Subsidy Regiment

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As Subsidienregimenter or Mietregimenter be regiments designated by princes against subsidies temporarily or permanently other princes, imperial circles were left or states.

Emergence

After the decline of the knight armies and the rise of the mercenary armies in the late Middle Ages , it had become normal for a prince not to raise an army himself . Lack of funds and an underdeveloped infrastructure prevented the formation of permanent troops. Therefore prince commissioned a designated as a professional soldiers , mostly from the lower nobility , as Obrist captain for money for a particular campaign raise an army, so to soldiers recruit , equip and pay. The colonel captain was then not only a troop leader, but also an entrepreneur who was only connected to the prince by a contract and who strove for profit. The best example of such an entrepreneur was Wallenstein .

At the end of the 17th century, individual princes recognized the advantage of setting up a regiment as recruiter themselves - on behalf of another prince and against subsidies. What was new about this system was that the “recruiter” did not personally act as the owner or colonel of the recruited regiment in the service of the lord of the sovereign, but was the sovereign himself.

The predominant reasons for setting up a regiment from the perspective of the subsidizer were:

  • lack of funds for the permanent maintenance of one's own regiment,
  • Profit from the margin between the subsidy amount and the actual costs of setting up and keeping the regiment ready as a source of income. This profit could be increased considerably if soldiers were not recruited, but rather own subjects were forcibly recruited.

Advantages for subsidies and troop providers

Well-funded subsidizers could dispose of trained and equipped troop units without having to resort to the population of their own territory, which would have reduced their own economic power.

Subsidiaries could set up troop units without investing their own capital. This strengthened their own position of power in the pursuit of political interests or enabled the support of allies. So it was usually by no means a matter of “selling country children” . This could only be spoken of when subsidy recipients concluded contracts without political goals and detached from national interests, especially when the soldiers were not recruited, but instead forcefully pressed into the regiments to be provided.

Subsidy contracts

A subsidy contract "assured one of the contracting parties that a certain number of recruits would be placed in the event of war, and the other a sum of money that was due soon, which exceeded the anticipated advertising costs". The contracts between the subsidy giver and the troop provider were very different. They wavered as to

  • the duration of the release: from being available on call in one's own country to temporary release (for a campaign, one year, the troop provider remained the regiment owner) to the complete assignment (sale, the subsidizer became the regiment owner);
  • the type of installation: from a one-off installation to the permanent addition of losses during the entire period of leasing;
  • of strength: from only men and non-commissioned officers to complete with company commanders and functional personnel up to and including staff and leaders of the regiment
  • of equipment: from only the positions of the teams to teams clad (with the uniform of the troop contributor or the subsidizer) to full equipment including weapons.

Example of a subsidy contract

On November 20, 1687, the Duke Administrator Carl Friedrich von Württemberg signed a contract with Venice for the provision of another 3,000 men for a period of two years. In order to be able to muster this team, he himself signed a contract with Prince Georg of Hesse on December 15, 1687 about the formation of a regiment of 1,000 men, so that only two regiments had to be recruited in Württemberg. The surrender read as follows:

1. The Duke Administrator Friedrich Carl von Württemberg undertakes, out of special devotion for the Republic of Venice , the same regiment, which is already in the most noble service, a further 3,000 men of good, capable, defensive people, who are not under 20 and not are over 50 years old, to be put in subsidies so that they can be used against the Turks in Greece. The subsidy period is set at 2 years.
These 3000 men will be divided into 3 regiments, each regiment will consist of 2 battalions, each of which is to consist of 1 grenadier and 4 musketeer companies.
The regiments will be fully assembled and equipped in the shortest possible time, but in April 1688 at the latest, arrive in Lido near Venice for inspection and await their further destination here.
2. The republic pays 50 thalers for each person. (100  fl. ) Set-up costs, and just as much for the expenses of the march to Italy. Half of this stipulated sum is paid immediately after the ratification has been changed, and the other half after the drafting and taking over of the troops.
3. The payment of the wages * begins on the day of arrival in Verona, and is paid monthly, for which a three-month advance payment is granted.
4. In addition to pay, each officer receives 40 pounds a month, and each sergeant and soldier 30 pounds of rusks.
5. The Republic will obtain permission from the Imperial Majesty for the troops to be able to pass unhindered through Tyrol.
6. The commandant of these troops has jurisdiction in all civil and criminal cases, and it depends on him or his deputy to exercise it over all who are with these troops, who are permitted to practice their religion freely.
7. For supplementary teams to be forwarded, payment will be made according to points 2 - 4.
8. After two years, counted from the time when the troops in Lido were taken over by the republic, they are also to be returned to Lido, until then they will be completely fed by the republic, and here with a two-month pay to a Wuerttembergian Commissary handed over.

