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A contribution to the history of the Old Prussian Infantry Regiment Duke Friedrich Ferdinand of Brunswick-Öls (IR No. 12).

Officer with spontoon from Infantry Regiment No. 12. Plate 121 from the series: Armies of the Past, published by Jürgen Olmes / Krefeld (1969). Source: Plate from the Armeewerk by Adolph von Menzel.
Officer with spontoon from Infantry Regiment No. 12. Plate 121 from the series: Armies of the Past, published by Jürgen Olmes / Krefeld (1969). Source: Plate from the Armeewerk by Adolph von Menzel.

The Infantry Regiment No. 12 was formed - from detachments of seven field regiments - in 1685 in Potsdam and initially bore the name Markgraf Philipp.

The canton (recruitment district) was the Uckermark district with the towns of Prenzlau, Templin, Strasburg and Lüchen.

It fought in the Seven Years' War at Prague, Kunersdorf, Maxen and Burkersdorf. In particular at Maxen and Kunersdorf the regiment suffered heavy losses. In this respect the record of success is mixed, although it was one of the well-trained princely regiments (according to Hans Bleckwenn).

The last garrison was Prenzlau.

The regiment was lost through the capitulations at Lübeck on 05.11.1806, at Ratkau on 07.11.1806 and at Stettin on 29.10.1806.

Essay by K. v. Albedyll in the Prenzlau district local yearbook in 1936.

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Besides No. 3, the King's Regiment (No. 6) was the second infantry unit with an increased establishment. Even before the standing armies were formed, princes raised special formations for the protection of their person, some of which as early as the 16th and 17th centuries wore uniform dress and, above all, displayed splendid clothing; examples include the Swiss Guard of the Papal States (established 1506), the Royal Bodyguard (Trabant Guard) in England (established 1485), the Royal Noble Guard in Spain (established 1646) and the Royal Musketeer Corps in France (established 1622). The designation ‘guard’ became generally customary for these body and protective guards (Fr. garde = to protect, guard, watch).