A ''Garde du Corps'' (French for

lifeguard A lifeguard is a rescuer who supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, beach, spa, river and lake. Lifeguards are trained in swimming and CPR/ AED first a ...

) is a

military unit Military organization or military organisation is the structuring of the armed forces of a state so as to offer such military capability as a national defense policy may require. In some countries paramilitary forces are included in a nation' ...

, formed of guards. A '' Garde du Corps'' was first established in France in 1445. From the 17th century onwards, the term was used in several German states and also, for example, in the Kingdom of Two Sicilies for several regiments of heavy

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

, whose

proprietary colonel A Proprietor, or Inhaber, was a term used in the Habsburg military to denote special honors extended to a noble or aristocrat. The Habsburg army was organized on principles developed for the feudal armies in which regiments were raised by a weal ...

was usually the sovereign. *In the Electorate of Brandenburg, the Trabant Guards were given the title '' Garde du Corps'' in 1692, but were disbanded again around 1715. In 1740, King Frederick II established a cuirassier regiment as his '' Gardes du Corps'', which existed until the

Prussian Army The Royal Prussian Army (1701–1919, german: Königlich Preußische Armee) served as the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It became vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power. The Prussian Army had its roots in the co ...

was disbanded in 1918. (Only in Prussia was the unit known as the ''Regiment der Gardes du Corps'', as opposed to simply a ''Garde du Corps'' in other German states.) *The

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

''Garde du Corps'' was formed in 1620, initially going under various names. From 1707 it was permanently titled the '' Garde du Corps'' and was stationed in Dresden and the surrounding area. At the time of Augustus the Strong it was a "double regiment" (''Doppelregiment'') with 883 men. Under his successors it was reduced in size, but remained an elite unit. The officers of the ''Garde du Corps'' ranked ceremonially a level above those in other regiments and were also paid more. It met its demise in 1812 in the Russian campaign and was never re-established. *The Electorate of Hesse, the Landgraviate of Hesse and the Margraviate of Baden were also given a regiment of ''Garde du Corps''. *The Kingdom of Westphalia and Kingdom of Württemberg each had a ''Garde du Corps'' squadron from 1808 to 1814 and from 1809 to 1815 respectively. These wore similar uniforms to the French cuirassiers, but were equipped with half- cuirasses and ''raupenhelm'' helmets. *In the Bavarian Army there was a ''Garde du Corps'' regiment from 1814, which was merged in 1826 for reasons of cost with the 1st Cuirassiers. *The Kingdom of Hanover also had a ''Garde du Corps'' regiment from 1816 until the disbandment of its army in 1866. It was housed in a

barracks Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are u ...

on ''Königsworther Platz'' in Hanover that had been converted for the purpose in 1736 from a former

mule The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two pos ...

stables. After its annexation by Prussia in 1866, the King's Regiment of Uhlans took over the

garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...

. File:Garde du Corps2.jpg, Officer of the Electoral Hessian ''Garde du Corps'' of cuirassiers File:Anton von Werner - Garde-du-Corps-Kürassier.jpg, Underofficer of the Prussian ''Gardes du Corps'' of cuirassiers File:Gardes du Corps (Hannover).jpg, Officer and trumpeter of the ''Garde du Corps'' of the Kingdom of Hanover in 1835

See also