The Life Regiment Dragoons ( sv, Livregementets dragoner), designated K 2, was a

Swedish Army The Swedish Army ( sv, svenska armén) is the land force of the Swedish Armed Forces. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1521, when the men of Dalarna chose 16 young able men as body guards for the insurgent nobleman Gustav Vas ...

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 ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

that was active in various forms 1791–1927. The unit was based in the Stockholm Garrison in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

and belonged to the King's Life and Household Troops (''Kungl. Maj:ts Liv- och Hustrupper'') until 1974.

History

The regiment has its origins in the ''ryttarfanor'' ("horsemen; cavalry units") which were raised in

Uppland Uppland () is a historical province or ' on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. On the small uninhab ...

Södermanland Södermanland ( or ), locally Sörmland, sometimes referred to under its Latin form ''Sudermannia'' or ''Sudermania'', is a historical province or ''landskap'' on the south eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Östergötland, Närke, Västmanla ...

Västmanland Västmanland ( or ), is a historical Swedish province, or ''landskap'', in middle Sweden. It borders Södermanland, Närke, Värmland, Dalarna and Uppland. Västmanland means "(The) Land of the Western Men", where the "western men" (''västerm ...

Närke Närke () is a Provinces of Sweden, Swedish traditional province, or ''landskap'', situated in Svealand in south central Sweden. It is bordered by Västmanland to the north, Södermanland to the east, Östergötland to the southeast, Västergö ...

and

Värmland Värmland () also known as Wermeland, is a '' landskap'' (historical province) in west-central Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland, and Närke, and is bounded by Norway in the west. Latin name versions are ''Va ...

. These were combined into two regiments, which, according to the Instrument of Government of 1634, were amalgamated into one. The regiment was from 1636 usually referred to as ''Upplands ryttare'' ("Uppland Horsemen"). Its first commanding officer was Isak Axelsson Silversparre. On 26 November 1667, the regiment was upgraded into a royal life squad as a thank you for their efforts during the campaign of

Charles X Gustav Charles X Gustav, also Carl Gustav ( sv, Karl X Gustav; 8 November 1622 – 13 February 1660), was King of Sweden from 1654 until his death. He was the son of John Casimir, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg and Catherine of Sweden. Afte ...

and received the name ''Livregementet till häst'' ("Life Regiment of Horse"). At the same time, count

Otto Wilhelm Königsmarck Count Otto Wilhelm Königsmarck (5 January 1639 – 5 September 1688) was a Swedish military officer from Minden. He attained the rank of field marshal in 1676, commanded the Battle of Stralsund (1678), and became Governor General for Swedish ...

was appointed regimental commander. The regiment distinguished itself for great bravery in the

Battle of Lund The Battle of Lund, part of the Scanian War, was fought on December 4, 1676, in an area north of the city of Lund in Scania in southern Sweden, between the invading Danish army and the army of Charles XI of Sweden. The Danish had an army of about ...

in 1676 under

Nils Bielke Count Nils Bielke (7 February 1644 in Stockholm – 26 November 1716) was a member of the High Council of Sweden, military and politician. Born the eldest son of Baron Ture Nilsson Bielke, who died in 1648, Queen Christina granted the young b ...

. Charles XI is supposed to have said after the victory: "Next to God I had to thank the brave Nils Bielke and his Life Regiment". In 1680, the regiment was allotted within eastern

Svealand Svealand (), or Swealand, is the historical core region of Sweden. It is located in south central Sweden and is one of three historical lands of Sweden, bounded to the north by Norrland and to the south by Götaland. Deep forests, Tiveden, Tyl� ...

. The Life Regiment of Horse (''Livregementet till häst'') was the only regiment in the

Garrison that was not recruited. In 1785, a special squad of light

dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat w ...

s was raised in the regiment. It was formed by adding 18 men from each company to the dragoons who formed 4 companies of 36 men in each. This force was increased later and in 1789 during the

Russo-Swedish War Wars between Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and ...

