Flag and uniform of Danish Schack Infantry Regiment late 17th to early 18th century

As the Warburg 1760 French infantry flag texts are long and taking a lot of time to complete I am posting another Danish infantry flag of the late 17th and early 18th century to keep things ticking over on the blog.

Schack's Infantry Regiment: Formed 1677 as Billes Independent Company. Increased to one battalion in 1683 and a regiment in 1688. Garrison in Copenhagen (Christianshavn and the Citadel) and Kronborg 1701-1709. 13 companies strong.

Commanders: H. Schack 1688: J. B. Schwertzell or Schwärtzell 1701: Prins Karl von Hessen-Philipsthal 1704: D. E. Zepelin 1710

Served in the Scanian Campaign; battle of Gadebusch and siege of Tönning. 1714 incorporated in the Sjaellandske Regiment.

The flag was an old one turned in by the regiment in 1714.

And this was probably the uniform before 1712:

Two Further Standards of the Danish 1st and 2nd Jyske Cavalry Regiments

For the moment these are my last Danish cavalry standards, two further standards of the Danish 1st and 2nd Jyske Cavalry Regiments according to Höglund and Sapherson, as credited on the sheet. Regimental details are noted in previous postings with standards of these regiments.

Possible standard of the Danish Livgarden til Hest late 17th to early 18th Century (see disclaimer below!)

Disclaimer: We do not know the standard for the regiment in the early years of the century or at the end of the 17th century; a later standard of 1720 does exist. Sapherson describes an existing unattributed standard which has the Great State Shield (exactly as the Foot Guards has - see my previous post with that flag) with a wildman on each side, with a small crowned F4 cipher in each top corner. He speculates that this might be of the Livgarden til Hest (or even the Livregiment). This is the standard I have recreated here. Use or not as you wish! I felt it was too interesting a standard not to create and offer it...

 

Livgarden til Hest

Raised 1661.

Served in the Scanian Campaign 1709-1710. Campaigned in Mecklenburg and Pomerania 1711-1716.

And this was probably the uniform in 1711:

Probable standards of the Danish Jyske Cavalry in the early 18th Century (after Sapherson)

Sapherson, in his volume on the Danish Army 1699-1715, describes and depicts two standards which are remarkably similar to the one shown in Höglund (see my last post), even down to the date 1706 and the motto on one of them. The detail is different, though, with gold work and fringes, and a red lined crown, which makes them look rather livelier than the Höglund standard. He suggests they are also Jyske regiment standards, which seems likely.

Standards of the Danish 1st Jyske Cavalry Regiment early 18th Century

First raised 1670  and then separated into 1st and 2nd Jyske Cuirassiers in 1675.

Served in the Great Northern War; in Scanian Campaigns 1709 and 1710. Fought in the battle of Gadebusch on 20th December 1712. It did not fight in the War of the Spanish Succession. This was the only Danish cavalry regiment to wear the full cuirass.

This is the standard depicted by Höglund in his The Great Northern War 1700-1721 Volume II with the date 1706 on it:

And this was probably the uniform in the early part of the 18th century (to 1711):

 

And this depicts them in full cuirass and helmet:

 

Standards of the Danish Livregimentet til Hest late 17th to early 18th Century

I can't seem to let go of the Danish cavalry standards yet so here are my versions of the standards and uniiform of the Livregimentet til Hest.

First raised 1672 as the Holstenske Rytterregiment but renamed Livregimentet til Hest 1673.

In the pay of the Dutch Republic 1701-1713. In North Germany in the Great Northern War 1715-1716.

Strength 8 staff officers and 6 companies in 2 squadrons with a total strength of 440 officers and men.

In the service of Holland 1701-1713.

I have recreated the Colonel's standard from verbal descriptions as I know of no image of the standard; the sheet was white with much gold embroidery, apparently. The other two standards are company standards. These were probably carried from 1699 to at least the end of the WSS.

