This list of military legions is in chronological order where possible. In modern times, most units using the name "legion" were composed of soldiers from a specific ethnic, national, religious or ideological background, and that background is often specified in the legion's name. Since the Napoleonic Wars, many countries have used the term "legionnaire" to refer to recruits who are neither citizens nor imperial subjects of the government whose military they enter. These governments often, but do not always, group these foreign recruits into specific units that bear the name "legion."

Ancient Rome

List of Roman legions This is a list of Roman legions, including key facts about each legion, primarily focusing on the Principate (early Empire, 27 BC – 284 AD) legions, for which there exists substantial literary, epigraphic and archaeological evidence. When Au ...

Theban Legion The Theban Legion (also known as the Martyrs of Agaunum) figures in Christian hagiography as a Roman legion from Egypt—"six thousand six hundred and sixty-six men"—who converted en masse to Christianity and were martyred together in 286, acc ...

, a Roman legion whose members, according to a long-lasting tradition, were massacred for their Christian beliefs

18th century

* Western Legion and Eastern Legion, Greek rebel forces under Russian command in the Orlov Revolt (1770) *

Lee's Legion Lee's Legion (also known as the 2nd Partisan Corps) was a military unit within the Continental Army during the American Revolution. It primarily served in the Southern Theater of Operations, and gained a reputation for efficiency, bravery on t ...

(1776–83), an infantry and cavalry unit of the American Continental Army *

Armand's Legion Armand's Legion was formed on June 25, 1778, at Boston, Massachusetts under the command of Colonel Charles Armand Tuffin of France, for service with the Continental Army. From French Army to American Armand had previously served in the French ...

(1778–83), an American dragoon unit *

British Legion (American Revolution) The British Legion was a elite British provincial regiment established during the American Revolutionary War, composed of British Loyalist American infantry and dragoons. It was colloquially known as Tarleton's Raiders, the Green Devils, the G ...

(1778–83), made up of Loyalist American infantry and cavalry *

Lauzun's Legion The 5th Hussar Regiment (''5e régiment de hussards'' or ''5e RH'') was a French Hussar regiment. Formation under the Ancien Régime The 5th Hussar Regiment was formed under the Ancien Régime. It was the last regiment created under the monarch ...

(1778–82), a composite corps of the French Army comprising cavalry, infantry and artillery elements, mostly recruited from foreign mercenaries *

Pulaski's Legion Pulaski's Legion was a cavalry and infantry regiment raised on March 28, 1778 at Baltimore, Maryland under the command of Polish-born General Casimir Pulaski and Hungarian nobleman Michael Kovats de Fabriczy for their service with the Continent ...

(1778–80), one of the few cavalry regiments in the American Continental Army, later merged into Armand's Legion *

Legion of the United States The Legion of the United States was a reorganization and extension of the Continental Army from 1792 to 1796 under the command of Major General Anthony Wayne. It represented a political shift in the new United States, which had recently adopte ...

(1792–96), an early United States land force commanded by

Anthony Wayne Anthony Wayne (January 1, 1745 – December 15, 1796) was an American soldier, officer, statesman, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his mil ...

* French Revolutionary Legion of the Mississippi, a French commissioned force of Americans commanded by

George Rogers Clark George Rogers Clark (November 19, 1752 – February 13, 1818) was an American surveyor, soldier, and militia officer from Virginia who became the highest-ranking American patriot military officer on the northwestern frontier during the Ame ...

French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars

* ''

Légion des Allobroges The Légion des Allobroges was a unit of the French Revolutionary Army that consisted mainly of volunteers from Switzerland, Piedmont and Savoy. The Legion's name refers to the Allobroges, a Gallic tribe in Roman times. Reviving Roman names and co ...

'', Swiss, Piedmontese, and Savoyard supporters of the French Revolution * Batavian Legion, Dutch supporters of the French Revolution in 1793 *

Belgian Legion (1792) The Belgian Legion (french: Légion belge or ''Légion belgique'') was a military unit within the French Revolutionary army composed of volunteers from the Austrian Netherlands in modern-day Belgium. Its volunteers, predominantly Vonckists, were ...

, Liégeois Legion, and

Legion of Belgians and Liégeois The Legion of Belgians and Liégeois (french: Légion des Belges et Liégeois) was a military unit within the French Revolutionary army composed of volunteers from the Austrian Netherlands and Prince-Bishopric of Liège in modern-day Belgium. Its vo ...

: Belgian volunteers fighting on the side of the Republicans in the French Revolution *

Irish Legion The Irish Legion (french: Légion irlandaise) was a light infantry regiment in service of the French Imperial Army established in 1803 for an anticipated invasion of Ireland. It was later expanded to a four battalions and a depot, the legion won ...

, a French battalion established in 1803 for a future invasion of Ireland *

King's German Legion The King's German Legion (KGL; german: Des Königs Deutsche Legion, semantically erroneous obsolete German variations are , , ) was a British Army unit of mostly expatriated German personnel during the period 1803–16. The legion achieved th ...

, British units of expatriate German personnel that fought against the French during the Napoleonic Wars * ''

La Legion Noire LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

'' (The Black Legion), a military unit of the French Revolutionary Army *

Polish Legions (Napoleonic period) The Polish Legions ( pl, Legiony Polskie we Włoszech; also known as the Dąbrowski Legions) in the Napoleon I of France, Napoleonic period, were several Polish military units that served with the Grande Armée, French Army, mainly from 1797 ...

, Polish units in the service of Napoleonic France

19th century

Belgian Legion Several military units have been known as the Belgian Legion. The term "Belgian Legion" can refer to Belgian volunteers who served in the French Revolutionary Wars, Napoleonic Wars, Revolutions of 1848 and, more commonly, the Mexico Expedition ...

, the name of several units of Belgian volunteers who fought in various 19th century conflicts *

British Legions The British Legion () or British Legions were foreign volunteer units that fought under Simón Bolívar against Spain for the independence of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and José de San Martín for the independence of Peru in the Spanish Ameri ...

, foreign volunteer units, established in 1819, who fought against Spain in South America's independence wars *

British German Legion The British German Legion (or Anglo-German Legion) was a group of German soldiers recruited to fight for Britain in the Crimean War. It is not to be confused with the King's German Legion, which was active during the Napoleonic Wars. Great Britain ...

, a group of German soldiers recruited to fight for Britain in the Crimean War, 1855–1856 *

Greek Legion (Septinsular Republic) The Greek Legion (russian: Греческий легион), officially the Light Jäger Foot Legion ( el, Πεζικὴ Λεγεὼν Ἐλαφρῶν Κυνηγετῶν), was a Jäger infantry unit in the service of the Russian-controlled Sept ...

, a

Septinsular Republic The Septinsular Republic ( el, Ἑπτάνησος Πολιτεία, Heptanēsos Politeia; it, Repubblica Settinsulare) was an oligarchic republic that existed from 1800 to 1807 under nominal Russian and Ottoman sovereignty in the Ionian Island ...

unit active between 1805 and 1807, taking part in the

War of the Third Coalition The War of the Third Coalition) * In French historiography, it is known as the Austrian campaign of 1805 (french: Campagne d'Autriche de 1805) or the German campaign of 1805 (french: Campagne d'Allemagne de 1805) was a European conflict spanni ...

and the

Russo-Turkish War (1806–1812) The Russo-Turkish War (1806–1812) between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire was one of the Russo-Ottoman Wars. Russia prevailed, but both sides wanted peace as they feared Napoleon's moves to the east. Background The war broke ou ...

* Royal Foreign Legion (''Légion royal étrangère''), infantry corps of mostly German mercenaries forming part of the restored French Bourbon army in 1815, renamed the

Hohenlohe Regiment The Hohenlohe Regiment (''Régiment de Hohenlohe'') was an infantry regiment of the French Army established after the abdication of Napoleon I. It consisted of foreign soldiers who wished to continue in French service under the restored monarchy. ...

after 1821 * British Legion (1835), officially the Auxiliary Legion, a British military force sent to Spain to support the Liberals and Queen Isabella II against the Carlists in the First Carlist War *

Italian Legion The Uruguayan Civil War, also known in Spanish as the ''Guerra Grande'' ("Great War"), was a series of armed conflicts between the leaders of Uruguayan independence. While officially the war lasted from 1839 until 1851, it was a part of armed co ...

, commanded by

Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, patr ...

in the

Uruguayan Civil War The Uruguayan Civil War, also known in Spanish as the ''Guerra Grande'' ("Great War"), was a series of armed conflicts between the leaders of Uruguayan independence. While officially the war lasted from 1839 until 1851, it was a part of armed co ...

Academic Legion (Vienna) The Academic Legion (german: Akademische Legion) was a military organization formed by university students in Vienna during the Revolutions of 1848. It played a key role in toppling the government of Clemens Metternich and precipitating his retir ...

, a revolutionary students' group in Vienna in 1848 * Academic Legion (Lviv), Polish nationalist students at the

University of Lviv The University of Lviv ( uk, Львівський університет, Lvivskyi universytet; pl, Uniwersytet Lwowski; german: Universität Lemberg, briefly known as the ''Theresianum'' in the early 19th century), presently the Ivan Franko Na ...

in 1848 *

Greek Volunteer Legion The Greek Volunteer Legion ( el, Ελληνική Λεγεώνα Εθελοντών) was a volunteer military corps formed by Greeks and other Balkan Christians that fought for the Russian Empire during the Crimean War. It was formed in the Danu ...

, helping Russia in the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

International Legion The International Legion was created in Italy by Giuseppe Garibaldi, on October 5, 1860 – in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Volturnus, where the forces of the Bourbon Kingdom of the Two Sicilies were decisively broken. It had been th ...

, a military force formed by Garibaldi in 1860 during the wars of Italian unification **

The British Legion (1860) The British Legion ( it, Legione Britannica) was a military corps composed of English and Scottish volunteers, who in 1860 joined Giuseppe Garibaldi during the Expedition of the thousand and fought for the unification of Italy, together with the ...

British contingent of the above *

Nauvoo Legion The Nauvoo Legion was a state-authorized militia of the city of Nauvoo, Illinois, United States. With growing antagonism from surrounding settlements it came to have as its main function the defense of Nauvoo, and surrounding Latter Day Saint ...

, a significant militia in early Mormon history *

List of American Civil War legions This is a list of American Civil War legions, legions being defined as combined arms units of infantry and cavalry and, not always, artillery. The popularity of this type of unit had declined by the time of the American Civil War owing to the diffi ...

, both Confederate and Union *

Guelphic Legion The Guelphic Legion (german: Welfenlegion) was an irregular, volunteer military unit founded and maintained at the expense of the deposed Welf king George V of Hanover, after the annexation of the Kingdom of Hanover by Prussia in 1866. History Af ...

, Hanoverian paramilitary unit supporting

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

, deposed king of

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 ...

, from 1866 to 1870

20th century

World War I

Czechoslovak Legions , image = Coat of arms of the Czechoslovak Legion.svg , image_size = 200px , alt = , caption = Czechoslovak Legion coat of arms , start_date ...

, Czech and Slovak volunteer forces fighting on the Allied Powers side *

French Armenian Legion The Armenian Legion (french: Légion arménienne) was a volunteer unit that was raised by the Allied Powers to serve in the Middle East Theatre during World War I. Trained and led by French army commanders, the Légion d'Orient (The Eastern Le ...

, part of the French Army; also involved in the Franco-Turkish War of 1918–21 * Georgian Legion (1914–1918), a unit of the German Army recruited from Georgians * Infantry Regiment of the Academic Legion, formed by volunteer Polish students in 1918, later taken into the regular Polish Army * Italian ''Legione Redenta'', an Italian military formation that participated in the

Siberian Intervention The Siberian intervention or Siberian expedition of 1918–1922 was the dispatch of troops of the Entente powers to the Russian Maritime Provinces as part of a larger effort by the western powers, Japan, and China to support White Russian fo ...

during the Russian Civil War *

Jewish Legion The Jewish Legion (1917–1921) is an unofficial name used to refer to five battalions of Jewish volunteers, the 38th to 42nd (Service) Battalions of the Royal Fusiliers in the British Army, raised to fight against the Ottoman Empire during ...

, in the British Army at Gallipoli and Palestine *

Polish Legion in Finland Polish Legion in Finland ( pl, Legion Polski w Finlandii, fi, Puolan Legioona Suomessa, russian: Польский Легион в Финляндии) was a military unit made up of ethnic Poles who had been soldiers of the Russian Imperial Army dur ...

, fighting for the Finns against the Russians *

Polish Legions in World War I The Polish Legions ( pl, Legiony Polskie) was a name of the Polish military force (the first active Polish army in generations) established in August 1914 in Galicia soon after World War I erupted between the opposing alliances of the Triple Ente ...

, part of the Austro-Hungarian Army *

Puławy Legion Puławy Legion ( pl, Legion Puławski, russian: Легион Пулави) was a Polish military formation of World War I, as part of the Imperial Russian Army. It was created in late 1914 from volunteers gathered together due to several initia ...

, a Polish formation that was part of the Imperial Russian Army * Legion of

Ukrainian Sich Riflemen Legion of Ukrainian Sich Riflemen (german: Ukrainische Sitschower Schützen; uk, Українські cічові стрільці (УСС), translit=Ukraïnski sichovi stril’tsi (USS)) was a Ukrainian unit within the Austro-Hungarian Army d ...

, a corps of the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army (, literally "Ground Forces of the Austro-Hungarians"; , literally "Imperial and Royal Army") was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint arm ...

Interwar period

2nd Legions Infantry Division (Poland) Polish 2nd Legions Infantry Division (''2. Dywizja Piechoty Legionów'') was a tactical unit of the Polish Army between the World Wars. Formed on February 21, 1919, in the towns of Zegrze and Jablonna near Warsaw, and composed mostly of veterans of ...

, elite unite of the Polish Army, mostly composed of veterans of the

Condor Legion The Condor Legion (german: Legion Condor) was a unit composed of military personnel from the air force and army of Nazi Germany, which served with the Nationalist faction during the Spanish Civil War of July 1936 to March 1939. The Condor Legio ...

, a unit of "volunteers" from the German Luftwaffe serving with the Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War *

British Legion Volunteer Police Force The British Legion Volunteer Police Force was a very short lived police force established in response to the outcome of the Munich Agreement in September 1938. The force was formed on 6 October 1938 and disbanded on 15 October 1938, only ten days ...

, a short-lived police force established in response to the outcome of the Munich Agreement in September 1938

World War II

Czechoslovak Legion , image = Coat of arms of the Czechoslovak Legion.svg , image_size = 200px , alt = , caption = Czechoslovak Legion coat of arms , start_date ...

opposing the Germans in Poland, 1939 Note: Except for the above, all World War II legions fought on the German side. *

Free Arabian Legion The Free Arabian Legion (german: Legion Freies Arabien; ar, جيش بلاد العرب الحرة, ''Jaysh bilād al-ʿarab al-ḥurraẗ'') was the collective name of several Nazi German units formed from Arab volunteers from the Middle East, no ...

, Arab volunteers, notably from

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

, and

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

fighting on the German side. * Armenian or

Armenische Legion The Armenian Legion (german: Armenische Legion; hy, Հայկական լեգիոն ''Haykakan legion'') was a military unit in the German Army during World War II. It primarily consisted of Soviet Armenians, who wanted to fight the Russians for an ...

, name given to the 812th Armenian Battalion of the German Army, made up largely of Armenian Red Army prisoners of war * (Azerbaijan legion), made up largely of Azerbaijani Red Army prisoners of war *

Blue Legion The Blue Legion ( es, Legión Azul; german: Blaue Legion), officially called the Spanish Volunteer Legion ( es, Legión Española de Voluntarios; german: Spanische-Freiwilligen Legion), was a volunteer legion created from 2,133 Falangism, falangist ...

, Spanish volunteers fighting against the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front * '' Crna Legija'' (Black Legion), the name given to the 1st and 5th Croatian Ustaše Brigades * Croatian Legion *

Croatian Air Force Legion The Croatian Air Force Legion ( hr, Hrvatska Zrakoplovna Legija), or HZL, was a unit of the Luftwaffe, composed entirely of volunteers drawn from the nazi puppet-state, the Independent State of Croatia. Many of them had previously served in the Ro ...

* Croatian Anti-Aircraft Legion *

Croatian Naval Legion The Croatian Naval Legion ( hr, Hrvatska pomorska legija) was a contingent of volunteers from the Independent State of Croatia that served with Nazi Germany's navy '' Kriegsmarine'', on the Black Sea and Adriatic Sea during World War II. Formati ...

Estonian Legion The Estonian Legion ( et, Eesti Leegion, german: Estnische Legion) was a military unit within the Combat Support Forces of the Waffen-SS during World War II, mainly consisting of Estonians, Estonian soldiers. Creation The formation was annou ...

, a unit in the ''Waffen SS'' created in 1942, mainly consisting of Estonian soldiers *

Flemish Legion The Flemish Legion ( nl, Vlaams Legioen) was a collaborationist military formation recruited among Dutch-speaking volunteers from German-occupied Belgium, notably from Flanders, during World War II. It was formed in the aftermath of the German ...

(Dutch: Vlaams Legioen), recruited among Dutch-speaking volunteers from German-occupied Belgium, notably from Flanders. *

Walloon Legion The Walloon Legion (french: Légion Wallonie, "Wallonia Legion") was a unit of the German Army (''Wehrmacht'') and later of the Waffen-SS recruited among French-speaking collaborationists in German-occupied Belgium during World War II. It wa ...

