Bavarian cuirassier regiments 1701-1704

Gemeine of Arco Cuirassiers, 1702
by Anton Hoffman

At the outbreak of the War of Spanish Succession Bavaria had 3 cuirassier regiments: General de Cavalerie Johan Baptist Graf von Arco, GFML Graf von Thurn & Taxis (La Tour) & GWM Karl Johan Lothar von Wieckel von Wackerstein. Each regiment was of 12 companies in 6 squadrons. A company was of 75 men: 1 Rittmeister, 1 Oberleutnant, 1 Unterleutnant, 1 Kornett, 1 Wachtmeister, 1 Fourier, 3 Korporal, 1 Trompeter (Leibcompagnie +1), 1 Feldscherer, 1 Fahnensattler, 1 Fahnenschmied, 62 Gemeine. In April of 1701 cuirassier regiments were below authorized strength: Arco – 276, Wieckel – 275 & La Tour - 268. But by the opening of the hostilities in 1702 they reached the full staff. La Tour Cuirassier twice changed inhabers in 1702-03. First in 1702 it became obrist Gabriel Ferdinand Graf von Verita, then on 15 September 1703 – obrist Bartholomaus Graf von Costa.

The fourth cuirassier regiment was raised on 15 May 1702. Its inhaber became obrist Beit Heinrich Morits Graf von Wolframsdorff. Existing cuirassier & dragoon companies were reduced on 8 & 12 men respectively to create the new regiment, so now Bavarian cuirassier regiments became of 780 men.

Composition of the Bavarian cuirassier regiments on 1 January 1703 (list of companies):

French & Allied troops in the battle of Speyerbach, 25 November 1703

Plan de la bataille de Spire Gagnée par l'armée du Roy comandée par M. le Marechal de Tallard.
by Nicolas de Fer
(see the image in higher resolution at Gallica: link)

The battle of Speyerbach or La bataille de Spire took place on 15/25 of November 1703. Allied troops under Prince Frederik of Hessen-Cassel (later the king of Sweden) planned to relief the siege of Landau, & they took positions near Speyer waiting for reinforcements. But on 15/25 Allies were attacked & defeated by outnumbered French forces under Marshal de Tallard. See detailed description here (link).
Allied BO under Prince Frederik of Hessen-Cassel :

French BO under Tallard:

French fleet in 1672

"Liste des Vaisseaux de l'Armee Navale qui doit servir l'anne 1672" from Le Mercure Galant, Tome 1, 1672, P. 299-305.
Squadron in Rochefort

Squadron in Brest

French army in Flanders, April 1652

In 1652 France still continued the war with Spain (1635-59) in spite of the internal civil war (the Fronde). French army in Spanish Flanders under nominal command of Duc Orleans was of 3617 men in April of 1652.

The source: Hollandse Mercurius. 1652. S. 28

Action at Dersunisjki on 14/24 March 1702

On 13/23 of March 1702 a Swedish detachment under colonel of Adelsfanan i Sverige och Finland Alexander Hummerhielm (link) marched from Kowno to Jezno (modern Lithuanian Jieznas) to gather supplies & take artillery & ammunition from Jezno’s castle. It composed of 130 reitars of Ostgota Ryttare in 3 coys under Rittmeisters Otto Heinrich Schulman, Anders Blumenschold & Erik Gyllenbreider. Hummerhielm was also backed by a detachment under Captain of Livgardet till fot Gustaf Henrik Siegroth with 80 foot (30 from Livgardet till fot & 50 from Upplands). On 23rd’s evening Hummerhielm came at Dersunisjki. Where he was informed that a strong Lithuanian detachment under Michal Wisniowecki was somewhere close to him, but decided to stay there for a night.

Krolowej Dragoons (Polish army in the War of Polish Succession)

General Major Andrzej Rozycki, ab. 1741
Unknown painter
(Museum Wojska Polskiego, link)

Created in 1717 from Lubomirski Arqebusiers. It’s first chief was Podkomorzy koronnej General-Lieutenant Jerzy Dominik Lubomirski, commanding officer – colonel Andrzej Rozycki (see details about him at Muzeum Wojska Polskiego’s site, link). After Lubomirski’s death Rozycki became a new chief in 1746. Gembarzewski mentioned Joachim Fryderyk & Jan Jerzy Flemmings & Józef Mniszech as regimental chiefs, but it’s wrong.

Since 1717 the regiment composed of regimental staff & 6 coys. In 1717 it totaled 71 officer & NCO’s & 264 privates (500 porcji), then in 1733 it was of 265 men, incl. 180 privates. Later in 1750s it numbered 239-270 privates.

Uniforms of Krolowej Dragoons
in 1730-1750s

In 1789 the regiment was converted into 1st (Królowej) regiment of przedniej straży

Sources:

Wimmer J. Wojsko Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej w dobie wojny północnej 1700-1717. Warszawa, 1656.

Ciesielski T. Armia koronna w szasach Augusta III. Warszawa, 2009.

Ciesielski T. Generalowie wojska koronnego w latach 1717-1763. // Organizacja armii w nowożytnej Europie: struktura – urzędy – prawo – finance (pod red. K. Lopateckiego). Zabrze, 2011.

