It became even more complicated, when you are trying to play "name this sword" game with your native language. As example, cutlass is something like "boarding saber" on Russian, while hanger has no translation at all. Not to mention about trust swords, here we have weird mix of sport and historical terms.

@AcademyofHistoricalFencing

3 жыл бұрын

That makes sense. The term sabre/saber is used a lot more loosely in many languages than in English. Some languages would call a cutlass and a backsword as a sabre for example. I'll talk about this more in the sabre version of this video.

@matthewpham9525

3 жыл бұрын

In Russian, there's no differentiation from rapier, smallsword, and foil, correct? Google translate has no differentiation, but I think an actual Russian speaker would be better.

@July__Frost

3 жыл бұрын

@@matthewpham9525 We have two words for thrusting swords, actually. First is "рапира" (ra'peera), which sounds pretty close to rapier. It is used both for foil and renaissance rapiers. Usually we add word "renaissance" or smth for adding more context and making difference between sport and antique or hema swords. Second is "шпага" ('shpaga), is used for epee and smallswords. Usually, when we talk about antique smallswords, we call them "дуэльная шпага" (duel smallsword, as closest) or "шпага - дворянка" ("cort smallsword / nobleman smallsword).

@shockwave6213

3 жыл бұрын

@@July__Frost The Shashka is a particular type of Saber, correct? Being guardless and all.

I had heard that at least some cutlasses were balanced such that they would arguably be easier to use by people who didn't have a lot of formal training in fencing, whereas sabers that might be used by officers were balanced so as to be easier to fence with.

@AcademyofHistoricalFencing

3 жыл бұрын

I suspect that is a modern theory. It's certainly not the case as far as British swords go. The cutlass handles no differently to a great many other swords, and officers sabres vary immensely in handling according to sometimes the pattern but more often than not the officers personal preference. The 1804 cutlass has overall handling specifications the same as an average officers sabre of the time, they are just made overall slightly more robust to be a long lasting tool, and I'd be amazed if the army/navy ever gave much of a damn about the users. They designed or chose the tool they thought best for the job and the users had to make do.

Interesting video, I look forward to more in this series.

You cannot spell "cute lass" without "cutlass"

Was the term hanger common around the era of the police cutlass? If cutlasses at sea outlasted hangers on land, it may explain why cutlass came to apply short swords even on land.

Very informative video ! I find the cutlass quite superior in design to cavalry and infantry swords of the day ! I'm wondering why did not they equip all army branches with these powerfully built weapons ?

@AcademyofHistoricalFencing

3 жыл бұрын

Every sword design compromises in some way. In the case of the cutlass it scrificed blade length. The 1804 is actually unusually long and yet still at a reach disadvantage to most other swords. This is a disadvantage is all scenarios but the enclosed spaces. There are also other issues, the hilt is large and cumbersome to wear for an infantryman, unlike for the Navy where the swords would spend most of their life on a rack aboard ship. Over 1kg is also a lot of weight for a sidearm to carry for an infantryman who has to carry all of his gear on the march. When it comes to cavalry, the cutlass is too short for that job, where a long blade is needed for the simple reason of being mounted. The cutlass is built as a weapon that need not be carried in daily use and can be optimised for short, brutal engagements. There are similaries in other services though. The British heavy cavalry for example, a force expected to act as a blunt instrument on the battlefield. The 1796 heavy cavalry sword is very much like a scaled up version of the 1804 cutlass, sized appropriately to their role.

Cutlasses are cool

I read that in the Caribbean the word cutlass can refer to a Machete

@AcademyofHistoricalFencing

3 жыл бұрын

that wouldn't be surprising at all as the term is widely used for short swords or very large knives.

@klyanadkmorr

3 жыл бұрын

@@AcademyofHistoricalFencing Pointy Metal slicy stabby thingy ☺

In terms of users, would you have found civilians using or carrying cuttoes, cutlasses, or hangers the same way they did smallswords post 1600s?

@AcademyofHistoricalFencing

3 жыл бұрын

It certainly wasn't a common thing but it did happen occasionally, and there were specific examples which were a little more common, such as civilian sailors/merchants, hunters.

@Fortisfox

3 жыл бұрын

@@AcademyofHistoricalFencing thank you!

As a sea going lad myself I can confirm compact weapons make life easier. Is cutlass a recognized class in HEMA?

@Ranziel1

3 жыл бұрын

The technique is the same as for a full-sized sabre if we're talking 19th century.

@krabbychan8295

3 жыл бұрын

@@Ranziel1 Yea the Training for a Cutlass would probably be almost the same as a Sabre

What about the Napoleonic Imperial Marine Saber? With a simple knucklebow and longer blade than a common cutlass,but shorter than a saber.

@AcademyofHistoricalFencing

3 жыл бұрын

Sabre, at least in English. Sabres can be very short. British napoleonic infantry officers can be as short as around 62cm blade length.

Glorious!

Any classes in US?

@AcademyofHistoricalFencing

3 жыл бұрын

Yes loads, but its a big country! Checkout the Facebook group The HEMA Alliance and ask about your location there, you will find plenty of people eager to help.

@TheMonist_

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you guys I really appreciate it

Have you been working out more? You look at bit more trim. Anyway, great video. Do we associate cutlasses with pirates because many pirates were former Navy?

