Garde impériale (Second Empire)
The Imperial Guard of Napoleon III. was the elite corps of the armed forces of the French Second Empire . It was built in 1854 and went under with the rule of Napoleon. It was dissolved on October 28, 1870, the day after the surrender of Metz .
Troops
According to the imperial decree of May 1, 1854, the guard was composed as follows:
- two regiments of grenadiers
- two regiments of voltigeurs
- a battalion of hunters on foot
- a regiment of cuirassiers
- a regiment de guides de la Garde impériale
- a regiment of gendarmerie
- a regiment of mounted artillery
- a company of pioneers
Based on the decree of February 17, 1855, the following were added:
- a regiment of zouaves
- a company of train
- a regiment of artillery on foot
In December of the same year, the following were also set up:
- a regiment of grenadiers
- two regiments of voltigeurs
- a regiment of dragoons
- a regiment of Uhlans
- a regiment of cuirassiers
- a regiment of hunters on horseback
In 1865 the carabiniers of the line cavalry became a guard regiment.
The cent- guard squadrons were purely ceremonial court guards and were not part of the imperial guard .
Calls
The Guard fought in the Crimean War at the siege of Sevastopol and Fort Malakow and in the Sardinian War at Magenta and Solferino . In the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71 she suffered heavy losses under Charles Denis Bourbaki in the battles of Mars-la-Tour and Saint-Privat . After the proclamation of the Third Republic , it was no longer set up when the army was reorganized at the beginning of 1871. Remnants of their field troops and the depot formations were converted into line regiments , some of which were still distinguished during the siege of Paris .
Uniforms
The uniforms were deliberately based on the Imperial Guard of Napoleon I , so much so that in the beginning some troops even wore long-tailed, tailcoat-like uniform skirts again , although the tunic was generally introduced in the French army as early as 1845 . After the Crimean War, more modern uniforms were introduced, although the characteristic fur hats of grenadiers, guides and hunters on horseback were retained.
literature
- Liliane and Fred Funcken historical uniforms (6). 19th century. 1850–1900: France, Great Britain, Germany, Austria, Russia. Infantry, cavalry, technical troops, artillery. Mosaik Verlag, Munich 1983, ISBN 3-570-01461-4 .
- Richard Knötel , Herbert Knötel and Herbert Sieg: Colored Handbook of Uniform Studies. (Volume 2), Augsburg 1997