* The monthly wage in Ducati at 1 fl 15 xr (5 guilders , 15 kreuzers ) was set as follows:

Unit Rank amount Unit Rank amount Unit Rank amount
a) General Staff Major general 300 b) Regimental staff Colonel 150 c) Companies Captain 80
Aide de Camp Géneral 100 Lieutenant Colonel and Major 80 Lieutenant 50
doctor 50 adjutant 32 Ensign 30th
General Auditor 50 Auditor 20th
Secretary 50 Secretary 20th Pattern writer 10
General surgeon 30th Regimental surgeon 20th Field shearers 20th
Lieutenant Profoss 30th Profoss 10 sergeant 15th
Executioner 10 Executioner 6th Corporal 10
Wagon master 15th Regimental Quartermaster 40 Fourier 10
Chaplain 50
Regimental drum 12 Reel 4 1/2
Hautboist 8th Private 4 1/2
Regimental funds 250 Meaner 4th

Examples of subsidy regiments

  • "Regiment on foot Württemberg"
In 1687, Duke Administrator Friedrich Carl von Württemberg signed a contract with the Republic of Venice to set up a regiment for a period of 2 years. The regiment consisted of recruits from the Duchy of Württemberg and was
from 1687 to January 1689 in the service of the Republic of Venice,
from January 1689 to autumn 1689 in the Duchy of Württemberg as " body regiment " part of the ducal house troops ,
from autumn 1689 to 1691 in the service of the emperor ,
then until 1698 in subsidies of the Swabian Imperial Circle as "Yellow Regiment on Foot". 1693 teams were recruited to supplement.
After the Peace of Ryswick , the regiment was reduced and as a grenadier battalion belonged to the regular Württemberg house troops.
  • "Infantry Regiment Alt Württemberg"
With a contract dated December 24, 1715, Duke Eberhard Ludwig von Württemberg undertook to provide the Kaiser with an infantry regiment. The regiment was made up of volunteers from the previously existing domestic troops and additionally recruited in Göppingen until March 18, 1716, mustered by the Duke on May 17, and handed over to the Imperial War Commissar near Offenhausen on May 19 and handed over to the Emperor sworn in. Then the regiment moved to Hungary.
After the armistice with Turkey, the regiment marched from Belgrade on July 16, 1718 and reached Mantua on October 5. From December 6, the march was continued from there to Naples , where it arrived on March 3, 1719. From there the regiment was transferred to Sicily and stayed there until the end of the rental. As of June 20, 1719 (date of the advertising patent for recruitment), replacements were advertised. On October 17, 1720 the return march began in Genoa , on November 20 the regiment was in the Bregenz / Konstanz / Radolfzell area
On December 24, 1720, the regiment in Ehingen was returned to the Duke. This appointed it on December 31, 1720 to the "Leib-Infanterie-Regiment".
  • The regular Württemberg "Dragoon Regiment Duchess Maria Auguste"
was sold to the King of Prussia in May 1742 . Since the regiment had only recently received a new mount , it was taken over and paid for. Most of the officers also entered Prussian service.
The light blue color of the adopted uniform probably gave the impetus for the introduction of this color to the Prussian dragoons.
The regiment in Prussia was named "Dragoon Regiment Württemberg" and existed there until November 7, 1806.
  • In 1802, the Netherlands asked Duke Friedrich II for the provision of a further Subsidien-Regiment to three battalions. The Duke demanded
for each man provided 180 fl,
the battalion of the Cape Regiment still stationed on Java should count as one of the three battalions,
the backward advertising money of 54,000 "Rixdaler" from 1688 should be paid.
The negotiations then failed, especially because of the last demands.
  • In the Second Coalition War , Württemberg gave troops in English subsidies under the designation Reichs-Contingent-Zusatz-Corps (1800–1801):
Chevauxlegers Regiment
Foothunter Corps
Beulwitz Infantry Battalion
Seeger Infantry Battalion
Infantry battalion from Seckendorf
Artillery Department

References

See also

Web links

literature

  • Stephan Huck : Soldiers against North America. Lifeworlds of Braunschweig subsidiary troops in the American War of Independence (= contributions to military history . Vol. 69). Oldenbourg, Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-486-59742-4 .
  • Friedrich Kapp: The soldier trade of German princes to America , 2nd edition, Berlin 1874.
  • Hans Delbrück: History of the Art of War . New edition, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-11-016886-3 .
  • Siegfried Fiedler: Warfare and warfare in the age of the mercenaries . Bernard & Graefe Verlag, Koblenz 1985, ISBN 3-7637-5462-8 .
  • Bernhard R. Kroener : Military history of the Middle Ages and the early modern era up to 1648, From feudal warriors to mercenaries . In Karl-Volker Neugebauer , Fundamentals of German Military History , Volume 1 Historical Overview, Rombach Verlag, Freiburg, 1993, ISBN 3-7930-0602-6 .
  • Leo Ignaz von Stadlinger: History of the Württemberg War , K. Hofdruckerei zu Guttenberg, Stuttgart, 1856.
  • Peter Tauber: Who wants to be among the soldiers? . In Military History, Journal for Historical Education Issue 3/2007, Ed. Military History Research Office , ISSN  0940-4163 .
  • Franz Skarbina and C. Jany: The army of Frederick the Great in their uniforms . Martin Oldenbourg Verlag, Berlin 1908–1912; also Reprint Verlagsgruppe Weltbild, Augsburg 2005, ISBN 3-8289-0523-4 .
  • Gerhard Storz: Herzog Carl Eugen , in Robert Uhland, publisher: 900 years of House Württemberg , Verlag W. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1984, ISBN 3-17-008536-0 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Gerhard Storz in “900 Years House Württemberg”, p. 246
  2. ↑ Quoted from Stadlinger, p. 326
  3. ^ Based on Franz Skarbina and C. Jany, p. 62
  4. ↑ According to Stadlinger, p. 337, footnote