SALUDOS DESDE MÉXICO :333 oye me fascinaria a tu audiencia mexicana y hispana que hablaras de la historia de la cuchillería y historia de los sables de Argentina, de México , de Chile Existe el corvo , un cuchillo hermoso de descendencia andaluz El facón Argentino echo de plata en su empuñadura. Es una daga de un filo. Y el machete tapatio es poco conocido hasta en México Es una especie de cuchillo tipo "machete" muy hermoso

@VTSifuSteve

Жыл бұрын

He practicado la llamada "eskrima filipina", estilo del Maestro Rene Latosa, desde hace muchos años. El sistema que practico es bastante sencillo y directo, y sin duda debe mucho a la esgrima española aprendido por los muchos filipinos que trabajaban en los barcos españoles en la época colonial, y quienes fueron entrenados para la defensa de las naves con espadas cortas come esas. De veras, muchos de los marineros filipinos trabajaban juntos con sus hermanos mexicanos en los barcos que pasaban entre Acapulco y Manila por los cuatro siglos que duraba el período colonial y todos ellos aprendieron esas técnicas. Saludos desde Arizona, EEUU.

do you consider sir Francis Drake's sword a cutlass?

@AcademyofHistoricalFencing

3 жыл бұрын

No, because of its length. Though curiously according to contemporary sources such as Silver, he would have called it a short sword, though his length for a short sword is rather larger than what is largely considered to be a short sword in the hanger/cutlass terminology. It is likely at Drake's time his sword would have simply been called a sword, as it is basically a typical arming sword that has a loop hilt. During the time the cutlass terminology was widely used, Drake's sword would have been called a broadsword.

“Used at sea or used by seme- OH, Sea Men”

Isn't a cutlas like a bowl guard messer or arming sword? I have a nice 1901 cutlass and it's like a messer grip, saber hilt and arming sword blade.

@AcademyofHistoricalFencing

Жыл бұрын

There is a massive amount of crossover certainly, especially between things like cutlass, falchion, messer, dussack, hanger, etc. The 1901 cutlass used the pinned grip to allow a full grip tang as first introduced on the 1853 troopers sabre, which does make it look a bit messer like.

What does HEMA mean??

@AcademyofHistoricalFencing

9 ай бұрын

Historical European Martial Arts. An umbrella term for a great many traditional European martial systems mostly focused on bladed weapons, also called historical fencing or western martial arts.

both cutlass and hanger are just post-medieval falchions.

@AcademyofHistoricalFencing

3 жыл бұрын

Yes this is described in the video. It's just an evolution of terminology.

@HipposHateWater

2 жыл бұрын

Why would you say something so controversial yet so brave

Where can I get that shirt?

@AcademyofHistoricalFencing

3 жыл бұрын

At our redbubble shop - swordfightuk.redbubble.com

Glad it didn't start as a lass cutter

Haven't seen the vid yet but I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that it's a sword.

My understanding is that officers had swords because they could afford private tuition in order to use them effectively whereas a cutlass is brutal slashing weapon without much need for finesse. The British were renowned for their aggression in boarding ships which involved very close quarter fighting in a confined space that was little other than a brawl & one which the British nearly always won against the French or Spanish.

@AcademyofHistoricalFencing

3 жыл бұрын

There is quite a misconception of what cutlasses were like, as well as what many officers swords were like. Primarily officers had swords so that they could defend themselves when neccessary and also as a symbol of their rank, but a cutlass is no more brutal, or a heavy slashing weapon than many of the swords used by the officers. The cutlass merely looks crude because it is mass manufactured at low cost. But the cutlass was also a very universal weapon, for it was for a lot more than just close up brawls on ships, as it saw plenty of use on land too. It's just a generic and useful short sword, and the 1804 wasn't even that short. As for the knowledge in the use of the sword, whilst many officers did train in swordsmanship, not all did, and the training varied immensely. In the Navy there was no standardised method until 1813, and each ship's Captain decided on what practice was to be done if any, and so could range from regular practice to none.

7:46 I hate how english speaking people use the word hanger. In my language and a hanger is what you call a Khanjar although the wikipedia pictures of it are very small whilst the military versions used by the ottoman turks were almost sword length ( by some standards some can be called short swords - 63 cm).

@AcademyofHistoricalFencing

5 ай бұрын

That's life looking at how others languages use temrinology. For British English speakers the way the French use saber/sabre is just as frustrating.

@Ciprian-IonutPanait

5 ай бұрын

@@AcademyofHistoricalFencing well technically saber/sabre only means sword in french

Nerves of Steel.

The biggest surprise from this video was that Customs Officers use to carry swords.

@VTSifuSteve

Жыл бұрын

How else can you open crates and barrels for inspection with style?

did 2 handed cutlasses ever existed in history?

@AcademyofHistoricalFencing

3 жыл бұрын

No, though the term was applied to the swords of other cultures. Some 19th century sources describe the Japanese Katana as a two handed cutlass, as the blade is often of a similar size to many European cutlasses. Realistically by the time the term cutlass was becoming popular the day of two handed sword usage in Europe was coming to an end.

Ah yes, semon.