 

Service in the WSS:

1702: Siege and capture of Liège
1704: With Marlborough's Army; 13th August battle of Blenheim; sieges of Trarbach and Saarburg
1706: Distinguished service at the battle of Ramillies; sieges of Antwerp, Ostend, Menin, Ath, Dendermonde and Oudenarde
1708: 11th July battle of Oudenarde
1709: Siege of Tournai; 11th September battle of Malplaquet
1714: Returned to Denmark

And this was probably the uniform in the WSS:

Standards of the Danish 2nd Sjaellandske Cavalry Regiment late 17th to early 18th Century

These are probably the last Danish cavalry standards for the moment as I feel the need to go back to the mid-18th century; there are French Warburg flags crying out to be written up and posted!

Danish 2nd Sjællandske Cavalry Regiment

First raised 1670 but split into 1st and 2nd JyskeSjællandske Cavalry in 1675.

Strength 8 staff officers and 6 companies in 2 squadrons with a total strength of 440 officers and men.

In the service of Holland 1701-1713.

Service in the WSS:

1702: Siege and capture of Liège
1704: With Marlborough's Army; 13th August battle of Blenheim; sieges of Trarbach and Saarburg
1706: Distinguished service at the battle of Ramillies; sieges of Antwerp, Ostend, Menin, Ath, Dendermonde and Oudenarde
1708: 11th July battle of Oudenarde
1709: Siege of Tournai; 11th September battle of Malplaquet
1713: Returned to Denmark

These standards carry the cipher of King Christian V, who ruled Denmark 1670-1699. It is known that standards with his cipher were carried well into the reign of his successor Frederick IV.

And this was probably the uniform in the WSS:

Standards of the Danish 2nd Jyske Cavalry Regiment late 17th to early 18th Century

First raised 1670 as Livregiment Ryttere and Rantzau’s Independent Company but split into 1st and 2nd Jyske Cavalry in 1675.

Strength 8 staff officers and 6 companies in 2 squadrons with a total strength of 440 officers and men.

In the service of Great Britain and Holland 1701-1713. Served in the Great Northern War 1715-1716 in North Germany, then in Norway 1718-1719.

Service in the WSS:

1702: Siege and capture of Liège
1704: With Marlborough's Army; 13th August battle of Blenheim; sieges of Trarbach and Saarburg
1706: Distinguished service at the battle of Ramillies (where the colonel Adam Marcus Utterwich (aka Uterwick) was killed in action); sieges of Antwerp, Ostend, Menin, Ath, Dendermonde and Oudenarde
1708: 11th July battle of Oudenarde
1709: Siege of Tournai; 11th September battle of Malplaquet
1713: Returned to Denmark

And this was probably the uniform in the WSS:

Standards of the Danish 3rd Jyske Cavalry Regiment late 17th to early 18th Century

3rd Jyske Cavalry Regiment (Jutland)

First raised 1670 as 2nd Jyske Cavalry Regiment but split into 3rd and 4th in 1675.

Strength 8 staff officers and 6 companies in 2 squadrons with a total strength of 440 officers and men.

In the service of Great Britain and Holland 1701-1712. Served in the Great Northern War 1715-1716 in North Germany.

Service in the WSS:

1702: Siege and capture of Liège
1704: With Marlborough's Army; 13th August battle of Blenheim; sieges of Trarbach and Saarburg
1706: Distinguished service at the battle of Ramillies 23rd May; sieges of Antwerp, Ostend, Menin, Ath, Dendermonde and Oudenarde
1708: 11th July battle of Oudenarde
1709: Siege of Tournai; 11th September battle of Malplaquet
1713: Returned to Denmark

These standards carry the cipher of King Christian V, who ruled Denmark 1670-1699. It is known that standards with his cipher were carried well into the reign of his successor Frederick IV.

As the PNG version of this file was so very large (8.6 MBs) I have chosen this time to upload a JPEG version. Closely examining the two side by side I cannot see that the JPEG loses much, if any, detail but is a very much smaller file at only around 2 MBs.

And this was probably the uniform in the WSS:

Standards of the Danish 1st Sjaellandske Cavalry Regiment late 17th to early 18th Century

First raised 1670. Divided into 1st and 2nd Sjaellendske Regiments in 1675.

Service:

Served in the Great Northern War; landing at Humlebaek 1700; Scanian Campaign 1709 and 1710; battle of Wismar 1711; battle of Gadebusch and sieges of Stade and Stralsund 1712. Sent to Zealand 1716.

