Hussar - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

7/28/2019 Hussar - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

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Cornet Henry John Wilkin, a British

Hussar from the Crimean War

Austrian Hussar, Oberleutnant

Hermann Fenz, c.1905

HussarFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hussar (/hzr/h-ZAR, /hzr/, or spelling pronunciation /hsr/h-SAR)refers to a number of types of light cavalry which originated in Hungary duringthe 15th century. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen wassubsequently widely adopted by light cavalry regiments in European and other

armies. A number of armored or ceremonial mounted units in modern armiesretain the designation of hussars.

Contents

1 History1.1 The hussars of medieval Hungary1.2 Hussar light cavalry1.3 Hussars of Frederick The Great1.4 Hussar Verbunkos

1.5 Heavy hussars of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth1.6 Hussars in the 18th century1.6.1 Hussars in Russia

1.7 Hussars of the Napoleonic Wars1.8 19th century

1.8.1 Eastern Europe1.8.2 Latin America

1.9 Hussars in the early 20th century1.10 Armoured units

2 The Hussar image3 Armament and tactics4 Current hussar units

4.1 Argentina4.2 Canada4.3 Chile4.4 Denmark4.5 France4.6 Netherlands4.7 Peru4.8 Spain4.9 Sweden4.10 United Kingdom4.11 Venezuela

5 See also

6 References and notes7 Further reading8 External links

History

The hussars of medieval Hungary

The first written mention of the word "Hussarones"(Latin in plural) (in Hungarian: Huszr) has been found in documents

dating from 1432 in Southern Hungary (at the time the Ottoman military frontiers of the Hungarian Kingdom).[1]

A typeof irregular light horsemen was already well established by the 15th century in medieval Hungary.[2] Etymologists are

divided over the derivation of the word 'hussar'.[3]

According to Webster's the word hussarstems from the Hungarian huszr, which in turn originates from the Serbian and

sar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hussar

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Hungarian hussar in the 16th century.

Woodcut by Jost Amman

Depiction of Serbian cavalry in the left

section of Pavle Jovanovi's work The

Migration of Serbs

Croatian (Husar, or , Gusar) meaning pirate, from the Medieval

Latin cursarius (cf. the English word corsair).[4] A variant of this theory isoffered by Byzantinist scholars, who argue the term originated in Roman military

practice, and the cursarii (singular cursarius).[5] Origin of the word is also

attributed to old Italian.[6]

Through Byzantine Army operations in the Balkans in the 10th and 11th

centuries when Chosarioi/Chonsarioi were recruited with especially Serbs,[7] the

word was subsequently reintroduced to Western European military practice afterits original usage had been lost with the collapse of Rome in the west.[8]

According to another theory, the word is derived from the Hungarian word hsz"twenty", suggesting that hussar regiments were originally composed of twenty

men.[3] Or the term huszrprobably signified 'one in twenty' as selected for

service by ballot.[9]

The hussars reportedly originated in bands of mostly Serbian warriors [10]

crossing into southern Hungary after the Turkish invasion of Serbia at the end ofthe 14th century. The Governor of Hungary, John Hunyadi, created mounted units inspired by his enemy the OttomanTurks. His son, Matthias Corvinus, later king of Hungary, is unanimously accepted as the creator of these troops. Initiallythey fought in small bands, but were reorganised into larger, trained, formations during the reign of King MatthiasCorvinus.[11][12]

So the first Hussar regiments were the light cavalry of the Black Army of Hungary. Under his command the hussars tookpart in the war against the Ottoman Empire in 1485 and proved successful against the Turkish Spahis as well as againstBohemians and Poles. After the king's death in 1490, hussars remained the preferred form of cavalry in Hungary. TheHabsburg emperors hired Hungarian hussars as mercenaries to serve against the Ottoman Empire and on variousbattlefields throughout Western Europe.

Hussar light cavalry

Hussar light cavalry forces were part of the medieval Serbian military. Armedwith spears and pentagonal wood shields padded with metal, they supported the

noble knights as their second line on the battlefield.[13] In the middle of each

wooden shield, there was a round metal knob that held the shield together.[14]

Hussar light cavalries were a traditional Serbian force, which meant that theyusually were not hired as mercenaries from Spain or Germany. Their style offighting was similar to the noble knights. They used the eastern style of fighting:they would charge into the enemy ferociously, and try to cause mass havoc. Asfor their role with the foot soldiers, they were more like support cavalry. Whenthe foot soldiers were losing the battle, the Hussars would charge into the

enemy's flank, hoping to cause them to rout. They would repeat this charge fromdifferent angles while the infantry kept the enemy from chasing the Hussars.

