Grenadiers à cheval
The Grenadiers à cheval were part of the royal guard in France ( Maison militaire du roi de France ). In contrast to the purely representative palace guards, this was a fighting association of company strength.
Established in December 1676 by decree by King Louis XIV , the company was on December 15, 1775 under Louis XVI. dissolved for reasons of economy, the simple grenadiers with the rank of maréchal-des-logis distributed among the cavalry regiments.
The strength of the crew fluctuated over the years, in 1678 the company comprised 120 riders. After the army was reduced on the occasion of the peace of Nijmegen it was reduced to 100 men. In 1725 there were only 84 men, the workforce increased to 150 during the Seven Years' War in 1759. The personnel replacement was recruited from the ranks of the Grenadiers de France.
The armament consisted of musket , flintlock pistol and sword , and optionally entrenching tools . In the field, the Grenadiers à cheval always marched at the head of the guards.
Combat missions
- March 17, 1675: capture of the besieged Valenciennes under François-Henri de Montmorency-Luxembourg
- March 20 to April 19, 1677: Siege of Cambrai
- 1678: Siege of Charleroi
War of the Palatinate Succession
- August 25, 1689: Battle of Walcourt
- September 18, 1691: Battle of Leuze
- August 3, 1692: Battle of Steenkerke
- July 29, 1693: Battle of Neer winds
- September 20, 1703: First battle near Höchstädt
- November 15, 1703: Battle of the Speyerbach
- August 13, 1704: Second battle near Höchstädt
- May 23, 1706: Battle of Ramillies
- July 11, 1708: Battle of Oudenaarde
- September 11, 1709: Battle of Malplaquet
- June 29, 1734: Battle of Parma
- September 19, 1734: Battle of Guastalla
War of the Austrian Succession
- June 27, 1743: Battle of Dettingen
- May 11, 1745: Battle of Fontenoy
- October 11, 1746: Battle of Roucoux
- July 2, 1747: Battle of Lauffeldt
- November 5, 1757: Battle of Rossbach
- June 23, 1758: Battle of Krefeld
- August 1, 1759: Battle of Minden
- October 15, 1760: Battle of Kampen Monastery
- July 15, 1761: Battle of Vellinghausen
After 1761 until its dissolution, the company did not take part in any fighting.
Standard
The standard of the company shows the typical characteristics of the French guard cavalry. In the central field there is a bursting grenade, the currency band above carries the inscription:
- UNIQUE TERROR - UNIQUE LETHUM (Unique in Terror - Unique in Annihilation)
This standard was awarded to the company after the battle of Leuze, in which it had distinguished itself in particular.
Workforce
At the time of deployment, the company consisted of:
- 1 Capitaine-lieutenant (captain-deputy - captain, so captain , was the king himself)
- 2 lieutenants
- 2 sous-lieutenants
- 2 Maréchal des logis chiefs
- 2 Marechal-des-logis
- 2 brigadiers
- 4 sous-brigadiers
- 74 grenadiers
The officer positions were reserved for the nobility. The NCOs and horsemen were chosen from among the ranks of the infantry grenadiers. They had to be of stately figure and have mustaches.
literature
- Histoire de la maison militaire du roi de 1814 à 1830 , E. Titeux, Ed. Baudry (Paris), 1890.
- Encyclopédie théologique , Tome I, Vol. 2, Jacques-Paul Migne, Paris, 1859.
- Dictionnaire de la conversation et de la lecture , Volume 29, Bellin-Mandar, Paris, 1836.
- see also → Maison militaire du roi de France