Adelsfanan Cavalry
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Origin and History
Presumably the oldest unit in the Army at the time of the 1809 reductions. The regiment was raised in 1280 among the nobility assuming its feudal service. In 1425 it consisted of 300 mounted marksmen. In 1565, it became the "Noble Cavalry" and received its designation of "Adelsfanan" in 1571. By 1640, the regiment counted 3 companies in Sweden and Finland. The same year, it was increased to 4 companies. After the annexation of Scania in 1658, a fifth company was added to the regiment.
In 1680 Karl XI organised the unit in 6 companies of which one was from Finland.
During the Great Northern War, the regiment was sent to the Livland in 1702 and with the King's Army thereafter, the Östgöta-Smålands company with the Lewenhaupt Army and the Finnish company with the Army of Finland. In 1706, it took part in the battle of Fraustadt. In 1709, it was taken prisoner by the Russians at Perevolotjna after Poltava. Rebuilt 1709-10, it took part to the Scanian campaign and the battle of Helsinborg, 1710, with two companies. In the Norwegian campaigns of 1716 and 1718.
After the Great Northern War, the regiment was prohibited to serve outside the territories of Sweden and Finland.
The regiment consisted of 395 cavalrymen in 6 companies. However in peacetime, only the officers were really present. Five of these companies came from Sweden (Uppland, Västergötland, Södermanlands, Östergötland and Skåne) while a sixth was raised in the provinces of Turku and Pori in Finland.
During the Seven Years' War, the regiment was under the command of:
- no information available yet
Service during the War
The regiment did not take part in any campaign during the Seven Years' War.
Uniform
Privates
| Headgear | black tricorne without lace and with a brass button on the left side | ||||||||||||||
| Neck stock | black | ||||||||||||||
| Coat | medium blue lined white with 12 brass buttons down the front and 2 brass buttons in the small of the back
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| Waistcoat | white | ||||||||||||||
| Breeches | buckskin or reindeer skin | ||||||||||||||
| Leather Equipment |
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| Horse Furniture |
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Troopers were armed with a sword, a pair of pistols and a carbine. They also wore polished steel breastplates bordered in white under their coat.
Officers
The officers wore the same uniform as the troopers with the following exceptions:
- a gold laced tricorne
- black breeches (sometimes)
- housings and holster caps laced gold
NCOs
The NCOS wore the same uniform as the troopers with the unique distinction of a narrow golden lace on the tricorne.
Musicians
The musicians wore mediu blue uniforms with white swallow nests laced yellow at the shoulders. The uniform had no additional laces.
The drums were made of brass with white rims. The trumpets were made of brass with a medium blue banner.
Colours
The pikes used as staffs to carry the colours were always striped in blue and yellow. The standards had gold finials, and gold and silver cords, tassels and fringe.
Lifstandar (colonel standard): white field; borders heavily embroidered in gold and silver; centre device carried the crowned royal arms of Sweden flanked by 2 crowned golden lions.
Kompanistandar (ordonnance standard): white field; borders heavily embroidered in gold and silver; centre device consisting of the royal cipher “AF” surmounted by gold crown; 2 golden palm branches beneath tied with a red ribbon; the upper inner corner carried a silver elk.
 Lifstandar - Source: rf-figuren using elements of a template by Hannoverdidi |
 Kompanistandar - Source: rf-figuren |
The colonel's squadron carried the Lifstandar, each other squadron had a Kompanistandar.
References
This article contains texts translated from the following books which are now in the public domain:
- Großer Generalstab: Die Kriege Friedrichs des Großen - Dritter Teil: Der Siebenjährige Krieg 1756–1763. Vol. 6 Leuthen, Kriegsgeschichtliche Abteilung II (Publisher), Berlin 1904, pp.92-107, Annex pp. 11-16
Other sources
Brolin, Gunnar: 18th C. Swedish Military Flags - Part I: Standards and Guidons, 18th Century Military Notes & Queries No. 5
Högman, Hans: Svenska regementen under indelningsverkets dagar (broken link)
Höglund, Lars-Eric and Ake Sallnäs: The Great Northern War 1700-1721, Colours and Uniforms, Acedia Press, Karlstadt, 2000
Pengel, R. D. and G. R. Hurt: Swedish Army in Pomerania – 1757-1763, Birmingham, 1983
Purky, Jim: Swedish Army Organization, Seven Years War Association Journal Vol. X No. 1
Schirmer, Friedrich: Die Heere der kriegführenden Staaten 1756-1763, published by KLIO-Landesgruppe Baden-Württemberg, Neuauflage 1989
Schorr, Dan: Uniforms of the Swedish Army, 1757-1762, The Courrier, June-July 1979
