"La Cavalerie du Roi"
Line Cavalry of the French Army
Eighteenth Century
Notes
At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the cavalry of the French Army consisted of the Gendarmes de France, the Cavalerie Légère (light cavalry), and the Dragons (dragoons). The Gendarmes were classed as part of the Maison Militaire du Roi (troops of the royal household); the Cavalerie Légère, despite its name, embodied the regular line cavalry. The Dragons originated as mounted infantry, armed with short muskets and bayonets instead of pistols or carbines. As time passed, however, their role tended more and more to merge with that of the Cavalerie Légère. True light cavalry in the form of Hussards and Chasseurs à Cheval was introduced as the century wore on, often as the mounted element of the various composite "legions" raised for service during the Seven Years War.
The Cavalerie Légère were mostly uniformed in blue or scarlet coats and cocked hats. The troopers were armed with straight swords, a carbine and a pair of pistols. Each regiment possessed a regimental standard (etendard d'ordonnance), the basis of issue being one per company or squadron. Some, such as the Régiment Colonel Général, also has a white colonel's standard (cornette blanche) which was carried by the first company or squadron of the regiment. The standards were fringed, made of painted or embroidered silk, were slightly rectangular, and measured about one meter at the hoist. The majority of these cavalry standards had a blue field, but there were exceptions, such as the black field of Régiment Colonel Général and the red field of Régiment d'Orléans. All were abolished in the years following the Revolution as the Army was reorganized and reformed. Though many of the old cavalry regiments were revived after the Restoration, they received standards of a different pattern.
Note on the Illustrations: For each regiment, the obverse (left) and the reverse (right) of the standard is shown, even though in some cases these were identical.
Régiment
Colonel Général
Cavalerie
Régiment
Mestre de Camp Général
Cavalerie
Régiment
Commissaire Général
Cavalerie
Régiment Royal Cavalerie
Régiment du Roi Cavalerie, Régiment
Royal-Cravate Cavalerie
(Pre-1739)
Régiment
Royal-Etrangers
Cavalerie
(1739-70)
Régiment Royal-Roussillon Cavalerie
(1739-89)
Régiment d'Orléans
Cavalerie
Régiment Fitz-James Cavalerie
