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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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 For this purpose, primarily contemporary and increasingly rare printed works as well as previously unpublished original drawings and watercolours by better-known and lesser-known artists will be used.