Disbanded 1721.

The motto on the standard means: "Everything Has Its Time" (one of many mottoes carried by the various standards of this regiment).

And this was probably the uniform late 17th to early 18th century:

Flags and Uniform Dutch Infantry Regiment Aylva/Schratenbach/Ockinga/Nassau-Dillenberg Late 17th/Early 18th Century

First raised 1577 One battalion strong

Aylva from 1637-1694 under various commanders named Aylva, then Schratenbach 1694-1706 and then Ockinga 1706-1711. Nassau-Dillenberg 1711-1727

Service history:

1689: Battle of Walcourt
1690: Battle of Fleurus [where it was badly mauled and flags captured]
1692: Battle of Steinkirk
1693: Batle of Neerwinden-Landen

War of the Spanish Succession:

1702: Defence of Hulst; captured as POWs but soon exchanged
1704: In Portugal with the army of the Duke of Schomberg
1708: Battle of Oudenarde
1709: September to October siege and capture of Mons
1710: July to August siege of Béthune
1712: In Flanders

The flags were captured by the French as shown on the plate; the motto on the flags was that of the Aylva family:

And this was probably the uniform in much of the WSS (although there is evidence that they may have had blue uniforms in the 1690s):

And this shows the flags in use with Simon Miller's splendid version of the regiment:

(The unit had not had its final basing at the time the photograph was taken by Simon.)

Two Extra Generic Austrian Cuirassier Standards For Regiments Without Known Standards - Useful for WSS to SYW and also late 17th century, probably

To complete the set and add to the variety possible I offer two extra generic Austrian cuirassier standards, in yellow and green.

Generic Austrian Cuirassier Standards For Regiments Without Known Standards - Useful for WSS to SYW and also late 17th century, probably

As a favour I put together a sheet of generic Austrian cuirassier standards, based on work I did many years ago, for those relatively many regiments whose standards we do not know. They should be useful for much of the 18th century, at least the WSS to the SYW and probably the late 17th century. So here they are:

Standards of the Danish 5th Jyske Cavalry Regiment late 17th to early 18th Century

Strength 8 staff officers and 6 companies in 2 squadrons with a total strength of 440 officers and men.

In the service of Great Britain and Holland 1701-1714

These standards carry the cipher of King Christian V, who ruled Denmark 1670-1699. It is known that standards with his cipher were carried well into the reign of his successor Frederick IV. The cloth is damask.

And this was probably the uniform in the WSS:

Standards of the Spanish Carabineros Reales in the Seven Years War

This is the last set of Spanish cavalry standards recreated by me earlier this year for Lewis Simpson-Jones.

Carabineros Reales first raised 1732 from the carabinier units of various line cavalry regiments. It had precedence over  all cavalry units except for the Reales Guardias de Corpas. Consisted of 4 squadrons each of 3 companies.

Service:

1733-1735: War of the Polish Succession; in Italy and fought at the battle of Bitonto 1734

1740-1748: War of the Austrian Succession: In Italy; 1743 battle of Campo Santo; August 1745 the forcing of the passage of the Tanaro River

SYW: No information

[Details from Kronoskaf]

And this was the uniform in 1737; by the SYW it was little different:

[From NYPL: https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47d9-99a8-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99 ]

Guidons and uniform of Spanish Reina Dragoons in the Seven Years War

This is the third set of Spanish cavalry flags commissioned by Lewis Simpson-Jones this summer. As I explained previously, I recreated the cavalry standards and guidons from verbal descriptions in a Spanish source, along with some rather poor 18th century images.

First raised 1735 as Real de las Reina Dragones. 12 companies strong.

Service:

1742: To Italy
1743: Battle of Campo Santo
1745: Sieges and capture of Seravalle and Tortona; occupation of Piacenza and Parma; capture of Pavia; battle of Bassignano; siege and capture of Alessandria; attack on Cassale di Monferrato
1746: Attack on Codogno; battle of Piacenza; battle of Rottofreddo; occupation of Oneglia, Nice and Exiles
1748: Back to Spain

Seven Years War:

1757: Stationed at Rivera
1758: To Merida then Andalucia
1760: To Jeréz de la Frontera
1762: On the way to the planned invasion of Portugal; by April at Ciudad Rodrigo where a total of 10,000 troops had assembled. By June the whole regiment was at Gallegos. August at the siege of Almeida, which capitulated 25th August. September invaded Portugal and at the capture of Salvatierra 9th September. October 1st at an encounter with the enemy at Sarcedas. October 26th at the siege of Elvas and Campo Mayor. November at Montijo at end of hostilities.

