

Manufacture Royale d' Alsace
M ture R le d' Alsace
Fromca.1768toca.1800
DuringthereignofLouisXVIandtheFrenchrevolution,thenameKlingenthalappeared.

Manuf re de Klingenthal
Klingenthal
Notethatalongtheyears,bothwordingManufacture du KlingenthalandManufacture de Klingenthal
canbefound.
ca.1801

ThewordnationaleandthenameoftheentrepreneurCoulauxisoftenmentioned.

Mf ture de Klingenthal
Mf ture N ale de Klingenthal Coulaux frres Entrep rs
ca.1806FrenchEmpireofNapoleonI
Thewordimprialeismentioned(Impale)

Mf ure Imp ale du Klingenthal Coulaux frres

Mf ure Imp ale du Klingenthal Coulaux
In1810,itwasincludedinthenewcontractbetweentheFrenchgovernmentandCoulauxthatthe
nameoftheentrepreneurwasnowreplacedwiththemonthanddateoffabrication.

Mf ture Imp ale du Klingenthal Fev 1811

1814,duringNapoleon'sexiletoElbaandthereturnofLouisXVIII:

Klingenthal Novembre 1814

Manf re R le du Klingenthal Janvier 1815
Rle=Royale(oftheKingLouisXVIII)
TheRestorationoftheMonarchy,July1815
InJuly1815,withtherestorationofthemonarchythewordRoyalereplacedImpriale.Therewere
manyvariationsinabbreviations.

Manufacture Royale de Klingenthal Mars 1818

Mf ture R ale de Klingenthal Mars 1818
Mnuf re Royale du Klingenthal Mars 1822

Manufacture'smarkingonthedoubleedgedbladeofaregulationModel
1816officer'ssword(leftsiderightside)

MarkingonthespineofthebladeofatrooperModel1822LightCavalryswordissuedMay1824

Inthenewcontractof1823,thegovernmentconfirmedthatthemarkingManufactureRoyalede
Klingenthalfollowedbymonthandyearwasonlyallowedforswordsissuedtothegovernment.The
otherbladesissuedforothercommercialpurposeshouldbearthemarking:

Coulaux frres Klingenthal

Thebladesandswordsforgeneralcommercialuseweremadebytheworkersofthegovernment
manufacturingcompanyfortheaccountoftheentrepreneur.ThiswasauthorisedbytheDirector(an
artilleryseniorofficer)whengovernmentorderswerenotsufficienttoprovideenoughworkforthe
firm.Militarycontrollerswerenotallowedtostamptheseweaponswhich,inthiscase,borethestamp
ofanemployeeofthecompanyinchargeofthequalitycontrolofthesecommercialswords.
Therevolutionof1830
Afterthelittlerevolutionof1830inParis,KingLouisPhilippeorderedthesuppressionofthe
symbolsoftheoldmonarchy.TheFleurdeLyspresentonseveralswordpatternswereerased.
From1836to1962
In1836,theFrenchgovernmentdecidedtoriditselfoftheManufacturedeKlingenthal.Theperiod
wasthebeginningofinstabilityinEuropeandtheFrenchministryofwardidnotwanttodependona
statemanufacturingcompanysoclosetothebordersofthecountry.Klingenthalwasfoundtobe
exceedinglyvulnerable.Theproductionofregulationswordswasremovedtoamorecentral
geographiclocation:Chtellerault(nearPoitier).
TheCoulauxfamilyboughtthecompanypremisesandbecameowneroftheManufacturede
Klingenthal.Thecompanycontinuedtoproduceswordsandbladesforprivatecuttlersandretailersas
wellastoolsforagriculture(sicklesetc.).NolongersubjectstothequalitycontroloftheArtillery
inspectors,someofthesecommercialbladeswereofpoorquality.

Manuf re Klingenthal Coulaux & Cie

Markingonanonregulationofficer'sswordissuedsecondhalfofthe19th Century

ThedisastrousFrancoPrussianwarof1870showedthattheFrenchwererighttomovethe
governmentmanufacturetoChtelleraultonSeptember1870,Klingenthalwascapturedbythe
Germans.AlsaceremainedaGermanterritoryuntil1918.Thecompanyproducedsomebayonetsfor
theGermanEmpire(bearingthemarkC )butwasneverabletochallengethemanufacturersof
Solingen(Germany).Themakingoftoolsandthefewordersforbladesforprivateswordmakerswere
notsufficienttostopthedeclineoftheManufacturedeKlingenthal.
In1815,sixhundredworkersweremakingswordsinKlingenthal,in1910theywereonehundred.In
1955onlyfifteenmenwereemployedinthetoolmanufacturingcompanyofKlingenthal,which
closeditsdoorspermanentlyin1962.

Latemarkingonaprivatelypurchasedmodel1923officer'ssword:Coulaux&CieKlingenthalFrance

References:
COTTY(Col.),Dictionnairedel'Artillerie,Paris,France(1822)
C.ARIES,ArmesBlanchesMilitairesFranaise,Nantes,France(ca.19651990)
Buigne/Lhoste,ArmesBlanches,EditionduPortail,LaTourduPin,France(1994)
Magazine"GazettedesArmes"
SwordsinAuthor'sprivatecollection
Textandpicturesarethepropertyoftheauthor
Contacttheauthor:jeanbck@hotmail.com
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