Later on, after the fall of the Serbian Empire, these troops were used as "Krajiniks" meaning frontiersman in Hungary(Croatia and Vojvodina) which southern parts later on became the military frontier, defending and liberating as theybelieved Christendom from the Ottoman invasion. Their military tactics of engaging combat, as well as pillaging andlooting of Ottoman ruled territories, were similar to the ones of the Ukrainian Cossacks.

Hussars of Frederick The Great

During and after the Rkczi's War for Independence, many Hungarians served in the Habsburg army. Located ingarrisons far away from Hungary, some deserted from the Austrian army joining that of Prussia. The value of the

Hungarian hussars as light cavalry was recognised and in 1721 two Hussaren Corps were organised in the Prussian Army.

Frederick II (later called "The Great") recognised the value of hussars as light cavalry and encouraged their recruitment.In 1741 he established a further five regiments, largely from Polish deserters. Three more regiments were raised forPrussian service in 1744 and another in 1758. While the hussars were increasingly drawn from Prussian and other


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Prussian Hussar in 1744

German cavalrymen, they continued to wear the traditional Hungarian uniform,richly decorated with braid and gold trim.

Possibly due to a daring and impudent surprise raid on his capital Berlin by thehussars of Hungarian general Andrs Hadik, Frederick also recognised thenational characteristics of his Hungarian recruits and in 1759 issued a royal orderwhich warned the Prussian officers never to offend the self-esteem of his hussarswith insults and abuses. At the same time he exempted the hussars from the usual

disciplinary measures of the Prussian Army: physical punishments includingcudgeling.

Frederick used his hussars for reconnaissance duties and for surprise attacksagainst the enemy's flanks and rear. A hussar regiment under the command ofColonel Sigismund Dabasi-Halsz won the Battle of Hohenfriedberg at Striegauon May 4, 1745, by attacking the Austrian combat formation on its flank andcapturing its entire artillery.

The effectiveness of the hussars in Frederick's army can be judged by the numberof promotions and decorations awarded to their officers. Recipients included theHungarian generals Pal Werner and Ferenc Kszeghy, who received the highest

Prussian military order, the "Pour le Merite"; General Tivadar Ruesh wasawarded the title of baron; Mihly Szkely was promoted from the rank ofcaptain to general after less than fifteen years of service.

While Hungarian hussars served in the opposing armies of Frederick and Maria Theresa there were no known instancesof fratricidal clashes between them.

Hussar Verbunkos

Verbunkos (Hungarian pronunciation: [vbuko], other spellings are Verbounko, Verbunko, Verbunkas, Werbunkos,Werbunkosch, Verbunkoche) is an 18th-century Hungarian dance and music genre.

The name is derived from the German word werben that means, in particular, "to enroll in the army"; verbunkosrecruiter. The corresponding music and dance was played during military recruiting, which was a frequent eventduring this period, hence the character of the music. The verbunkos was an important component of the Hungarianhussar tradition. Potential recruits were dressed in items of hussar uniform, given wine to drink and invited to dance tothis music.

Heavy hussars of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

For more details on this topic, see Polish hussars.

Initially the first units of Polish hussars in the Kingdom of Poland were formed in 1500, its influences coming from

Serbian[15]

mercenaries. A small amount of Serbian mercenaries were recruited and became Polish-LithuanianCommonwealth citizens. Polish Heavy hussars of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth were far more manoeuvrablethan the heavily armoured lancers previously employed, the hussars proved vital to the Polish-LithuanianCommonwealth victories at Orsza (1514) and Obertyn (1531). Later proven one of the greatest victories in Europe leadby the king of Poland and grand duke of Lithuania the saver of Europe Jan III Sobieski victor of the Battle of Vienna.