And this was probably the uniform in the Seven Years War:

Flag of the Danish Grenadier Corps from 1709

This unit was created 1701 from the grenadier companies of the Livgarden, Dronningens, Prins Georg, Prins Christians, Sjaellandske, Jydske, Oldenborgske, Schwärtzels and Mörners regiments.

Served in Scania and North Germany 1709-1715

 

And this was probably the uniform 1708-1709:

The Great Northern War 1700-1721, Volume II by Höglund et al, tells us that in 1709 "the regimental commander requested a pair of colours. Their appearance, however, is unknown". But Sapherson in his volume on the Danish Army 1699-1715 does give us this design.

My feeling is that every unit on the wargames table, if possible, should have flags and this is especially so when we know that a unit did carry flags but we do not know the actual design. I apologise if this is heresy to some! ;-)

Guidons and uniform of Spanish Sagunto Dragoons in the Seven Years War

This is the second set of cavalry flags commissioned by Lewis Simpson-Jones this summer. As I explained previously, I recreated the cavalry standards and guidons from verbal descriptions in a Spanish source, along with some rather poor 18th century images.

Sagunto Dragoons, then called Camprodon Dragoons, first raised 1703; 500 strong, in 5 squadrons each of 2 companies.

The guidons date from about 1750.

Service:

1703: Blockade of Arronches; sieges of Portalegre and Castelo de Vide
1705: Siege of Gibraltar (failed); occupation of Alcañiz and the castle of Morella
1706: Attack on Villareal; failed defence of Murviedro
1707: Siege and capture of Egea; attack on insurgents at Sábada; relief of Verdun and Borja
1709: Attack on allied camp defending the bridge of Montañana
1710: To Catalonia; battle of Saragossa; combat of Villaviciosa
1711: In the mountains of Aragon and Catalonia; capture of Castle of Arenys and Benasque; failed siege of Cardona
1712: Relief of Arenys
1713: Campaign against the Catalan insurgents
1714: Siege and capture of Barcelona

1715: Now 12 companies of 30 men each

1718: Renamed Sagunto

1720: Coast of North Africa; relief of Ceuta
1721: Back to Spain

1732: Reconquest of Oran, North Africa

1741: To Italy
1743: Passage of the Tanaro and battle of Campo Santo
1745: Siege and capture of Tortona; storm of Piacenza; capture of Parma and Pavia; battle of Bassignano
1746: Battle of Piacenza; battle of Rottofreddo
1747: Retreat to Provence and Languedoc
1748: Return to Catalonia

Seven Years War:

1762: With the Army of Castile for the Invasion of Portugal. Allocated to the Reserve of the army gathered at Zamora. In May the Reserve crossed the Portuguese border and marched on Brandilanes. July 8th it retired to Ciudad Rodrigo. October to cantonments at Malpartida.

(Text summarised from Kronoskaf SYW entry.)

And this was the uniform in the mid-18th century:

Standard and uniform of Spanish Caballeria Reina in the Seven Years War

Here is the first high resolution Spanish cavalry standard, as mentioned in my previous post, from this summer's Spanish cavalry standard commission. Lewis Simpson-Jones commissioned some Spanish infantry flags and four cavalry standards and guidons. We agreed that I'd charge less and he'd be happy for me to post the flag sheets on my blog sooner rather than later! As I explained, I recreated the cavalry standards from verbal descriptions in a Spanish source, along with some rather poor 18th century images. The results at least look pretty good, I think!

The cavalry regiment Caballeria Reina was raised 1703 from a former Guardia Real de Caballeria but then split into two regiments, Reina and Real Asturias, in April that year.

Consisted of 12 companies in 3 squadrons.

The standards are unusual in looking more like dragoon guidons than the usual square  cavalry standard.

