The Uniforms of the Münster Military in the Prince‑Bishopric Period (in the 18th Century)

With the establishment of an episcopal seat in Münster the town also had to be provided with fortifications. This was done in the late 12th century. The city was also granted the right of self‑defense, i.e. it possessed its own military sovereignty with its own soldiers. Since the Middle Ages the Diocese of Münster had developed into an independent state. Münster was thus part of the Prince‑Bishopric of Münster and at times its largest garrison. The city therefore also had to accommodate a varying number of cathedral soldiers with their wives and children. Under Prince‑Bishop Christoph Bernhard von Galen (1606–78) the Prince‑Bishopric of Münster had a ready‑made but completely oversized army. In 1672 he is said to have had around 60,000 men under arms. His ambitious plans were not realized and the budget for the Münster military was significantly cut under his successors. The remaining regiments were deployed, on the basis of subsidy treaties (e.g. with the Dutch, as late as 1793), on a wide variety of theatres of war. Furthermore, imperial military obligations had to be fulfilled. In the War of the Austrian Succession (1744) the Prince‑Bishopric of Münster practiced an armed neutrality. In the Seven Years' War (1756–63) Münster troops fought (against Prussia) with little success; for example, two regiments were surprised and taken prisoner on 01.04.1759 at Meiningen while in winter quarters. The last deployment of Münster troops saw them as part of a so‑called Reichsexekutionsarmee in favor of the Prince‑Bishop of Liège, who had been expelled by his subjects, in 1789.

After the Thirty Years' War, with the development of territorial‑state sovereignty, the military system evolved in the sense of a standing army. In nearly all states this development was accompanied by a power struggle between the prince and the estates. The estates were to approve the financial means for an instrument that could be used both externally and internally. For this reason they feared — not entirely without reason — an end to their say in financial matters and in foreign and domestic policy. The ecclesiastical principalities had the particularity that the prince‑bishop had to be elected by the cathedral chapter and confirmed by the Emperor as an imperial prince and by the Pope as bishop. The cathedral chapter of the Prince‑Bishopric of Münster consisted of 41 noble canons who frequently claimed special rights for themselves. The city of Münster also asserted such rights. The prince was supported in his governmental activity by several administrative bodies, e.g. the Pfennigkammer, the Hofkammer and the Privy Council. The prince‑bishops lived in official celibacy and were necessarily dependent on the choice of the cathedral chapter; there was therefore no succession from father to son. Continuity in foreign and domestic policy under these conditions was hardly possible. This also impaired military policy and the long‑term development of the military system.

In the 17th century the military in the Prince‑Bishopric of Münster also consisted primarily of mercenaries recruited by recruiting officers. Forced conscription was not excluded.

The army was already divided into infantry, cavalry and artillery, the infantry — composed of musketeers and pikemen — forming the main force. In the first half of the 18th century the prince‑bishopric army numbered 7 infantry regiments, 1 land regiment, 2 cavalry regiments and 1 artillery detachment. An infantry regiment regularly comprised 8 companies with an approximate strength of 50 men each.

The land regiment is said to have comprised 10 companies.

A cavalry regiment had only 6 companies with an approximate strength of about 40 men each. However, only a small proportion of these were mounted.

The artillery detachment had only about 100 men. The total strength of the armed force in peacetime was about 3,800–4,000 men. War strength was roughly twice as large. After the Seven Years' War not only were the fortifications of the city of Münster dismantled, but the number of formations was reduced to 4 infantry regiments and 1 cavalry regiment — with a simultaneous reduction of the artillery. The land regiment had already been disbanded earlier 1.

By 1802 the effective strength of Münster troops had already fallen to 1,401 (1,399) men of infantry, 328 (326) dragoons and 49 (47) artillerymen 2. At that time the existing formations included the infantry regiments of Dincklage (No. 1), of Tönnemann (No. 7), the dragoon regiment of Nagel (No. 1) and the artillery.

The introduction of uniforms initially caused great difficulties in the pre‑industrial age (not only in the Prince‑Bishopric of Münster). At the same time, however, the increased demand — entirely in the spirit of mercantilism — strongly promoted the (domestic) cloth industry and dyeing through the introduction of uniforms. Re‑uniforming took place every two years — in Prussia annually. The details of the uniform or equipment were initially left to the regimental chiefs/commanders. They did not always organize procurement to the soldiers' advantage. They concluded contracts independently with suppliers; later state agencies took over this function. Preserved, for example, for the Prince‑Bishopric of Münster is the so‑called Kettelhack contract of 17.12.1718 concerning the outfitting of the Münster horse regiment No. 2 (Westerholt)2 or the so‑called Oppenheimer contracts from 1740³. The uniform was always part of the soldier's pay and thus his property. Self‑outfitting as a means of procuring military clothing was only used for higher ranks after 1700. Bulk procurement for the remaining soldiers required the delivery of textile yardage in sufficient quantity and quality and manufacture according to precise specifications. For the supply of cloth in quantity, efficient manufactories or powerful trades or guilds had to be available. Manufacture was done by hand; this could be delegated to a publisher or merchant as intermediary or to the (textile) producer directly. Some manufacturing processes were also carried out as home work, e.g. embroidery 3.