Over the course of the 16th century hussars in Transylvanian-Hungarian had become heavier in character: they hadabandoned wooden shields and adopted plate metal body armour. When Stefan Bathory, a Transylvanian-Hungarianprince, was elected king of Poland in 1576 he reorganised the Polish-Lithuanian hussars of his Royal Guard alongHungarian lines, making them a heavy formation, equipped with a long lance as their main weapon. By the reign of KingStefan Batory the hussars had replaced medieval-style lancers in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth army, and theynow formed the bulk of the Polish cavalry. By the 1590s most Polish-Lithuanian hussar units had been reformed along

the same 'heavy' Hungarian model. Due to the same resemblance the Polish 'heavy' hussars came with their own style thePolish wingedhussars or Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth winged husaria. The people of the Polish-LithuanianCommonwealth recognized the wingedhussars as husarskie anioy (hussar angels).

In the Battle of Lubieszw in 1577 the 'Golden Age' of the husaria began. Down to and including the Battle of Vienna in


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Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

WingedHussar, Painting by

Aleksander Orowski.

Prussian hussar, 1763

Hessian hussars in America

1683, the Polish-Lithuanian hussars fought countless actions against a variety ofenemies. In the battles of Byczyna (1588), Kokenhusen (1601), Kircholm (1605),Kuszyn (1610), Trzciana (1629), Chocim (1673) and Lww (1675), the Polish-Lithuanian hussars proved to be the decisive factor often against overwhelmingodds.

Until the 18th century they were considered the elite of the Commonwealth armedforces.

Hussars in the 18th century

Hussars outside the Polish Kingdom followed a different line of development.During the early decades of the 17th century hussars in Hungary ceased to wearmetal body armour; and by 1640 most were now light cavalry. It was hussars of this'light' pattern rather than the Polish heavy hussar that were later to be copied acrossEurope. These light hussars were ideal for reconnaissance and raiding sources offodder 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 17thand 18th centuries many Hungarian hussars fled to other Central and WesternEuropean countries and became the core of similar light cavalry formations createdthere. Following their example, hussar regiments were introduced into many of thearmies of Europe.

Bavaria raised its first hussar regiment in 1688 and a second one about 1700. Prussiafollowed suit in 1721 when Frederick the Great used hussar units extensively during

the War of the Austrian Succession.[16]

France established a number of hussar regiments from 1692 on, recruiting originallyfrom Hungary and Germany, then subsequently from German speaking frontierregions within France itself. The first Hussar regiment in France was founded by a

Hungarian lieutenant named Ladislas Ignace de Bercheny.[16]

Russia relied on its native cossacks to provide irregular light horse until 1741.Recruited largely from Christian Orthodox communities along the Turkish frontier, the newly raised Russian hussar unitsincreased to 12 regiments by the Seven Years War. The founder of the first Russian Hussar regiment was dmMnyoki, a Hungarian officer.

Spain disbanded its first hussars in 1747 and then raised new units of Hsares in 1795. The Hsares de Pava was createdin 1684 by the Count of Melgar to serve in Spanish possessions in Italy and was named after the Spanish victory over theFrench army at Pavia, Italy, south of Milan. During the battle, the King of France, Francis I, was captured by the Spanish

Cavalry. The Hsares de Pava fought in Italy during the War of Piedmont (16921695) and the War of SpanishSuccession, it was transferred back to Spain. In 1719, the regiment was sent again to Italy until 1746.

Then, it served in campaigns against Algerian pirates and sieges of Oran andAlgiers. During the Spanish War of Independence against Napoleon (18081814),the unit fought the Battles of Bailn, Tudela, Velez, Talavera and Ocaa and theactions of Baza, Cuellar, Murviedro and Alacuas.

The Hsares de Pava regiment also was involved in the Ten Years' War in Cuba,the Spanish-American War (1898), the Spanish Civil War (19361939), and inthe Campaign of Ifni (1958). Ifni was a Spanish colony in North Africa that wasattacked by irregulars from Morocco. At present, this regiment is named

Regimiento Acorazado de Caballeria Pavia nr 4 (Cavalry armored regiment Pavianr 4) garrisoned in Zaragoza (Spain).

Sweden had hussars from about 1756 and Denmark introduced this class of cavalry in 1762.


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Portrait of Russian hussar

Eugraph Davydov by

Kiprensky (1810s)

Great Britain hired German hussars among their Hessian mercenaries and sent them to America to fight in the American

War of Independence[citation needed]. Britain converted a number of light dragoon regiments to hussars in the early 19thcentury.