Service:

1704: Campaign in Portugal; taking of Salvatierra; combat of Monsanto
1705: Relief of Monsanto and of Badajoz
1706: Combat of Brozas; campaign of Atienza
1707: Battle of Almansa; capture of Valencia; combat of San Mateo; capture of Ulldecona; conquest of Lérida
1708: Siege of Tortosa
1710: Battles of Almenar, Saragossa and Villaviciosa
1711: Into Catalonia and became part of the garrison of Lerida; capture of enemy convoy
1712; In Catalonia and Lérida
1713: Fought the Catalan insurgents (or patriots, depending on your point of view); blockade of Barcelona
1714: Blockade, siege and capture of Barcelona
1715: After the end of the war remained in Catalonia

1719: To Navarra; campaign against France

1732: Reconquest of Oran

1742: To Italy; combats of Bocheta and Ottagio
1743: Battle of Campo Santo
1745: Siege of Tortona; battle of Bassignano; blockade and siege of Alessandria; occupation of Milan
1746: Battle of Piacenza; battle of Rottofreddo
1747: Returned to Spain; stationed in Catalonia again

In the Seven Years War:

1758: To Burgos
1762: To the Gibraltar front
1763: The same

And this was probably the uniform in the SYW:

Preview of 18th Century Spanish Cavalry and Dragoon Standards Recreated By Me

As part of a commission this summer I recreated the standards of several Spanish dragoon and cavalry regiments, on the understanding that the commission would allow me to post the flags on my blog sooner rather than later. These standards were recreated by me from verbal descriptions in Spanish and from rather difficult to interpret poor images from an 18th century Spanish manuscript. So, I cannot promise that they are absolutely accurate but I think the versions I have produced go some way towards appearing like the actual flags and also do look rather attractive, though I say so myself. This sheet is a preview of the standards as I still need to spend some time to create the text and uniform plates for them. Even compressed into a relatively low-resolution JPEG the detail still shows rather well.

Flag and uniform of Danish Fynske Infantry Regiment in the War of the Spanish Succession

3 battalions strong, with 18 companies of musketeers and 1
of grenadiers.

From 1689 to 1697 one battalion of six companies was in English pay and service.

From 1701 to 1714 one battalion (of seven companies including one grenadier company) was in Dutch pay.

Service in the WSS:

The first battalion in Dutch pay:

1702: Siege and capture of Liège
1704: With he army of Eugène of Savoy; 13th August at Blenheim; sieges of Trarbach and Saarburg
1706: With Marlborough's army; battle of Ramillies; sieges of Antwerp, Ostend, Menin, Ath, Dendermonde and Oudenarde
1709: Siege of Tournai; 1th September battle of Malplaquet
1714: Returned to Denmark

The other two battalions apparently served in the Great Northern War (1700-1721) from 1710 and fought in the battle of Helsingborg

And this was probably the uniform during much of the WSS:

Flag and uniform of Danish Prins Christian Infantry Regiment in the War of the Spanish Succession

First raised 1657. From 1676-1699 this was Prins Frederik's Regiment and renamed Kronprinsens in 1703.

The stylish black flag is strikingly different from so many of the white Danish flags!

3 battalions strong, with 18 musketeer companies and 1 grenadier.

One battalion served in Ireland in 1690. One was in Imperial service 1702-1709, with 6 companies of musketeers and 1 grenadier company - theoretical strength 803 men.

In 1701 the battalion which had been sent to Saxony was taken into Austrian pay. It joined the Austrian offensive into Northern Italy in 1702 and was at the battle of Luzzara on 15th August.

And this was probably the uniform in the WSS:

Flag and uniform of Danish Jyske Infantry Regiment in the War of the Spanish Succession

First raised 1675. One battalion in British pay 1689-1697.

Company flag of the regiment.

There is no known Colonel's flag.

By the WSS the regiment consisted of 3 battalions with 6 musketeer companies each and one grenadier company.

One battalion was in Austrian pay 1701-1709 and consisted of 6 musketeer companies and one grenadier company. In 1702-1702 this battalion was involved in the invasion of Northern Italy and on 15th August 1702 fought at the battle of Luzzara.

