A Menelik II Ethiopian gurade

A German-made sabre or gurade for the Ethiopian market produced during the reign of Emperor Menelik II (1889-1913). The wide, curved blade and hatchet point on this example are typical of the German M1811 "Blücher" sabre, which was itself a German copy of the British Pattern 1796 Light Cavalry sabre.
 
It is unclear whether this sword and others like it were made for the Ethiopian Imperial Guard, or the private retinue of a high-ranking noble, but they were certainly high-status weapons at the time. This example was collected during the campaign to liberate Ethiopia in the Second World War.
 
The wide, strongly curved blade is of 'Montmorency' style with a narrow fuller in-between a wide, central fuller and the spine. It is decorated with scrolls of foliage and tropies, as well as the Amharic inscriptions ቅዱስ ጊዮርጊስ "Saint George" and ምኒልክ "Menelik" and images of St. George and the Lion of Judah. The Lion of Judah being the imperial insignia of the Ethiopian Empire and referring to the Solomonic Dynasty of Ethiopia being the descendants of the Israelite Royal House of Judah. The base of the blade is etched with the thermometer trademark of the firm F.W. Holler from Solingen, Germany above the abbreviation "G.G." for "Gesetzlich Geschützt" indicating a protected trademark. The blade shows some pitting and signs of field sharpening, but is generally in good condition.
 
The iron stirrup hilt has the P shaped guard typical of the Blücher and 1796 Light Cavalry sabres. Menelik II's initial and the Lion of Judah are stamped on the langets. The grip is covered in Bakelite with copper wire wrapping. The Bakelite has cracked in some places, and the copper wire has shifted slightly, but otherwise the hilt is still very solid with no movement. The scabbard is missing, unfortunately.
 
 
Blade length:  80.5 cm
Overall length:  92.5 cm
1889-1913