The United Provinces raised its first Hussar regiment in 1784, and a second in 1787. During the French occupation from17951813, there were a maximum of two hussar regiments. After regaining independence, the new Royal NetherlandsArmy raised two hussar regiments (nrs. 6 and 8). They were disbanded (nr. 8 in 1830), or changed into Lancers (nr. 6 in1841). In 1867, all remaining cavalry regiments were transferred to hussar regiments. This tradition remains until this

day.

Hussars in Russia

In 1707, Apostol Kigetsch, a Wallachian nobleman under the Russian Emperor Peter theGreat, was given the task to form a 'khorugv' ("banner" or "squadron") of 300 men thatwould be employed on the Turkish-Russian border. The squadron consisted of Christians

from Hungary, Serbia, Moldova and Wallachia.[17]

In 1711, prior to the Pruth campaign, 6 regiments (4 khorugv's each) of hussars wereformed, mainly from Wallachia. Two other 'khorugv' for guerilla warfare were formed, onePolish and one Serbian, that would tackle the Turks.

In 1723, Peter the Great formed a Hussar regiment exclusively from Serbian light cavalry

serving in the Austrian army.[17]

On October 14, 1741, during the regency of Grand Duchess Anna Leopoldovna, raising offour Hussar regiments from natives who had remained in Russia was

authorised[citation needed]:

Serbskiy (Serbian)Moldavskiy (Moldavian)Vengerskiy (Hungarian)

Gruzinskiy (Georgian)They were raised from the above-mentioned various Hussar companies, converted to regular service after the War173639. This regiments were enlisted, not conscripted as the rest of Russian army, and were on a level between regularand irregular cavalry. Hussars were recruited only from the title nation, i.e. this regiments were national units on Russianservice: all troops (incl. officers) were national and commands were given in the national languages. Each regiment wassupposed to have a fixed organization of 10 companies, each of about 100 men, but these regiments were recruited fromdifferent sources, so they were less than authorised strength.

Later in 175960, three more Hussar regiments were raised:

Zeltiy (Yellow)

Makedonskiy (Macedonian)Bolgarskiy (Bulgarian)

Hussars of the Napoleonic Wars

The hussars played a prominent role as cavalry in the Napoleonic Wars (17961815). As light cavalrymen mounted onfast horses, they would be used to fight skirmish battles and for scouting. Most of the great European powers raisedhussar regiments. The armies of France, Austria, Prussia, and Russia had included hussar regiments since the mid-18thcentury. In the case of Britain four light dragoon regiments were converted to hussars in 18061807.

Hussars were notoriously impetuous, and Napoleon was quoted as stating that he would be surprised for a hussar to livebeyond the age of 30 due to their tendency to become reckless in battle, exposing their weaknesses in frontal assaults.

The hussars of Napoleon created the tradition of sabrage, the opening of a champagne bottle with a sabre. Moustacheswere universally worn by Napoleonic period hussars, the British hussars were the only moustachioed troops in the BritishArmyleading to their being taunted as being "foreigners" at times. French hussars also wore cadenettes, braids of hairhanging either side of the face, until the practice was officially proscribed when shorter hair became universal.


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French 4th Hussar at the Battle of

Friedland, 14 June 1807. "Vive

l'Empereur!" by douard Detaille,

1891.

Romanian "Roior" Cavalryman,

19th century painting by Nicolae

Grigorescu

The uniform of the Napoleonic hussars included the pelisse: a short fur edgedacket which was often worn slung over one shoulder in the style of a cape, andwas fastened with a cord. This garment was extensively adorned with braiding(often gold or silver for officers) and several rows of multiple buttons. Under itwas worn the dolman or tunic which was also decorated in braid. The hussar'saccoutrements included a Hungarian-style saddle covered by a shabraque, adecorated saddlecloth with long pointed corners surmounted by a sheepskin.

On active service the hussar normally wore reinforced breeches which hadleather on the inside of the leg to prevent them from wearing due to the extensivetime spent in the saddle. On the outside of such breeches, running up the outsidewas a row of buttons, and sometimes a stripe in a different colour. A shako or furkolpac (busby) was worn as headwear. The colours of dolman, pelisse andbreeches varied greatly by regiment, even within the same army.

