The Chevalier Guard Regiment (russian: Кавалергардский полк, Kavalergardskiy polk) was a Russian heavy cavalry

guard regiment A royal guard is a group of military bodyguards, soldiers or armed retainers responsible for the protection of a royal person, such as the Emperor, emperor or empress, king or queen regnant, queen, or prince or princess. They often are an elite ...

, created in 1800 by the reformation of the Chevalier Guard corps, itself created in 1764 by

Catherine the Great , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anhal ...

. As other Russian heavy cavalry guard regiments (the Life-Guards Horse Regiment, His Majesty's Life-Guards Cuirassier Regiment, and Her Majesty's Life-Guards Cuirassier Regiment), the Chevalier Guards were equipped as cuirassiers (with some differences in uniform and equipment from army cuirassiers and other guard cuirassier regiments).

Campaigns

* 1805 – The regiment first saw combat in the Battle of Austerlitz, in which it fought bravely, covering the retreat of units from the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky Regiments of the Russian Imperial Guard infantry. The Chevalier Guards were countercharged and defeated by the French Horse Grenadiers of the Old Guard, who inflicted heavy casualties among the Russians. * 1807 – Battle of Heilsberg * 1812 – The regiment distinguished itself during the Patriotic War of 1812. The Chevalier Guards lost their colonel early in the

Battle of Borodino The Battle of Borodino (). took place near the village of Borodino on during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. The ' won the battle against the Imperial Russian Army but failed to gain a decisive victory and suffered tremendous losses. Napoleon ...

but, in concert with the Life Guard Horse Regiment, effectively stopped the decisive charge of Saxon cuirassier regiments and defeated French Horse Carabiniers. * 1813 – Lützen, Kulm, Leipzig * 1814 –

Fère-Champenoise Fère-Champenoise () is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France. It was the site of the Battle of Fère-Champenoise in March 1814. Population See also *Communes of the Marne department *Fershampenuaz Fershampenuaz (russian: ...

* 1831 – Polish Campaign * 1914 – First World War The regiment was disbanded in 1918. Many famous men served as Chevalier Guards including Georges-Charles de Heeckeren d'Anthès, Grigory Potemkin, Denis Davydov, Mikhail Skobelev, Alexander Rodzyanko,

Pavlo Skoropadskyi Pavlo Petrovych Skoropadskyi ( uk, Павло Петрович Скоропадський, Pavlo Petrovych Skoropadskyi; – 26 April 1945) was a Ukrainian aristocrat, military and state leader, decorated Imperial Russian Army and Ukrainian Army ...

Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (, ; 4 June 1867 – 27 January 1951) was a Finnish military leader and statesman. He served as the military leader of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War of 1918, as Regent of Finland (1918–1919), as comma ...

and Alexander Ypsilantis.

Gallery

References

External links

* Russian Imperial Guard
Russian Imperial Guard During the Napoleonic Wars
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chevalier Guard Regiment Cavalry regiments of the Russian Empire Former guards regiments Military units and formations established in 1800 Military units and formations disestablished in 1918 Russian military units and formations of the Napoleonic Wars Russian Imperial Guard 1800 establishments in the Russian Empire 1918 disestablishments in Russia Saint Petersburg Governorate Guards regiments of the Russian Empire