1st Cuirassier Regiment
Encyclopedia
The 1st Cuirassier Regiment was the oldest armoured regiment in the French Army
, until it was amalgamated with 11th Cuirassiers Regiment. Today its traditions are carried on by the 1st Cuirassier Squadrons Group of the 1st-11th Cuirassier Regiment
.
in 1631 to help Gustavus Adolphus
against the emperor during the Thirty Years' War
. The regiment fought together with the Swedish Army
at Breitenfeld
, Rain
and Lützen
. With the death of Gustavus Adolphus and the disaster at Nördlingen
the army of Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar entered French service on 26 October 1635. During this time the regiment was commanded by colonel Trefsky and carried his name: Trefsky regiment.
With Saxe-Weimers army France
began involving itself directly into the war, instead of only subsidizing the Swedes. The Trefsky regiment takes part in the victories of Rheinfelden
and Breisach
, but with Saxe-Weimers death in the summer of 1639 the army loses its master. Some men want to return to Swedish service, but Guébriant
, a future Marshal of France
, persuades the army, with the help of strong pensions, to remain permanently in France.
The Regiment was renamed Colonel-General in 1657. In 1791 renamed to 1er Régiment de Cavalerie . In 1801 renamed to 1er Régiment de Cavalerie-Cuirassiers. In 1803 renamed to 1er Régiment de Cuirassiers. In 1814 renamed to Cuirassiers du Roi, but restored to 1er Régiment de Cuirassiers by Napoleon
during the Hundred Days
, was disbanded on 24 December 1815 at Loches after Napoleon's defeat. Re-raised in 1816 and named Cuirassiers de la Reine.
The regiment was a part of the great cavalry charge in the Battle of Eylau
.
The count of Béthune formed a new regiment in 27 September 1815, it is named 1st Cuirassier Regiment or The Queen's Cuirassiers (French: Cuirassiers de la Reine). The regiment is organized with four squadrons and receives its standard in 28 August 1816 from the duchess of Angoulme in Compiegne.
Between 1816 and 1828, the regiment is successively garrisoned in Dijon (1819), Toul (1823), Sedan (1824), Nancy (1825), Joigny (1826), Vendôme (1827) and Tours (1828). When the 1830 revolution breaks out in France the regiment is sent to Angers to ensure the maintenance of law and order, but does not have to intervene.
Between 1830 and 1848, the regiment is garrisoned in various cities: Vendôme, Meaux (1830), Versailles (1831) and then Lille, which the regiment leaves to take part in the short campaign in Belgium
to support Belgian independence. When the regiment returns to France it is garrisoned in Compiegne (1832), Nancy (1833–1836), Paris (1837), Haguenau (1838–1842) and finally in Vesoul of 1843 to 1848.
During the French Revolution of 1848
, the regiment is sent to first Mantes, then Paris, to ensure law and order.
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
, until it was amalgamated with 11th Cuirassiers Regiment. Today its traditions are carried on by the 1st Cuirassier Squadrons Group of the 1st-11th Cuirassier Regiment
1st-11th Cuirassier Regiment
The 1st-11th Cuirassier Regiment is an armoured regiment of the French Army. It has been the armoured unit of the 3rd Mechanised Brigade since the 1 July 1999....
.
Origins
The regiment was a part of a small army raised by Bernhard of Saxe-WeimarBernhard of Saxe-Weimar
Bernard of Saxe-Weimar was a German prince and general in the Thirty Years' War.-Biography:Born in Weimar within the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar, Bernard was the eleventh son of Johann, Duke of Saxe-Weimar, and Dorothea Maria of Anhalt.Bernard received an unusually good education and studied at the...
in 1631 to help Gustavus Adolphus
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Gustav II Adolf has been widely known in English by his Latinized name Gustavus Adolphus Magnus and variously in historical writings also as Gustavus, or Gustavus the Great, or Gustav Adolph the Great,...
against the emperor during the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
. The regiment fought together with the Swedish Army
Swedish Army
The Swedish Army is one of the oldest standing armies in the world and a branch of the Swedish Armed Forces; it is in charge of land operations. General Sverker Göranson is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Army.- Organization :...
at Breitenfeld
Battle of Breitenfeld (1631)
The Battle of Breitenfeld or First Battle of Breitenfeld , was fought at the crossroads villages of Breitenfeld , Podelwitz , and Seehausen , approximately five miles northwest of the walled city of Leipzig on September 17 , or September 7 The Battle of Breitenfeld or First Battle of Breitenfeld...
