A ''Garde du Corps'' (French for lifeguard) is a military unit, formed of guards. A ''

Garde du Corps A ''Garde du Corps'' (French for lifeguard) is a military unit, 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 th ...

'' 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 The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies ( it, Regno delle Due Sicilie) was a kingdom in Southern Italy from 1816 to 1860. The kingdom was the largest sovereign state by population and size in Italy before Italian unification, comprising Sicily and all ...

for several regiments of heavy cavalry, whose proprietary colonel was usually the sovereign. *In the

Electorate of Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 square ...

, the Trabant Guards were given the title ''

'' in 1692, but were disbanded again around 1715. In 1740, King Frederick II established a

cuirassier Cuirassiers (; ) were cavalry equipped with a cuirass, sword, and pistols. Cuirassiers first appeared in mid-to-late 16th century Europe as a result of armoured cavalry, such as men-at-arms and demi-lancers, discarding their lances and adop ...

regiment as his '' Gardes du Corps'', which existed until the Prussian Army 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 ''Garde du Corps'' was formed in 1620, initially going under various names. From 1707 it was permanently titled the ''

'' and was stationed in Dresden and the surrounding area. At the time of

Augustus the Strong Augustus II; german: August der Starke; lt, Augustas II; in Saxony also known as Frederick Augustus I – Friedrich August I (12 May 16701 February 1733), most commonly known as Augustus the Strong, was Elector of Saxony from 1694 as well as K ...

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 The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign, the Second Polish War, the Army of Twenty nations, and the Patriotic War of 1812 was launched by Napoleon Bonaparte to force the Russian Empire back into the continental block ...

and was never re-established. *The

Electorate of Hesse The Electorate of Hesse (german: Kurfürstentum Hessen), also known as Hesse-Kassel or Kurhessen, was a landgraviate whose prince was given the right to elect the Emperor by Napoleon. When the Holy Roman Empire was abolished in 1806, its p ...

, the

Landgraviate of Hesse The Landgraviate of Hesse (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen) was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire. It existed as a single entity from 1264 to 1567, when it was divided among the sons of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. History In the early Midd ...

and the

Margraviate of Baden The Margraviate of Baden (german: Markgrafschaft Baden) was a historical territory of the Holy Roman Empire. Spread along the east side of the Upper Rhine River in southwestern Germany, it was named a margraviate in 1112 and existed until 1535, ...

were also given a regiment of ''Garde du Corps''. *The

Kingdom of Westphalia The Kingdom of Westphalia was a kingdom in Germany, with a population of 2.6 million, that existed from 1807 to 1813. It included territory in Hesse and other parts of present-day Germany. While formally independent, it was a vassal state of the ...

and

Kingdom of Württemberg The Kingdom of Württemberg (german: Königreich Württemberg ) was a German state that existed from 1805 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which existe ...

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 Cuirassiers (; ) were cavalry equipped with a cuirass, sword, and pistols. Cuirassiers first appeared in mid-to-late 16th century Europe as a result of armoured cavalry, such as men-at-arms and demi-lancers, discarding their lances and adopti ...

, but were equipped with half-

cuirass A cuirass (; french: cuirasse, la, coriaceus) is a piece of armour that covers the torso, formed of one or more pieces of metal or other rigid material. The word probably originates from the original material, leather, from the French '' cuirac ...

es and ''raupenhelm'' helmets. *In the

Bavarian Army The Bavarian Army was the army of the Electorate (1682–1806) and then Kingdom (1806–1919) of Bavaria. It existed from 1682 as the standing army of Bavaria until the merger of the military sovereignty (''Wehrhoheit'') of Bavaria into that of ...

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 The Kingdom of Hanover (german: Königreich Hannover) was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Ha ...

also had a ''Garde du Corps'' regiment from 1816 until the disbandment of its army in 1866. It was housed in a barracks on ''Königsworther Platz'' in

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

that had been converted for the purpose in 1736 from a former mule stables. After its annexation by Prussia in 1866, the King's Regiment of Uhlans took over the garrison. File:Garde du Corps2.jpg, Officer of the Electoral Hessian ''Garde du Corps'' of

s 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