The Portuguese Legion ( French: ''Légion portugaise'';

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 ...

: ''Legião Portuguesa'') was a 9,000 men strong

military unit integrated in the army of the

First French Empire The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Eu ...

, formed after the French occupation of Portugal in 1807. The Legion was created by 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 ...

from 12 November 1807. Organization began in February 1808, with the best units of the disbanded

Portuguese Army The Portuguese Army ( pt, Exército Português) is the land component of the Armed Forces of Portugal and is also its largest branch. It is charged with the defence of Portugal, in co-operation with other branches of the Armed Forces. With its ...

, including the elite Legion of Light Troops. It set out for

Salamanca Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritag ...

in April 1808, crossing

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

until arriving in France. During the crossing of Spain, many of its soldiers defected, returning to Portugal and joining the Portuguese resistance against the French occupation. The Portuguese Legion took part in the French campaigns in Germany, Austria and Russia, suffering heavy casualties. It fought at the battles of

Wagram Deutsch-Wagram (literally "German Wagram", ), often shortened to Wagram, is a village in the Gänserndorf District, in the states of Austria, state of Lower Austria, Austria. It is in the Morava (river), Marchfeld Basin, close to the Vienna city ...

Smolensk Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest c ...

Borodino The Battle of Borodino (). took place near the village of Borodino on during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. The ' won the battle against the Imperial Russian Army but failed to gain a decisive victory and suffered tremendous losses. Napoleon ...

(Moscow) and

Berezina The Berezina or Biarezina ( be, Бярэ́зіна; ) is a river in Belarus and a right tributary of the Dnieper. The river starts in the Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve. The length of the Berezina is 613 km. The width of the river is 15-20 m, the ...

. The Legion was disbanded on 5 May 1814, with only about 1,000 of its original 9,000 soldiers surviving and returning to Portugal.

Organization

The Portuguese Legion was organized as a

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

, originally including: * Five regiments 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 ...

* A battalion of ''

chasseurs à pied ''Chasseur'' ( , ), a French term for "hunter", is the designation given to certain regiments of French and Belgian light infantry () or light cavalry () to denote troops trained for rapid action. History This branch of the French Army origi ...

'' * Three regiments of ''

chasseurs à cheval ''Chasseur'' ( , ), a French term for "hunter", is the designation given to certain regiments of French and Belgian light infantry () or light cavalry () to denote troops trained for rapid action. History This branch of the French Army origi ...

'' * A battery of

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

* An infantry depot battalion * A cavalry depot squadron For the 1809 campaign, the 13th Elite Demi-brigade was created, with three battalions, made from elements of the several infantry regiments of the Legion. The 13th Demi-brigade was part of

Oudinot Nicolas Charles Oudinot, 1st Count Oudinot, 1st Duke of Reggio (25 April 1767 in Bar-le-Duc – 13 September 1847 in Paris), was a Marshal of the Empire. He is known to have been wounded 34 times in battle, being hit by artillery shells, sabers, ...

's II Corps. In 1811, the Portuguese Legion was reorganized in: * Three regiments of infantry * A regiment of ''chasseurs à cheval'' * A depot battalion In 1813, after suffering heavy casualties, the remains of the Legion were organized as: * A battalion ''de guerre'' * A depot battalion

References

* Artur, Ribeiro, ''Legião Portuguesa ao Serviço de Napoleão (1808–1813)'', Lisboa, Ferin, 1901. * Banha, Teotónio, ''Apontamentos para a História da Legião Portuguesa'', Lisboa, 1863. * Boppe, P., ''La Legion Portugaise 1807–1813'', Paris, 1897, p. 497. * Esdaile, Charles, ''The Peninsular War'', London, 2003, pp. 28–29. {{Foreign regiments of the French Imperial Army during the Napoleonic Wars Military units and formations of the Napoleonic Wars French military units and formations of the Napoleonic Wars Portuguese Army Military units and formations established in 1807 France–Portugal relations Military units and formations disestablished in 1814