, Rain
Battle of Rain
The Battle of Rain was fought on April 15, 1632, as part of the Thirty Years' War. The forces involved in this conflict were 40,000 Swedish troops under Gustavus Adolphus and 25,000 Catholic League troops under Count Johan Tzerclaes of Tilly...
and Lützen
Battle of Lützen (1632)
The Battle of Lützen was one of the most decisive battles of the Thirty Years' War. It was a Protestant victory, but cost the life of one of the most important leaders of the Protestant alliance, Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, which caused the Protestant campaign to lose direction.- Prelude to the...
. With the death of Gustavus Adolphus and the disaster at Nördlingen
Battle of Nördlingen (1634)
The Battle of Nördlingen was fought on 27 August or 6 September , 1634 during the Thirty Years' War. The Roman Catholic Imperial army, bolstered by 18,000 Spanish and Italian soldiers, won a crushing victory over the combined Protestant armies of Sweden and their German-Protestant allies .After...
the army of Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar entered French service on 26 October 1635. During this time the regiment was commanded by colonel Trefsky and carried his name: Trefsky regiment.
With Saxe-Weimers army France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
began involving itself directly into the war, instead of only subsidizing the Swedes. The Trefsky regiment takes part in the victories of Rheinfelden
Battle of Rheinfelden
The Battle of Rheinfelden was a military event in the course of the Thirty Years' War, consisting in fact of two battles fought in 1638 to the north and south of the present-day town of Rheinfelden, between a mercenary army led by Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar and an Holy Roman Empire army led by Johann...
and Breisach
Battle of Breisach
Battle of Breisach was fought on August 18 — December 17, 1638 as part of Thirty Years' War. It ended when a garrison of the Holy Roman Empire surrendered to the French, commanded by Bernard of Saxe-Weimar....
, but with Saxe-Weimers death in the summer of 1639 the army loses its master. Some men want to return to Swedish service, but Guébriant
Jean-Baptiste Budes, Comte de Guébriant
Jean-Baptiste Budes, comte de Guébriant was marshal of France.-Life:He was born at Plessis-Budes, near St Brieuc, in a Breton family...
, a future Marshal of France
Marshal of France
The Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...
, persuades the army, with the help of strong pensions, to remain permanently in France.
The Regiment was renamed Colonel-General in 1657. In 1791 renamed to 1er Régiment de Cavalerie . In 1801 renamed to 1er Régiment de Cavalerie-Cuirassiers. In 1803 renamed to 1er Régiment de Cuirassiers. In 1814 renamed to Cuirassiers du Roi, but restored to 1er Régiment de Cuirassiers by Napoleon
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
during the Hundred Days
Hundred Days
The Hundred Days, sometimes known as the Hundred Days of Napoleon or Napoleon's Hundred Days for specificity, marked the period between Emperor Napoleon I of France's return from exile on Elba to Paris on 20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815...
, was disbanded on 24 December 1815 at Loches after Napoleon's defeat. Re-raised in 1816 and named Cuirassiers de la Reine.
The regiment was a part of the great cavalry charge in the Battle of Eylau
Battle of Eylau
The Battle of Eylau or Battle of Preussisch-Eylau, 7 and 8 February 1807, was a bloody and inconclusive battle between Napoléon's Grande Armée and a Russian Empire army under Levin August, Count von Bennigsen near the town of Preußisch Eylau in East Prussia. Late in the battle, the Russians...
.
Regimental war record during the revolution and empire
(Battles and Combats)- 1792: Jemmapes, Anderlecht, and Tienen.
- 1793: Maestricht, La Roer, Nerwinden, and Maubeuge.
- 1794: Mouscron, Pont-a-ChinBattle of TournayThe Battle of Tournay or Tournai was fought on 22 May 1794 as part of the Flanders Campaign in the Belgian province of Hainaut on the Schelde River between French forces under General Pichegru and Coalition forces under Prince Josias of Coburg, in which the Coalition forces were victorious.In the...
, Roeselare, and the Capture of Mechelen. - 1796: Rivoli and Tagliamento.
- 1799: Le Trebbia, La Secchia, Novi, and Genola.
- 1800: Mozambano.
- 1801: San-Massiano and Verone.
- 1805: Wertingen, Ulm, Hollabrunn, Raussnitz, and Austerlitz.
- 1806: Jena and the Capture of Lubeck.
- 1807: Hoff and Eylau.
- 1809: Eckmuhl, Ratisbonne, Essling, Wagram, Hollabrunn, and Znaim.
- 1812: La Moskowa and Winkowo.
- 1813: La Katzbach, Leipzig, Hanau, and the defense of Hamburg.
- 1814: La Chausee, Vauchamps, Bar-sur-Aube, Sezanne, and Valcourt.