The French hussar of the Napoleonic period was armed with a brass hilted sabre,a carbine and sometimes with a brace of pistols, although these were often unavailable. The British hussar was armed, inaddition to his firearms, with the 1796 pattern light cavalry sabre. British hussars also introduced the sabretache (aleather pouch hung from the swordbelt) to the British Army.

A famous military commander in Bonaparte's army who began his military career as a hussar was Marshal Ney, whoafter being employed as a clerk in an iron works joined the 5th Hussars in 1787. He rose through the ranks of the hussarsin the wars of Belgium and the Rhineland (17941798) fighting against the forces of Austria and Prussia before receivinghis marshal's baton in 1804 after the Emperor Napoleon's coronation.

19th century

Eastern Europe

Although the Romanian cavalry were not formally designated as hussars, theirpre-1915 uniforms as described below were of the classic hussar type. These

regiments were created in the second part of the 19th century under the rule ofAlexandru Ioan Cuza, creator of Romania by the unification of Moldavia andWallachia. Romania diplomatically avoided the word "hussar" due to its connotationat the time with Austro-Hungary, traditional rival of the Romanian principates.Therefore these cavalry regiments were called "Clrai" in Moldavia, and later thedesignation "Roiori" was adopted in Wallachia. (The word "clra" means"mounted soldier", and "roior" means "of red colour" which derived from thecolour of their uniform.) The three (later expanded to ten) Roiori regiments werethe regular units, while the Clrai were territorial reserve cavalry who suppliedtheir own horses.

These troops played an important role in the Romanian Independence War of 1877

on the Russo-Turkish front. The Roiori, as their name implies in Romanian, worered dolmans with black braiding while the Clrai wore dark blue dolmans with redloopings. Both wore fur busbies and white plumes. The Roiori regiments weredistinguished by the different colours of their cloth busby bags (yellow, white, green,light blue, light green, dark blue, light brown, lilac, pink and light grey according toregiment). The Regimentul 1 Roiori "General de armat Alexandru Averescu" wasformed in 1871, while the Regimentul 4 Roiori "Regina Maria" was created in1893.

After World War I the differences between the two branches of Romanian cavalry disappeared, although the titles ofRoiori and Clrai remained. Both types of cavalry served through World War II on the Russian front as mounted andmechanised units.

Latin America

In Argentina, the 'Regimiento de Hsares del Rey' was created in 1806 to defend Buenos Aires from the British


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Chilean founding father Manuel

Rodrguez, wearing the Hsares de la

Muerte uniform.

Hussar barracks in Krefeld,

Germany, 1906

German Army hussars on the attack

during manoeuvres, 1912.

18061807 expeditions. After the Revolution in 1810, it became the 'RegimientoHsares de Pueyrredn' after its founder and first colonel, Juan Martn dePueyrredn.

In Chile, the 'Hsares de la Muerte', or 'Death Hussars', were created as aparamilitary corps by Manuel Rodrguez after the 'Desastre de Cancha Rayada'(Disaster of Cancha Rayada) that took place 26 March 1818, during the periodknown as the Patria Vieja (Old Fatherland).

In Peru, the squadrons ofHussars of the Peruvian Legion of the Guardwerecreated in 1821 by General Jos de San Martn, from officers and troopers of theSquadron of "Hussars of the General's Escort", the former Squadron of Horse-Chasseurs of the Andes, which were included in the newly created army of thethen recently independent republic of Peru.

The 4th Squadron of the Hussars of the Peruvian Legion of the Guard wasorganized in Trujillo under the command of Peruvian Colonel Antonio Gutirrezde la Fuente, and was named after "Cuirassiers" in 1823 and became into"Hussars of Per" Squadron in 1824.

It was renamed "Hussars of Junn" for its performance in 1824 at the Battle ofJunin, which was one of the Spanish-Peruvian battles which determined the finaldefeat of the Spanish colonial rule.

The Hussars of Junn fought at the battle of Ayacucho on December 9, 1824, amongthe liberating forces commanded by Antonio de Sucre against the Royalist Spanishforces commanded by Viceroy Jos de la Serna. The heroic action of the "Hussars ofJunn" Regiment as part of the Light Horse commanded by General Jos MaraCrdova was victorious, the battle eventuating in the capitulation of the Spanishforces, affirming the final independence of Peru. For this heroic action the "Hussarsof Junn" Regiment of the Light Horse was titled afterLiberator of Per withinscription on the regimental flag.

Hussars in the early 20th century

On the eve of World War I there were still hussar regiments in the British (includingCanadian), French, Spanish, German, Russian, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Romanianand Austro-Hungarian armies. In most respects they had now become regular lightcavalry, recruited solely from their own countries and trained and equipped alongthe same lines as other classes of cavalry. Hussars were however still notable fortheir colourful and elaborate parade uniforms, the most spectacular of which werethose worn by the two Spanish regiments, Hsares de Pavia and Hsares de laPrincesa.

A characteristic of both the Imperial German and Russian Hussars was the variety of colours apparent in their dressuniforms. These included red, black, green, dark and light blue, brown and even pink (the Russian 15th Hussars)dolmans. Most Russian hussar regiments wore red breeches as did all the Austro-Hungarian hussars of 1914. Thisrainbow effect harked back to the 18th century origins of hussar regiments in these armies and helped regrouping afterbattle or a charge.

The fourteen French hussar regiments were an exception to this rule they wore the same relatively simple uniform,with only minor distinctions, as the other branches of French light cavalry. This comprised a shako, light blue tunic andred breeches. The twelve British hussar regiments were distinguished by different coloured busby bags and a few otherdistinctions such as the yellow plumes of the 20th, the buff collars of the 13th and the crimson breeches of the 11thHussars.

Hussar influences were apparent even in those armies which did not formally include hussar regiments. Thus both theBelgium Guides (prior to World War I) and the Mounted Escort, the so-called Blue Hussars, of the Irish Defence Forces(during the 1930s) wore hussar style uniforms.


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An officer of the British 11th Hussars

(PAO) in the full dress of 1856,

including dolman, pelisse, busby and

sabretache.

Hussars of the King's German Legion

in 1813, all armed with the 1796

sabre.

Armoured units

After horse cavalry became obsolete, hussar units were generally converted to armoured units, though retaining theirtraditional titles. Hussar regiments still exist today and horses are sometimes used for ceremonial purposes. In the BritishArmy (although amalgamations have reduced their number to two only), the French Army, the Swedish Army(Livregementets husarer, the Life Regiment Hussars), the Dutch Army and the Canadian Forces, usually as tank forcesor light mechanised infantry. The Danish Guard Hussars provide a ceremonial mounted squadron, which is the last towear the slung pelisse.

The Hussar image

The colourful military uniforms of hussars from 1700 onwards were inspired bythe prevailing Hungarian fashions of the day. Usually this uniform consisted of ashort jacket known as a dolman, or later a medium-length "attila" jacket, bothwith heavy horizontal gold braid on the breast, and yellow braided or goldAustrian knots (sjts) on the sleeves; a matching pelisse (a short-waistedover-jacket often worn slung over one shoulder); coloured trousers, sometimeswith yellow braided or gold Austrian knots at the front; a busby (kucsma) (a highfur hat with a cloth bag hanging from one side; although some regiments wore the

shako (csk) of various styles); and high riding boots (often Hessian boots). Asabretache, an ornate pouch hung from the belt, often completed the

accoutrements.[18]

European hussars traditionally wore long moustaches (but no beards) and longhair, with two plaits hanging in front of the ears as well as a larger queue at theback. 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, hard-swearing,womanising, moustachioed, swashbuckler. General Lasalle, an archetypalshowoff hussar officer, epitomized this attitude by his remarks, among which themost famous is: "Any hussar who is not dead by the age of thirty is a

blackguard."[19] He died at the Battle of Wagram at the age of 34.

Arthur Conan Doyle's character Brigadier Etienne Gerard of the French Hussardsde Conflans has come to epitomise the hussar of popular fiction brave,conceited, amorous, a skilled horseman and (according to Napoleon) not veryintelligent. Brigadier Gerard's boast that the Hussards de Conflans (an actualregiment) could set a whole population running, the men away from them and thewomen towards them, may be taken as a fair representation of the esprit de corpsof this class of cavalry.

Less romantically, 18th century hussars were also known (and feared) for theirpoor treatment of local civilians. In addition to commandeering local food-stocksfor the army, hussars were known to also use the opportunity for personal looting

and pillaging.[20]

The 1930 operetta Viktoria und ihr Husar (Victoria and her Hussar) has beenfilmed several times.

Armament and tactics

Hussar armament varied over time. Until the 17th century it included a cavalry sabre, lance, long wooden shield and,optionally, light metal armour or simple leather vest. Their usual form of attack was to make a rapid charge in compactformation against enemy infantry or cavalry units. If the first attack failed, they would retire to their supporting troopswho re-equipped them with fresh lances, and then would charge again.


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Hussars in battle during the Hungarian Revolution of

1848

Apart from the Polish sabre and the lance, Polish heavy hussars wereusually also equipped with two pistols, a small rounded shield andkoncerz, a long (up to 2 metres) stabbing sword used in charge whenthe lance was broken, and some with horseman's pick. Also thearmour became heavier and with time it was replaced by shieldarmour.

Unlike their lighter counterparts, the Polish hussars were used as a

heavy cavalry for line-breaking charges against enemy infantry. Thefamous low losses were achieved by the unique tactic oflateconcentration. Until the first musket salvo of the enemy infantry, thehussars were approaching relatively slowly, in a loose formation.Each rider was at least 5 steps away from his colleagues and theinfantry using still undeveloped muskets simply could not aim at anyparticular cavalryman. Also, if a hussar's horse was wounded, thefollowing lines had time to steer clear of him. After the salvo, thecavalry rapidly accelerated and joined up the ranks. At the moment of the clash of the charging cavalry with thedefenders, the hussars were riding knee-to-knee.

Hussars of the Polish Commonwealth were also famous for the huge 'wings' worn on their backs or attached to the

saddles of their horses. There are several theories which try to explain the meaning of the wings. According to some theywere designed to foil attacks by Tatar lasso; another theory has it that the sound of vibrating feathers attached to thewings made a strange sound that frightened enemy horses during the charge. However, recent experiments carried overby Polish historians in 2001 did not support any of these theories and the phenomenon remains unexplained. Mostprobably the wings were worn only during parades and not during combat, but this explanation is also disputed.

The Hussars of Central and Western Europe in the 18th and 19th century were typically armed with a curved sabre, oneor two pistols carried in holsters at the front of the saddle and a carbine.

Current hussar units

Argentina

The 'Regimiento Hsares de Pueyrredn' (Pueyrredon Hussars Regiment) currently serves as an armoured regiment (the'RCT No 10 Hsares de Pueyrredn') in the 10th Tank Cavalry Regiment of the Argentine Army using its Revolutionaryera uniforms in full regalia during formal parades.

Canada

Note:All Canadian hussar regiments are reserve force armoured reconnaissance units.

1st Hussars8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise's)The Royal Canadian Hussars (Montreal)Sherbrooke Hussars

Chile

The only remaining hussar unit in the Chilean Army is the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment "Hussars" (Regimiento deCaballeria Blindada n. 3 "Husares") in Angol. It forms part of the 3rd Army Mountain Division, and is the only horsemounted regiment remaining in the Army, aside from the Horse Grenadiers. The regiment has a mounted troop andmounted military band. It is named after one of the nation's founding fathers, Jose Miguel de Carrera, and has theinformal title ofThe Hussars of Death, as the successor regiment to Manuel Rodriguez's cavalry unit of that name. Themodern regiment has the Totenkopf as its insignia as well as on the regimental camp flag.

Denmark

Gardehusarregimentet (English: Guard Hussar Regiment). Founded in 1762. Currently it is a unit with fourbattalions; an armoured infantry battalion, a light (motorized) recce battalion and two training battalions. In


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An ERC 90 Sagaie of the 1st

Parachute Hussar Regiment in Cte

d'Ivoire in 2003.

addition to its operational role, the Guard Hussar Regiment is one of two regiments in the Danish Army (alongwith the Den Kongelige Livgarde) to be classed as 'Guards'; in this case, the Guard Hussars perform the same roleas the Household Cavalry do in the British Army. In mounted parade uniform the Gardehusarregimentet are theonly hussars to still wear the slung and braided pelisse which was formerly characteristic of this class of cavalry.

