Napoleonic Uniforms: Which armies had the snazziest uniforms?

Everyone talks about the elaborate Hussar uniforms, the dashing heart breakers, with long mustaches and braids, etc. I'd guess Austria and Russia were on the dull side, and France was sometimes flashy with those panther saddle coats. Maybe the Brits were somewhat less imaginative. There were 12 or 13 different types of cavalry but only 5 different functions—light cavalry, lancers, dragoons, regular and heavy cavalry...

Jack Gill writes: Fun question, Kevin!

• Agreed, most Austrian and Russian uniforms on the dull side. Not sure one should count hussars are they all wore common (often gaudy) uniforms: with Izum, or Palatinal or 1st Silesian or 3e Régiment de Hussards
• France probably tops my list, but there are many candidates…
• Would offer some smaller states for consideration: Poland and Sweden, for example, but especially the Anhalt Duchies with handsome green uniforms for both infantry and the ephemeral chevaulegers regiment

Vince Hughes writes:

I'm missing a type somewhere? I can only think of 12 types off the top of my head. Of the 12 types, you could simply divide them into Lights, Heavies and 'Mediums', although there was not really such a term. Medium cavalry tend to be the Dragoons where their historical role had changed. The British (and Austrians in their own way) had Light and Heavy Dragoons. The French, Russian and Prussians had mutated dragoons into a form of heavy cavalry but that were still performing some old light cavalry roles.

Hussars, Chasseurs/Jaegers, Lancers/Uhlan, Light Dragoons, Chevau-legers, Light Guard, 

Dragoons, Heavy dragoons, Cuirassiers, Heavy Guard, Cossacks, Landwehr/Militia; 

Recon & Intel gathering, foraging, policing and rounding up stragglers, battle use such as flanking and support for combined arms, Charge/Shock. 

I always liked Austrian white, whether Napoleonic, Seven Years War etc. Look quite snazzy.

Without doubt, the drabbest ARMY were the Prussian uniforms from 1813-1815. The Dark blue was near black and other than that, the grey breeches and peasant-looking Landwher. The Russian infantry I suppose would run them close.

I'd judge my favourites by what I looked forward to painting when I did miniature wargaming. I thought both the Bavarians & Württemburgers Line infantry looked pretty cool. British red is pretty punchy as an ARMY colour.

Individual regiments? Any of the French Guard will look good and most nation’s Hussars too. Other than the British, all the other Hussars had their own special uniform colours. The British light cavalry, whether Hussars or Light Dragoons were always dark blue.  

The Russian Pavlovski grenadiers with their tall mitres stand out too!

The first hussar regiments comprised the light cavalry of the Black Army of Hungary. Under Corvinus' command, the hussars took part in the war against the Ottoman Empire in 1485 and proved successful against the sipahis (Ottoman cavalry) as well as against the Bohemians and Poles. After the king's death, in 1490, hussars became the standard form of cavalry in Hungary in addition to the heavy cavalry. The Habsburg emperors hired Hungarian hussars as mercenaries to serve against the Ottomans and on various battlefields throughout Western Europe.

Hussars outside the Polish Kingdom followed a different line of development. During the early decades of the 17th century, hussars in Hungary ceased to wear metal body armour; and, by 1640, most were light cavalry. It was hussars of this "light" pattern, rather than the Polish heavy hussar, that were later to be copied across Europe. These light hussars were ideal for reconnaissance and raiding sources of fodder and provisions in advance of the army.

In battle, they were used in such light cavalry roles as harassing enemy skirmishers, overrunning artillery positions, and pursuing fleeing troops. In many countries, the hussars and bosniaks actually retained their original Asiatic uniforms. In the late 17th and 18th centuries, many Hungarian hussars sought employment in other Central and Western European countries and became the core of similar light cavalry formations created there. Following their example, hussar regiments were introduced into at least twelve European armies by 1800.^[32]

Bavaria raised its first hussar regiment in 1688 and a second one in about 1700. Prussia followed suit in 1721 when Frederick the Great used hussar units extensively during the War of the Austrian Succession.^[33]

France established a number of hussar regiments from 1692 onward, recruiting originally from Hungary and Germany, then subsequently from German-speaking frontier regions within France itself. The first hussar regiment in the French army was the Hussars-Royaux (Royal Hussars), raised from Hungarian deserters in 1692.^[34]

The colourful military uniforms of hussars from 1700 onwards were inspired by the prevailing Hungarian fashions of the day. Usually, this uniform consisted of a short jacket known as a dolman, or later a medium-length atilla jacket, both with heavy, horizontal gold braid (sujtás) on the breast and yellow braided or gold Austrian knots (vitézkötés) on the sleeves, a matching pelisse (a short-waisted over-jacket often worn slung over one shoulder), coloured trousers, sometimes with yellow braided or gold Austrian knots at the front, a busby (kucsma) (a high, fur hat with a cloth bag hanging from one side, although some regiments wore the shako (csákó) of various styles), and high riding boots (often Hessian boots). A sabretache, an ornate pouch hung from the belt, often completed the accoutrements.^[49]

European hussars traditionally wore long moustaches (but no beards) and long hair, with two plaits hanging in front of the ears as well as a larger queue at the back, a style known as the cadenette. They often retained the queue, which used to be common to all soldiers, after other regiments had dispensed with it and adopted short hair.

Hussars had a reputation for being the dashing, if unruly, adventurers of the army. The traditional image of the hussar is of a reckless, hard-drinking, womanising, moustachioed swashbuckler. 

Paintings below from Keith Rocco 
www.keithrocco.com
krocco@shentel.net

 

 

1er Chasseurs a Cheval - 1815
By Keith Rocco

51e Regiment de Ligne  
Including a portrait of Captain Harent, killed at Waterloo. 
by Keith Rocco