Portuguese Legion (France)

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From left to right: soldiers of the infantry of the line, voltigeurs in dress uniform and hunters on horseback (Uniform customer of Richard Knötel )
Hunters on Horses of the Portuguese Legion (painting by Ribeiro Artur)

The Portuguese Legion (French: Légion portugaise , Portuguese: Legião Portuguesa ) was a large Portuguese military unit in French service at the time of the Napoleonic Wars and existed from 1807 to 1814.

history

The Portuguese Legion was originally 9,000 strong and like many “Foreign Legions” part of the Grande Armée . It was erected after the French conquest of Portugal under General Jean Andoche Junot on the orders of Napoleon on November 12, 1807. It was organized in February 1808 according to French regulations and was composed of the best units of the disbanded Portuguese army, including an elite legion of light troops. The Legion was transferred to Salamanca in April 1808 , and crossed Spain on the march to France , where it garrisoned in Grenoble . On the march through Spain about half (about 4500 men) of the legionaries deserted , returned to Portugal and joined the Portuguese resistance against the French occupiers.

The Legion took part in the campaigns in Germany , Austria and Russia and suffered heavy losses. She took part in the battles of Wagram , Smolensk , Vitebsk and Borodino . The Portuguese Legion was highly regarded by Napoleon and he called them "Black Infantry".

The Portuguese Legion was disbanded on May 5, 1814. Only around 1000 legionaries survived and returned to Portugal.

organization

The Portuguese Legion was organized as a division and originally consisted of:

In 1811 the Legion was reorganized into:

  • 3 infantry regiments
  • 1 regiment of hunters on horseback
  • 1 depot battalion

In 1813, after heavy losses, the remains of the Legion were organized into:

  • 1 battalion de guerre
  • 1 depot battalion

Commander

literature

  • Ribeiro Artur: Legião Portuguesa ao Serviço de Napoleão (1808–1813) , Lisbon, Ferin, 1901 (Portuguese).
  • Teotónio Banha: Apontamentos para a História da Legião Portuguesa , Lisbon, 1863 (Portuguese).
  • P. Boppe: La Légion Portugaise 1807-1813 , Paris, 1897, p. 497 (French).
  • Charles Esdaile: The Peninsular War , pp. 28-29, London, 2003 (English).