Livdragoner
Hierarchical Path: Seven Years War (Main Page) >> Armies >> Swedish Army >> Livdragoner
Contents
Origin and History
The regiment was initially raised in 1536 in south-western Finland. In 1632 the Åbo ohh Björneborgs ryttare was established. Indelta in 1690.
In the Great Northern War shipped to Livland in 1700 with the Wellingk's Corp, then with the Schlippenbach's Army. Heavy losses at Erastfer and Hummelhof, 1703. From 1704 in the Lewenhaupt Army and with him to Ukraine. Captured after Poltava. Raised again with the "fördubblingen" as the basis. Thereafter with the Army of Finland. With Armfeldt in the 1718 campaign against Trondhjem.
In 1721 the remains of the regiment were united with the old, Varvade, Livdragonregementet and the Upplands ståndsdragonregemente to form the younger, Indelta, "Livdragonregemente" which was based in Finland.
The regiment counted 8 companies for a total of 1,000 men.
During the Seven Years' War, the regiment was under the command of:
- no information available yet
Service during the War
At the beginning of the Seven Years' War, the regiment was stationed in the Finnish provinces of Åbo and Björneborg.
In 1761, 4 companies (500 men) of the regiment were sent to Pomerania to reinforce the Swedish expeditionary force operating against Prussia.
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
| ||||||||||||||
| Waistcoat | white | ||||||||||||||
| Breeches | buckskin or reindeer skin | ||||||||||||||
| Leather Equipment |
| ||||||||||||||
| Horse Furniture |
|
Troopers were armed with a sword, a pair of pistols, a short dragoon musket and a bayonet.
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 medium 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.
Colours
The pikes used as staffs to carry the colours were always striped in blue and yellow. The standards were swallow tailed, 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; green and gold palm branches beneath tied with a red ribbon.
 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
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
Schirmer, Friedrich, Die Heere der kriegführenden Staaten 1756-1763, published by KLIO-Landesgruppe Baden-Württemberg, Neuauflage 1989
N.B.: the section Service during the War is mostly derived from our articles depicting the various campaigns, battles and sieges.