And this was probably the uniform in the WSS:

Flags of French Volontaires de Flandres probably 1749-1762

Created 1749 from amalgamating regiments Arquebusiers de Grassin Fusiliers de la Morliere and the Volontaires Bretons. Composed of three brigades of 4 companies each, 2 of infantry of 40 men and 2 of cavalry of 20 men each, not including officers.

Divided into 2 regiments in 1757, the Volontaires de Flandres and Volontaires du Haynault, consisting of 6 companies each; the company was of 70 men, 40 infantry and 30 cavalry. By Ordonnance of 25th February 1758 each of the two regiments was increased to 600 men by adding 2 new companies and 5 mounted men to each of the 6 companies. Total was therefore 8 companies of 75 men each, 40 foot and 35 cavalry.

In 1762 the regiment was amalgamated with the Volontaires du Dauphiné and renamed the Légion de Flandre, which was disbanded in 1776.

The flags are variously described but I know of no contemporary depiction. Charrié says at the centre was a lion in natural colours from 1749-1762. But the lion of Flanders in heraldry was anciently depicted as a black rampant lion. I have therefore created 2 versions, one as described by Charrié (Variant 1) and one with the traditional heraldic Flanders lion (Variant 2).

Service (mostly from Kronoskaf as I have no independent history):

1757: Army of the Lower Rhine; July 26th battle of Hastenbeck with the vanguard which attacked the left flank of the Hanoverians in the woods

1758: In Clermont's Army; at the battle of Krefeld June 23rd then with the Army of the Lower Rhine under Contades and with Chevert's Corps which turned the allied left flank at the battle of Lutterberg October 10th

1759: Various advanced corps actions including being forced to retire into woods near Fritzlar by the advance of an allied corps on the 17th August

1760: Similar advance corps activity and then at the battle of Korbach as part of Saint Germain's detachment on July 10th, reaching the battlefield only after a forced march. From November 17th part of the garrison of Göttingen.

1761: 25th March mounted troops of the regiment along with those of other Volontaire units and the Orléans Dragoons under M. de Montchenu drove the allies out of the village of Mengsberg and then successfully attacked the allied rearguard.

1761: Part of the corps of Prince Xavier which was attacked by Luckner on July 13th and the French corps lost 150 prisoners. On August 15th as part of Caraman's Corps, and along with Nicolai Dragoons and Chamborant Hussars, it was part of  a successful attack near Dringenberg on allied troops, taking 2 officers and 60 men prisoners. The Corps was attacked on August 18th by allied forces under the Hereditary Prince but retired in good order having lost 30 men and having taken about 30 prisoners.

1762: Army of the Upper Rhine under Soubise; June 24th battle of Wilhelmstahl. July 10th involved in an attack on allied troops at Uslar and took over 500 prisoners in the woods nearby. Eventually they were forced to retreat by the arrival of Luckner's Corps.

And this was the infantry uniform in the SYW:

Flags of French regiments disbanded 1749: Flags of French Infantry Regiment Auxerrois 1692-1749

First raised 1692. One battalion strong. Named after the province.

This is one of my favourite French flag designs, which was unique to this regiment and was not seen again in the French army after the regiment was absorbed into the Regiment de Flandre in 1749. Flags of this pattern were carried for the whole existence of the regiment 1692-1749.

Service (from Susane):

On the coasts and in Germany to the Peace of Ryswick 1697
1702: Army of Germany
1703: Sieges of Brisach and Landau; combat of Speyerbach
1704: Army of Bavaria; battle of Hochstedt (Blenheim)
1705-1708: Army of the Rhine
1708: To Flanders; Scottish Expedition
To 1712: Manning the Lines of the Lauter
1713: Sieges of Landau and Fribourg

Given to many different proprietors to 1745 when given to Louis-Joseph de Saint-Véran, Marquis de Montcalm

1744: Army of the Alps; passage of the Alps by the valley of Spino; conquest of Piedmont
1745: Combat of Rivarrone
1746: Battles of Plaisance and Tidone
1747: Camp of Briançon; combat of the Assietta; camp of Tournoux
1747-8: Campaigning in Nice

Absorbed into the Regiment de Flandre 10th February 1749; the grenadiers went to the Grenadiers de France.

And this was the uniform in the 1740s: