The Loyal Lusitanian Legion (LLL) was a foreign volunteer corps of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

, organized with

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

émigré An ''émigré'' () is a person who has emigrated, often with a connotation of political or social self-exile. The word is the past participle of the French ''émigrer'', "to emigrate". French Huguenots Many French Huguenots fled France followin ...

s in England, that fought in the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

. The LLL was created by the initiative of Portuguese Army Colonels José Maria Moura and

Carlos Frederico Lecor Carlos Frederico Lecor (October 6, 1764 – August 2, 1836) was a Portuguese-born Brazilian general and politician. He was the first Baron of Laguna, in Portugal, and later ascended to Viscount of Laguna, in Brazil. He was most notably the o ...

– exiled in England after the occupation of

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

by the Napoleonic Army – and the Portuguese Ambassador in London Chevalier de Sousa, with the support of the British government. The LLL received the title "Loyal" to distinguish itself from the much larger Portuguese Legion, mobilized at the same time with the best units and officers of the disbanded Portuguese Army by direct order of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

and which would fight for him in the several European campaigns. The LLL included not only Portuguese, but also British (including its commanding officer, Colonel Robert Wilson) and Germans. The Legion was organized in Plymouth, in July 1808 and landed in

Oporto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropo ...

, Portugal in September of the same year. Between 1808 and 1811, as part of the

Anglo-Portuguese Army The Anglo-Portuguese Army was the combined British and Portuguese army that participated in the Peninsular War, under the command of Arthur Wellesley. The Army is also referred to as the British-Portuguese Army and, in Portuguese, as the ''Ex� ...

, the LLL fought against the Napoleonic Imperial Armies in the

. It was present in the battles of Busaco(/Portugal, 27.9.1810; ca 2000 men; commander: Friedrich v. Eben u. Brunnen, German,* 1773; source: O.Pusch, 1986) and

Talavera de la Reina Talavera de la Reina () is a city and municipality of Spain, part of the autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha. Its population of 83,303 makes it the second most populated municipality of the province of Toledo and the fourth largest in the ...

, but was especially used to conduct raids and other irregular operations in the rear of the French Army, framing Portuguese and Spanish militia forces. The LLL was disbanded on 4 May 1811, after being transferred to the Portuguese Army, with its units being transformed into the 7th, 8th and 9th battalions of '' caçadores''.

Organization

The Loyal Lusitanian Legion was organized as a regiment of

light infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...

, with an attached artillery battery. It included: # Regimental staff, LLL; # 1st Battalion, LLL; # 2nd Battalion, LLL; # Artillery corps, LLL. Each battalion included 1000 men in 10 companies. The artillery corps was a battery with six field guns and 80 men. When the LLL was disbanded, the 1st battalion became the 7th ''Caçadores'' and the 2nd battalion the 8th ''Caçadores''. The 9th ''Caçadores'' was organized with the rest of the Legion's men.

Uniforms

As a light infantry unit, the Loyal Lusitanian Legion received green

uniform A uniform is a variety of clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, ...

s similar to those of the British rifles regiments. Furthermore, green was the livery colour of the Portuguese Royal House of Braganza, to whom the Legion remained loyal.

References

''1º Batalhão da LLL'', Arqnet
*RODRIGUES, Manuel A. Ribeiro, ''Leal Legião Lusitana'' *CHARTRAND, René, YOUNGHUSBAND, Bill, ''The Portuguese Army of the Napoleonic Wars (2)'', Osprey, 2000 {{Authority control Military units and formations established in 1808 Military units and formations of the Napoleonic Wars Military units and formations of the Peninsular War British light infantry Peninsular War Portuguese Army