, they operated as an independent unit of 300 men, 6 companies, under the name Light Dragoon Corps of the Royal Majesty's Life Regiment (''Lätta Dragonkåren av Kungl. Maj:ts Livregemente''). On 23 February 1791, the regiment was reorganized into a brigade consisting of the ''Livregementetsbrigadens kyriassiärkår'' ("Life Regiment Brigade Cuirassier Corps"), which consisted of the companies closest to the capital and which constituted heavy cavalry, the Life Regiment Brigade's Light Dragoon Corps, which consisted of

Örebro Örebro ( , ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, sixth-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Örebro Municipality, and capital of the Örebro County. It is situated by the Närke Plain, near the lake Hjälmaren, a few kilometers in ...

Fellingsbro Fellingsbro (, locally ) is a locality and a parish situated in Lindesberg Municipality, Örebro County, Sweden with 1,384 inhabitants in 2010. It is home to the Fellingsbro folk high school. History The parish of Fellingsbro is mentioned already ...

, Östra Närke and Vadsbo companies and the Life Regiment Brigade's light infantry battalion which consisted of the companies in Västmanland and from 1804 also Södermanland's company. In 1815, the brigade was disbanded, and the three constituent units became independent on 16 December 1815. With that change, the Life Regiment Brigade Cuirassier Corps took the name ''Livregementets dragoner'' ("Life Regiment Dragoons"). On 31 December 1892, the name ''Livregementets dragoner'' ("Life Regiment Dragoons", K 2) was adopted. In 1816, all Swedish regiments received an order number, where the Life Regiment Dragoons were assigned number 2. In 1914, all order numbers within the Swedish Army were adjusted. The Life Regiment Dragoons was assigned the designation K 2. The adjustment of the designation made it possible to distinguish the regiments between the army branches, but also from their possible reserve and duplication regiments. As a result of the Defence Act of 1925, the regiment was on 1 January 1928 amalgamated with the

Life Guards of Horse Life Guards of Horse ( sv, Livgardet till häst, K 1) was a Swedish Army cavalry regiment, first raised in 1770. It saw service for two centuries, before being amalgamated with the Life Regiment Dragoons (K 2) to form the Life Regiment of Horse ( ...

(K 1) and formed the Life Regiment of Horse (K 1). At the amalgamation, a final parade was held at Ladugårdsgärde in Stockholm. K 1 was dressed in blue parade uniform and K 2 was dressed in gray field uniform m/23. Both regiments marched past His Majesty the King in

trot The trot is a ten-beat diagonal horse gait where the diagonal pairs of legs move forward at the same time with a moment of suspension between each beat. It has a wide variation in possible speeds, but averages about . A very slow trot is someti ...

and

gallop The canter and gallop are variations on the fastest gait that can be performed by a horse or other equine. The canter is a controlled three-beat gait, while the gallop is a faster, four-beat variation of the same gait. It is a natural gait pos ...

, after which the veteran regiments did the same on foot. After the parade, the united regiments marched with the united musical bands in the lead to the former barracks of the Life Guards of Horse at Lidingövägen. The squadrons were split so that half consisted of staff and horses from K 1 and half from K 2. The leftover staff and horses were transferred to the respective regiment's disbandment organizations, which ceased in 1931 when the disbandment was completed. The parade uniform became a mixture of the Life Guards of Horse's silver forged uniform, supplemented with the Life Regiment Dragoons's laurel wreath on the helmet and its three crowned crowns on the

epaulette Epaulette (; also spelled epaulet) is a type of ornamental shoulder piece or decoration used as insignia of military rank, rank by armed forces and other organizations. Flexible metal epaulettes (usually made from brass) are referred to as ''sh ...

's. A new

standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object th ...

was presented by His Majesty the King. The regiment was disbanded on 31 December 1927, and transferred to a disbandment organization from 1 January 1928. This disbandment organization was dissolved on 31 March 1928. The regiment was on 1 January 1928 amalmagated with the Life Guards of Horse (K 1), and formed the Life Regiment of Horse (K 1).

Barracks and training areas

Barracks

The regiment trained from 1815 at Polacksbacken in

Uppsala Uppsala (, or all ending in , ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the county seat of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inha ...

and Ladugårdsgärde in

. From 1881, the corps was placed at Wiksberg at

Southern Djurgården Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

in Stockholm, where today

Maritime Museum A maritime museum (sometimes nautical museum) is a museum specializing in the display of objects relating to ships and travel on large bodies of water. A subcategory of maritime museums are naval museums, which focus on navies and the militar ...

