From the collection 1789 - 1815
The French Army
What did the soldiers of the French army look like in the Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars? In this era the history of military uniform essentially reached a peak of splendor and elegance. After the French army, under Napoleon's brilliant leadership, had conquered almost all of Europe, most of the uniforms of other armies also followed the French…
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Current Articles
Uniformierung & Ausrüstung
The Uniforms of the French Army under Napoleon I (1800 - 1815) - The Cavalry - Cuirassiers II
The Uniforms of the First Empire. Historical card series (published from 1907). The illustrations are based on the original (!) cards (Nos. 1 - 85a).
Uniformierung & Ausrüstung
The Uniforms of the French Army under Napoleon I (1800 - 1815) - The Cavalry - Cuirassiers III
Les Uniformes du Premier Empire. Historical card series (published from 1907). The illustrations are based on the original (!) cards (Nos. 86 - 152a).
Uniformierung & Ausrüstung
The Uniforms of the French Army under Napoleon I. (1800 - 1815) - The Line Infantry. Part II
The uniform plates shown below supplement the first article on the French line infantry. They follow the respective serial numbers.
Uniformierung & Ausrüstung
French uniforms - including foreign troops - of the First Empire in original watercolors by Ernest Fort (1868 - 1938)
The following original watercolors - in the possession of the author - mainly depict French soldiers in Spain, particularly in the clothing of everyday military life.
Uniformierung & Ausrüstung
The Uniforms of the French Army under Napoleon I (1800 - 1815) - Foreign Troops - The Battalion of the Prince of Neuchâtel
The principality of Neuchâtel, which belonged to Prussia (today the Canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland), officially came under France in 1806 (Paris Treaty of 15.02.1806).
Uniformierung & Ausrüstung
Uniforms of the French Army under Napoleon I (1800 - 1815) - Foreign Troops - Regiment de la Tour d' Auvergne
The Regiment de la Tour d' Auvergne was established on 30.09.1805, in Wissembourg in Alsace.
Historical context
About this collection
This section focuses on the French army in the period 1789 - 1815, including its foreign troops. As a consequence of the French Revolution, Europe sank into years of warfare. At the end of the Napoleonic Wars, which were a continuation of the Revolutionary Wars, Napoleon essentially found himself alone against the rest of Europe allied against him. His opponents had learned from his military genius over time, and Napoleon's ambitions for a unified Europe under French leadership ultimately ended in a bloody debacle near a village called Waterloo south of Brussels. The following text and image contributions aim to present the army of this capable commander, its internal structure and, above all, its outward appearance. For this purpose, primarily contemporary and increasingly rare printed works as well as previously unpublished original drawings and watercolours by better-known and lesser-known artists will be used.