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Spain. Spanish Saber of a National Militia Officer, 1854
Originally, the National Militia was a corps of armed citizens intended to maintain public order and defend the constitutional regime. It was established by the 1812 Constitution approved by the Cortes of Cádiz and later abolished by Ferdinand VII when he restored absolute monarchy. Seen as a symbol of Spanish liberalism, the Militia was a point of contention between «moderate» and «radical» liberals. It was reinstated during the Liberal Triennium (1820–1823) and abolished again with the return of absolutism.
During the reign of Isabella II, the Militia was reinstated after the 1836 San Ildefonso uprising, leading to the progressive Constitution of 1837. However, when the Moderate Party came to power in 1844 under General Ramón María Narváez, the National Militia was dissolved again and removed from the 1845 Constitution.
It wasn’t until the Progressive Biennium (1854–1856), under General Baldomero Espartero, that the Militia was once more reestablished. But the Progressive Party only remained in power for two years (and its new Constitution was never enacted). In 1856, General O’Donnell and his Liberal Union government ended the Biennium and issued a decree disbanding the Militia once again.
This saber dates from that brief Progressive Biennium (1854–1856). As no official saber model was regulated for the National Militia during this period, various models were produced bearing the initials «MN». Due to the short time they were in use and the limited number produced, these sabers are rare.
The blade is engraved and marked «ARTª Fª de Toledo 1854», referring to the Artillery Factory of Toledo and the year of manufacture. The scabbard is ornamented at the tip.
The saber and scabbard are in very good condition.
Total length: 94.5 cm
Blade length: 77.5 cm
With the success of the 1868 Glorious Revolution, which ended the reign of Isabella II and began the Democratic Sexennium, the National Militia was restored under the name Citizen Force of the Volunteers of Liberty. However, it was definitively dissolved by Cánovas del Castillo’s government in 1876, after the Bourbon Restoration.
Original Spanish saber of the National Militia from the Progressive Biennium (1854–1856).