- 1815: Ligny, Genappe, and Waterloo.
Restoration
Louis XVIII returns to France again after the second abdication of Napoleon I, one of his first acts was to dissolve the entire French Army, including the regiment. The 1st Cuirassier Regiment is dissolved in Loches, according to General Suzanne its manpower went into the two Royal Guard cuirassier regiments and its depot was taken over by the 4th Cuirassier Regiment.The count of Béthune formed a new regiment in 27 September 1815, it is named 1st Cuirassier Regiment or The Queen's Cuirassiers (French: Cuirassiers de la Reine). The regiment is organized with four squadrons and receives its standard in 28 August 1816 from the duchess of Angoulme in Compiegne.
Between 1816 and 1828, the regiment is successively garrisoned in Dijon (1819), Toul (1823), Sedan (1824), Nancy (1825), Joigny (1826), Vendôme (1827) and Tours (1828). When the 1830 revolution breaks out in France the regiment is sent to Angers to ensure the maintenance of law and order, but does not have to intervene.
July Monarchy
The end of Bourbon rule in France also means changes for the French Army. The regiment receives a new commander Colonel Count Ordener in 5 August 1830 and several officers that had been placed on half-pay since 1815 return to the regiment. The regiment also loses the name: “Cuirassiers de la Reine” becoming simply the 1st Cuirassier Regiment.Between 1830 and 1848, the regiment is garrisoned in various cities: Vendôme, Meaux (1830), Versailles (1831) and then Lille, which the regiment leaves to take part in the short campaign in Belgium
Ten days campaign
The Ten Days' Campaign was a failed attempt to suppress the Belgian revolution by the Dutch king William I.- Prelude :...
to support Belgian independence. When the regiment returns to France it is garrisoned in Compiegne (1832), Nancy (1833–1836), Paris (1837), Haguenau (1838–1842) and finally in Vesoul of 1843 to 1848.
During the French Revolution of 1848
French Revolution of 1848
The 1848 Revolution in France was one of a wave of revolutions in 1848 in Europe. In France, the February revolution ended the Orleans monarchy and led to the creation of the French Second Republic. The February Revolution was really the belated second phase of the Revolution of 1830...
, the regiment is sent to first Mantes, then Paris, to ensure law and order.
Battle Honours
- Jemmapes 1792Battle of JemappesThe Battle of Jemappes took place near the town of Jemappes in Hainaut, Belgium, near Mons. General Charles François Dumouriez, in command of the French Revolutionary Army, defeated the greatly outnumbered Austrian army of Field Marshal Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen and his second-in-command...
- Austerlitz 1805Battle of AusterlitzThe Battle of Austerlitz, also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of Napoleon's greatest victories, where the French Empire effectively crushed the Third Coalition...
- Eylau 1807Battle of EylauThe Battle of Eylau or Battle of Preussisch-Eylau, 7 and 8 February 1807, was a bloody and inconclusive battle between Napoléon's Grande Armée and a Russian Empire army under Levin August, Count von Bennigsen near the town of Preußisch Eylau in East Prussia. Late in the battle, the Russians...
- La Moskowa 1812Battle of BorodinoThe Battle of Borodino , fought on September 7, 1812, was the largest and bloodiest single-day action of the French invasion of Russia and all Napoleonic Wars, involving more than 250,000 troops and resulting in at least 70,000 casualties...
- L'Avre 1918Operation MichaelOperation Michael was a First World War German military operation that began the Spring Offensive on 21 March 1918. It was launched from the Hindenburg Line, in the vicinity of Saint-Quentin, France...
- La Marne 1918Second Battle of the MarneThe Second Battle of the Marne , or Battle of Reims was the last major German Spring Offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. The German attack failed when an Allied counterattack led by France overwhelmed the Germans, inflicting severe casualties...
- Colmar 1945Colmar PocketThe Colmar Pocket ; in Alsace, France, was the site of an operation during the Second World War, between 20 January and 9 February 1945, where the French First Army and the U.S...
- Stuttgart 1945StuttgartStuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
- AFN 1952–1962
Decorations
- Croix de guerre 1914-1918Croix de guerre 1914-1918 (France)The Croix de guerre 1914–1918 is a French military decoration.-Creation:Soon after the outbreak of World War I, French military officials felt that a new military award had to be created...
with one palm and one star. - Croix de guerre 1939-1945Croix de guerre 1939-1945 (France)The Croix de guerre 1939–1945 is a French military decoration created on September 26, 1939, to honour people who fought with the Allies against the Axis force at any time during World War II.-Recipients:...
with three palms.