Despite all differences between the various branches of service and individual formations, every army was connected by similar emblems; accordingly the prince‑bishopric military also displayed corresponding heraldic elements on the fittings of cartridge pouches, on officers' ring collars and in the field signs (however, hardly any Münster flags are known). Another unifying element was certain — mostly heraldically determined — colours. These were the blue/silver of the Wittelsbachs, later red‑gold, then blue‑red (1785, previously black‑red‑gold). These colours were found in the portepee, in the sash and in the hat cord of officers, in the tassels and hat plumes of non‑commissioned officers. Officers wore ring collars; from 1785 infantry and artillery officers no longer wore sashes. Infantry (already attested in 1719) and artillery wore dark blue coats with yellow buttons as well as black gaiters and neckcloths.

The infantry regiments were distinguished by colour differences on cuffs, lapels, lining, collars and undergarments.

The colours of the infantry in the year 1744 were as follows:

1 Lehrbach - blue coats, cuffs, collars and lining red, undergarments paille, buttons yellow

2 Elverfeldt - blue coats, cuffs and lining red, undergarments white, buttons yellow

3 Corfey - blue coats, cuffs and lining red, undergarments blue, buttons white

4 Cavalles - like Corfey

5 Pasqualini - like Corfey

6 Schorlemer - blue coats, cuffs and lining yellow, undergarments yellow, buttons yellow

7 Sachsen - Gotha - blue coats, cuffs, collars and lining red, undergarments paille, buttons yellow

The grenadiers wore — depending on the political inclination of the prince‑bishop — sometimes (Austrian) "bearskin caps" or (Prussian) "yellow" metal caps. From 1787 the wearing of bearskins is once again documented.

At that time the infantry numbered 2,503 men; in the year 1756 it was 2,646 men.

The riders wore white (1718 white‑gray) coats with red (No. 1) or blue (No. 2) cuffs, lapels, collars and lining, as well as paille or yellow undergarments and yellow buttons (yellow = paille).

For the mounted life guard blue coats with red cuffs are reported.

The artillery had red cuffs, lapels, collars and lining and white undergarments, gold‑edged hats and blue overcoats.

In the second half of the 18th century — following the Prussian example — a rationalization of uniforming can be observed in Münster, as in other states. An eyewitness report from 1803 describes the uniform of Münster troops as follows: "The Münster military also always had much similarity with the Prussian. The infantry wore blue, half blue with red, the other half blue with yellow. The artillery was more handsome, it also wore blue with red and the officers wore a black plume. The cavalry wore white with plume; the kettledrummers and trumpeters wore red with a white plume".

From 1786 the undergarments were white in all infantry regiments, the lining red.

Two regiments (Stael and Wenge) now had red cuffs and lapels and yellow buttons and two other regiments (Lippe and Wartensleben) had yellow cuffs.

In the aforementioned detailed work by Dieter Zeigert on the Münster troops and their incorporation into the Prussian army in 1802/03, the author quotes in the appendix a document from the Tatenhausen archive which contains the last official description of the uniform for the Münster infantry and cavalry:

Infanterie

"This uniform consists of a dark blue coat, with a ponceau red collar, the same Swedish cuffs; red lining, eight white raised buttons on each side; included are a white waistcoat and breeches together with a broad curved silver braid around the hat, and a black neckcloth."

Kavallerie

"This uniform consists of a white coat with a red standing collar, and red Swedish cuffs with six small white raised buttons set two‑by‑two on each side; on the right side, moreover, two further such buttons are set at the front; white lining together with a silver shoulder cord, paille waistcoat and breeches. The surtout is dark blue, with red round cuffs, the same collar and lining, large white smooth buttons together with paille waistcoat and breeches. The hat has a broad curved silver braid, silver agraffe; the appropriate cord together with plume for this uniform is worn like a black neckcloth" 5.

1. Dieter Zeigert, The Münster Troops and their Incorporation into the Prussian Army 1802/03, In: Westfälische Zeitschrift, vol. 141/1991, p. 206.

2. See also the older work by Bruno Haas‑Tenckhoff, The Prince‑Bishopric Münster Military in the 18th Century, in: Westfalen vol. 15, 1930, p. 141 ff.

3. See in particular: Hans Bleckwenn, Kurköln/ Münster and the "Miles perpetuus", in: Johann Conrad Schlaun 1695–1773. Schlaun Study III. Catalogue. 1973, p. 173 ff.

4. Data taken from: G. Tessin, Contributions to the Formation History of the Münster Military, p. 106.

5. In: Westfälische Zeitschrift, vol. 141/1991, p. 240.