Russian hussars

Russian hussars
General officer of the Grodno Hussars, 1812
Active1723–1917
AllegianceRussian Empire
TypeLight cavalry
RoleReconnaissance, skirmish
Colorsvaried by regiment
EquipmentSword, a pair of pistols

Hussars were first recorded in Russia as groups of irregulars in the mid-17th century. Under Peter I, this class of light cavalry began to serve as organized regiments on a semi-permanent basis in 1723 based on Serbian Hussars out of the Habsburg monarchy. Hussar regiments remained a conscious element of the Imperial Russian Army until the Revolution of 1917.