Saxon troops on Rhine, 1688-1691

a. Musketier des Leibregiments zu Fuss, 1683
b. Musketier des v. Uetterodt zu Fuss, 1683
c. Musketier eines Regiments zu Fuss, 1695
(from: Friedrich W. Die Uniformen der Kurfürstlich
Sächsischen Armee 1683-1763).
CLICK TO ENLARGE

In 1688 Kurfurst Johann Georg III agreed to provide a 10,000 Corps to defend the Reich from French invasion (October 1688, a camp at Torgau):
Stab:
Kurfurst Johann Georg III
GeneralFeldMarschall von Flemming
GeneralLeutnant Herzog Christian von Sachsen-Weisenfels
Generalwachmeisters von Plotho & Reuss
Cavalry
- Leibtrabantengarde zu Ross, Generalwachmeister von Reitschuts, 203 men
- 4 Reiterei regiments: Leib, Haugwitz (according to Beust - Plotho), graf Bronne, Promnitz. Each regiment was of 6 coys in 3 squadrons, totaled 602 men
- Mintwitz Dragoner, 6 coys, 590 men
Infantry
- Fusstrabanten (mentioned by Schuster, but missed by Beust & Heyne)
- 6 Infanterie regiments: Leib, FML Flemming, GL Herzog Christian, GWM Reuss, graf Zinzendorff, Kuffer. Each regiment was of 10 coys in 2 battalions, totaled 1 171 men.

Bavarian troops at Vienna, 1683

Bavarian infantry at Wien, 1683
from Munich's work (link)
(Bibliotheque nationale de France)

Kurfurst Max Emanuel agreed to provide the Emperor an Auxiliary Corps of 8,200 men: 4,800 of infantry & 3,400 of cavalry. Corps commander was Generalfeldmarschall-Leutnant Degenfeld. It composed of the following troops:
Infantrie (4): Degenfeld, Steinau, Preysing, Berlo (later Mercy) - each regiment was of 6 coys 200 men each (see more, link). First Perouse Foot was to participate in the campaign, but on 15 of July it was replaced by Preysing.
Reiterie (4): Bartls (Munster), Haraucort (Arco), Beauvau, Schutz - each regiment was of 6 coys of 101 men (see more link 1 & link 2).
Dragoner, two half (halb) regiments or squadrons: Red & Blue, each of 4 coys
Artilerie: 26 regimental pieces, 20 field pieces & 2 mortars with 1,022 horses & 287 men
Cavalry was divided into 2 brigades:
- GWM von Munster: Munster & Schutz, Blaue Dragoner
- GWM Marquis von Beauvau: Beauvau & Arco, Rote Dragoner

Source: Staudinger's Geschichte der kurbayerischen Heers unter Kurfurst Max II. B. 1. S. 159-161

Saxon officer of Prinz Carl Chevaulegers, 1745-1756

Unknown Saxon officer
(link)

Villa Nuova Fine Arts collection contains a small portrait miniature of unknown officer in green dress (link). I assume, that it presents an officer of the Saxon Prinz Carl Chevaulegers. It was raised in 1733 as mounted jagers, since 1735 - Prinz Carl von Sachsen Chevaulegers, since 1758 - Duke Carl von Kurland Chevaulegers. According to Wolfgang Friedrich' Die Uniformen der Kurfurstlich Sachsischen Armee the regiment wore in 1745-67 green coats with red cuffs & collar, yellow buttons, red camisole (see the image below). He mentions that an epaulet was introduced in chevaulegers in 1756 (Prinz Carl regiment had the epaulet of gold lace & yellow metal). So, the portrait evidently was made pre-1756.
The officer's coat is decorated with gold lace. It was a common practice that time.

Colonel (1756) & Standartenjunker (1748) of Prinz Carl Chevaulegers
Drawings from Friedrich's Die Uniformen der Kurfurstlich Sachsischen Armee

Images of the Grand Ducal Radzivill Family

Janusz Radziwill
(link)

• Icones Familiae Ducalis Radivilianae ex originalibus in Ganzophylacio ordinationis desumptae (Images of the Grand Ducal Radzivill Family from the originals in the Treasury Collection) is an album containing 165 portraits of the members of the Radzivill family from the period 1346–1780. The Radzivills produced more outstanding political, church, military, and cultural figures than any other family in the history of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. At the height of its power in the 15th century, the duchy ruled over the territory of present-day Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, and Ukraine, and parts of Estonia, Moldova, Poland, and Russia. The Radzivills were at all times the wealthiest family in the duchy and the owners of extensive estates in present-day Belarus, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Poland. The portraits in this album are replicas of those from the Radzivill Gallery in Nesvizh, Belarus. Hirsz Leybowicz (1700–post 1785), an engraver at the Radzivill printing house in Nesvizh, was one of the artists who created the portraits. He also designed the Radzivill coat of arms, three ex-libris bookplates for the Nesvizh library, and engraved the map of the locations of the Lithuanian Bernardine monasteries. Fifty copies of the album were printed in 1758. The only extant copy of that edition located in Belarus is in the National Archive of Belarus. Presented here is the second edition, published in 1875, one of three copies held by the National Library of Belarus. (link to the source)