Swedish National Museum of Science and Technology The Swedish National Museum of Science and Technology ( sv, Tekniska museet) is a Swedish museum in Stockholm. It is Sweden’s largest museum of technology, and has a national charter to be responsible for preserving the Swedish cultural heri ...

and the Museum of Ethnography are located. The barracks area consisted of three barracks for the main schools. The three barracks were built in 1881, and became the only ones of their kind that were built according to the pavilion system in one floor. In 1904, the barracks were rebuilt with another floor. After the regiment was disbanded, the Museum of Ethnography moved into the area. In 1976, the three barracks were demolished, to make room for a larger museum building. Of the barracks area only the chancellery building (Chinese Embassy) remains, two stables (Telecom Museum), a cook house and a smithy.

Training areas

The regiment had since 1780 its training field at Utnäslöt about 3 km northeast of

Strömsholm Palace Strömsholm Palace, sometimes called Strömsholm Castle ( sv, Strömsholms slott), is a Swedish royal palace. The baroque palace is built on the site of a fortress from the 1550s, located on an island in the Kolbäcksån river at the west end of ...

. Training fields for the squadrons were (1834): * Northern Uppland Squadron (''Norra Upplands skvadron''): Svista in Bälinge

socken Socken is the name used for a part of a county in Sweden. In Denmark similar areas are known as ''sogn'', in Norway ''sokn'' or ''sogn'' and in Finland ''pitäjä'' ''(socken)''. A socken is a country-side area that was formed around a church, ...

. A memorial stone was erected at Polacksbacken in Uppsala in 1945: ''To the memory of Upsala Squadron of the Royal Life Regiment Dragoons. Uppland cavalry has here been trained. The Association of the Royal Life Regiment of Horse erected the stone in 1945''. Later, until about 1870, the village of

Gamla Uppsala Gamla, alt. sp. Gamala ( he, גַּמְלָא, The Camel) was an ancient Jewish city on the Golan Heights. It is believed to have been founded as a Seleucid fort during the Syrian Wars which was turned into a city under Hasmonean rule in 81 B ...

was used as training field. In 1949 a memorial stone was erected here with the text: ''To the memory of Northern Uppland Squadron of the Royal Life Regiment Dragoons. In the village of Gamla Upsala, the squadron has gathered for departure for weapons exercise and defence of the realm. The Association of the Royal Life Regiment of Horse erected the stone in 1949''. * Uppsala Squadron (''Uppsala skvadron''): Polacksbacken, Uppsala. A memorial stone was erected here in 1945 with the text: ''To the memory of Upsala Squadron of the Royal Life Regiment Dragoons. Uppland cavalry has here been trained. The Association of the Royal Life Regiment of Horse erected the stone in 1945''. * Roslag Squadron (''Roslags skvadron''): Vemblinge in Estuna socken. A memorial stone was erected here in 1932 with the text: ''Roslag Squadron of the Royal Life Regiment of Horse gathered and trained at Vemblinge during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. ''Roslagens Fornminnes- och hembygdsförening'' ("Roslagen Ancient Monument and Local Heritage Association") erected the stone in 1932''. * Sigtuna Squadron (''Sigtuna skvadron''):

Bålsta Bålsta is a locality and the seat of Håbo Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden with 13 138 inhabitants in 2015. Although not in Stockholm County, it has Bålsta Station, the north-western terminus of the Stockholm suburban rail system. Many ...

in Yttergrans socken. A memorial stone was erected here in 1931 with the text: ''Sigtuna Squadron of the Royal Life Regiment of Horse had its training field here until 1908''. * Life Squadron (''Livskvadronen''): Arenberga in Husby-Ärlinghundra socken. A memorial stone was erected here in 1946 with the inscription ''The

Life company A Life Company ( sv, Livkompani, but usually written in its definite form; ''Livkompaniet'') is a Swedish military term of several centuries' standing. It is the first company of a regiment in the Swedish Army. Before the 17th century, the term ref ...

of the Royal Life Regiment of Horse had its training field here during the years 1687-1791. Modern successors and the village erected the stone in 1946''.

