These weapons were ordered on 28 November 1799, after the coup of Brumaire when Napoleon came to power as First Consul. On his coronation in 1804, a new pattern came into service, with a fully rounded knucklebow and, in most cases, a slightly longer blade. This should not be confused with the later Imperial model (see below).

This is a copy of the typical French Revolutonary-era sword used by politicians (see David's 1794 designs for the politicians' costumes). The Ecole de Mars sword was similar, differing only in having an iron guard extending on either side of the blade and defending the knuckles.