Imperial Guard Cavalry | |
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Active | 1804-1815 |
Country | France |
Allegiance | First French Empire |
Branch | Grande Armée |
Role | Cavalry |
Engagements | Napoleonic Wars |
Commanders | |
Current commander |
The Imperial Guard cavalry corresponds to all the military cavalry units belonging to Napoleon I's Imperial Guard. An elite fighting unit, it became the army's ultimate reserve. It was used as a last resort to deliver the coup de grâce or break the deadlock in perilous situations. In 1804, the Imperial Guard cavalry initially comprised three units: mounted grenadiers, mounted chasseurs, and mamelukes. Subsequently, other cavalry corps joined the Imperial Guard, such as the dragoons in 1806, the Polish lancers in 1807, the red lancers in 1810, the Lithuanian lancers and Lithuanian tatars in 1812, and the scouts in 1813. Other cavalry units were attached to the Imperial Guard or served alongside it, such as the elite gendarmes, the gendarmes d'ordonnance, the chevau-légers de Berg, and the guards of honour. At the height of the First Empire in 1812, the Imperial Guard numbered around 7,000 cavalrymen, while the Grande Armée as a whole numbered approximately 77,000. From its creation until 1813, the Guard cavalry was commanded by Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bessières, Duke of Istria. Killed by a cannonball at the start of the German campaign, his command was taken over by General Nansouty.