Heraldry and traditions

The regiment was a sister regiment to the

Life Regiment Grenadiers Life Regiment Grenadiers ( sv, Livregementets grenadjärer), also I 3, was a Swedish Army infantry unit that was active in various forms 1815–2000. The unit was based in Örebro Garrison in Örebro and belonged to the King's Life and Household T ...

(I 3) and the

Life Regiment Hussars The Life Regiment Hussars ( sv, Livregementets husarer; designated K 3) is one of the world's oldest regiments still active. The regiment descends directly from units set up by King Gustav I of Sweden (Gustav Vasa) in 1536, when Sweden set ...

(K 3), all of which have their anniversary on 4 December, reminiscent of the

on 4 December 1676. The regimentet held its disbandment ceremony on 11 September 1927. The regiment's traditions were passed on until 1949 by the Life Regiment of Horse (K 1), and from 1949 by the Life Guard Dragoons (K 1). Since 1 July 2000, the memory of the regiment has been cared for by Life Guards (LG). File:AM.010484.jpg, Standard m/1810 of the Life Regiment Dragoon Corps. Embroidered by Queen Lovisa in 1863. File:AM.031893.jpg, Military patch m/1906 File:AM.012877.jpg, Military patch m/1910

Commanding officers

Regimental commanders and executive officers (''Sekundchef'') active at the regiment from 1791 to 1927. ''Sekundchef'' was a title that was introduced in 1792, after the king took office as regimental commander. The title was used at the regiments that were part of the King's Life and Household Troops (''Kungl. Maj:ts Liv- och Hustrupper'').

Regimental commanders

*1791–1809: Duke Charles of Södermanland *1809–1818: Crown Prince Charles John *1818–1844:

Charles XIV John sv, Karl Johan Baptist Julius , spouse = , issue = Oscar I of Sweden , house = Bernadotte , father = Henri Bernadotte , mother = Jeanne de Saint-Jean , birth_date = , birth_place = Pau, ...

*1844–1859: Oscar I *1859–1872:

Charles XV Charles XV also Carl (''Carl Ludvig Eugen''); Swedish: ''Karl XV'' and Norwegian: ''Karl IV'' (3 May 1826 – 18 September 1872) was King of Sweden (''Charles XV'') and Norway, there often referred to as Charles IV, from 8 July 1859 until his dea ...

*1872–1891:

Oscar II Oscar II (Oscar Fredrik; 21 January 1829 – 8 December 1907) was King of Sweden from 1872 until his death in 1907 and King of Norway from 1872 to 1905. Oscar was the son of King Oscar I and Queen Josephine. He inherited the Swedish and Norweg ...

*1891–1907:

*1907–1927:

Gustaf V Gustaf V (Oscar Gustaf Adolf; 16 June 1858 – 29 October 1950) was King of Sweden from 8 December 1907 until his death in 1950. He was the eldest son of King Oscar II of Sweden and Sophia of Nassau, a half-sister of Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxe ...

Executive officers

*1792–1796: P Lagerhjelm *1796–1808: D Stierncrona *1808–1820: Ulric Gyldenstolpe *1820–1826: Fredric Burenstam *1826–1845: Gustaf Adolph Hierta *1845–1856: David L. Silfverstolpe *1856–1863: Ludvig af Ugglas *1863–1869: Carl Thure af Wirsén *1869–1881: C.W. Sandels *1881–1887: Georg Christoffer Hjalmar Leijonhielm *1887–1902: August Gustaf Fersen Gyldenstolpe *1902–1904:

Knut Gillis Bildt General Knut Gillis Bildt (13 July 1854 – 13 October 1927) was a Swedish Army officer and politician. His senior commands include the post of Quartermaster-General of the Swedish Army (1904–1905) and Chief of the General Staff (1905–1919) ...

*1904–1915: Carl Rosenblad *1915–1921:

Gustaf Adolf Boltenstern Gustaf Adolf Boltenstern (1 April 1861 – 9 October 1935) was a Swedish officer and horse rider. Early life Boltenstern was born on 1 April 1861 in Helsingborg, Sweden, the son of major Gösta Boltenstern and his wife Charlotte von Boltenstern. ...

History

Barracks and training areas

Barracks

Training areas

Heraldry and traditions

Commanding officers

Regimental commanders

Executive officers

Names, designations and locations

See also

Footnotes

References

Notes

Print

Further reading