(French: Légion Wallonie), recruited among French-speaking volunteers from German-occupied Belgium. * (French Legion of Fighters), a pro-Nazi Vichy French unit *

Legion of French Volunteers Against Bolshevism The Legion of French Volunteers Against Bolshevism (french: Légion des volontaires français contre le bolchévisme, LVF) was a unit of the German Army during World War II consisting of collaborationist volunteers from France. Officially desig ...

(LVF), pro-Nazi French * Georgian Legion (1941–1945), a unit of the German army recruited from Georgians * ''

Indische Legion The Indian Legion (german: Indische Legion), officially the Free India Legion (german: Legion Freies Indien) or 950th (Indian) Infantry Regiment (german: Infanterie-Regiment 950 (indisches)), was a military unit raised during the Second World War ...

'', also known as the Free India Legion or Tiger Legion, an Indian unit raised in 1941 and attached to the German Army *

Latvian Legion The Latvian Legion ( lv, Latviešu leģions) was a formation of the German Waffen-SS during World War II. Created in 1943, it consisted primarily of ethnic Latvian personnel.Gerhard P. Bassler, ''Alfred Valdmanis and the politics of survival'', 20 ...

, a formation of the ''Waffen-SS'' created in 1943 and consisting primarily of ethnic Latvians * Legion of St. George, the original name of the

British Free Corps The British Free Corps (german: Britisches Freikorps; BFC) was a unit of the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany during World War II, made up of British and British Dominions, Dominion prisoners of war who had been recruited by Germany. The unit was origi ...

* ''

Ostlegionen ''Ostlegionen'' ("eastern legions"), ''Ost-Bataillone'' ("eastern battalions"), ''Osttruppen'' ("eastern troops"), and ''Osteinheiten'' ("eastern units") were units in the Army of Nazi Germany during World War II made up of personnel from the ...

'' (literally "Eastern Legions"), conscripts and volunteers from the occupied eastern territories recruited into the German Army * '' La Légion Tricolore'', a pro-Nazi French unit which was absorbed into the LVF after six months *

Volga Tatar Legion The Volga-Tatar Legion (german: Wolgatatarische Legion) or Idel-Ural Legion ( tt-Cyrl, Идел-Урал Легионы, translit=İdel-Ural Legionı) denoted a series of units within the Wehrmacht in World War II. It was recruited among Muslim V ...

, one of several units formed by the ''Wehrmacht'' out of Soviet prisoners of war according to their ethnicity

Other

Arab Legion The Arab Legion () was the police force, then regular army of the Emirate of Transjordan, a British protectorate, in the early part of the 20th century, and then of independent Jordan, with a final Arabization of its command taking place in 195 ...

(''al-Jaysh al-Arabī'') (1920–56), the regular army of Transjordan, predecessor of the present Jordanian Army *

Foreign legion (disambiguation) Foreign Legion most often refers to: * French Foreign Legion, a unit of the French Army Foreign Legion may also refer to: Military * Brigade of Gurkhas, light infantry unit of the British Army * Foreign volunteers, a term for troops joining a ...

French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, Armoured Cavalry Arm, cavalry, Military engineering, engineers, Airborne forces, airborne troops. It was created ...

, a unit of the French Army mainly composed of foreigners wishing to fight for France (1831–present) * Polish Legions (disambiguation), eleven units at different times between the 18th and 20th centuries (some of which are listed separately above) *

Spanish Legion For centuries, Spain recruited foreign soldiers to its army, forming the Foreign Regiments () - such as the Regiment of Hibernia (formed in 1709 from Irishmen who fled their own country in the wake of the Flight of the Earls and the penal ...

, an elite unit of the Spanish Army (1920–present)

21st century

International Legion of Territorial Defence of Ukraine The International Legion of Territorial Defence of Ukraine, uk, Інтернаціональний легіон територіальної оборони України, Internatsionalnyi lehion terytorialnoi oborony Ukrainy or the Ukrainian Fo ...

, a volunteer foreign legion military unit created by the

Government of Ukraine The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine ( uk, Кабінет Міністрів України, translit=Kabinet Ministriv Ukrainy; shortened to CabMin), commonly referred to as the Government of Ukraine ( uk, Уряд України, ''Uriad Ukrai ...

to fight in the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

References

External links

{{Military units Legions