France

1st Airborne Hussars Regiment (or 1st Hussar Parachute battalion) : 1er

Rgiment de Hussards Parachutistes (1er RHP). Founded in 1720,currently stationed in Tarbes, Hautes-Pyrnes, France. Formerly the"Hussards de Bercheny", after the founder, Count Bercheny, who was aHungarian noble. French official website : 1rhp.info (http://www.1rhp.info)2me rgiment de Hussards (2e RH) (2nd Hussar Regiment). Founded in1735, currently stationed in Haguenau,Bas-Rhin,France. Traditionallycalled "Chamborant".3me rgiment de Hussards (3e RH) (3rd Hussar Regiment). Founded in1764, currently stationed in Immendingen, Tuttlingen district, Germany.Part of the Franco-German Brigade. Formerly the "Hussards d'Esterhazy".

It should be noted that because of political upheavals, such as the French

Revolution and the Restoration of 1815, the French Hussar regiments do nothave the same historical continuity as their counterparts in some others armies.

Hussard noir(black hussar) was the nickname of primary teachers in the ThirdRepublic because of their black coat.

Netherlands

The Dutch word for hussar is huzaar[hza].

Regiment Huzaren Van Sytzama, eldest element founded in 1577Regiment Huzaren Prins van Oranje, eldest element founded in 1668

Regiment Huzaren Prins Alexander (disbanded 2007), eldest element founded in 1672Regiment Huzaren van Boreel, eldest element founded in 1585

Except for the Huzaren Van Boreel, every regiment operates in the armoured role in one of the two mechanised brigadesof the Dutch army, using the Leopard 2 main battle tank. Each of these brigades also has a squadron from the HuzarenVan Boreel attached for reconnaissance. There is also a mounted unit for ceremonies: Cavalerie Ere-Escorte(http://www.cavalerie.net/index.php?lng=1). It is linked to the Huzaren Prins Alexander although riders from otherregiments participate as well.

Peru

The 1st Light Cavalry Regiment, Glorious Hussars of Junn was formed to provide a personal mounted guard for the

Peruvian President in 1987,[21] However by Ministerial Resolution No 139-2012/DE/EP of February 2, 2012, signedunder the current administration of President Ollanta Humala Tasso, the Regiment of Cavalry Field Marshal Domingo

Nieto has been reestablished as the official Presidential Escort, with the main mission of guaranting the security of thePresident of the Republic and the Government Palace of Per in Lima. TheHussars of Junin accordingly no longerserves as the Presidential Escort but is now based in the Peruvian Army Education Command and still participates inceremonies and parades when needed.

TheHussars of Junn wear a stylised Dress uniform of shako, red coat and blue breeches modelled on that worn in 1824in the Battle of Junn. This uniform is of similar design though with different colors and braiding, from that worn by theArgentine Regiment of Mounted Grenadiers General San Martn. The Argentinian unit helped to raise and train the

Hussars of Junin when the Peruvian regiment was established in February 1987.

TheHussars of Junin carry lances and sabres on parade, and perform as a ceremonial guard together with theMarshalNieto Dragoon Guards and the other ceremonial units of the Peruvian Armed Forces and the National Police of Peru.The regiment also provides honor guards and escorts for welcoming ceremonies and other events of national importance.An example of such occasions is the ceremony commemorating the 1929 reintegration of the Tacna Region into Peru.


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Officer of the 1st. Cavalry

Regiment "Hussars of Junn"

Liberator of Per.

Winston Churchill in the uniform of

the 4th Queen's Own Hussars, 1895

Spain

Hsares de Pava: Regimiento Acorazado de Caballeria Pava n 4 (CavalryArmored Regiment Pavia no. 4 "Pavia Hussars") garrisoned in Zaragoza (Spain).

Sweden

Livregementets husarer (English: Life Regiment Hussars). One of the most

distinguished hussar regiments in European history with roots back to 1536.Today Livregementets husarer, also known as K 3, is the last remaining stillactive hussar regiment in Sweden and trains an airborne battalion, intelligencebattalion, and hosts the Swedish Army's Parachute Ranger School and theArmed Forces Survival School.

United Kingdom

Queen's Royal HussarsKing's Royal Hussars60 (Royal Buckinghamshire Hussars) Signal SquadronLeicestershire Yeomanry (P.A.O)

Presently, the first two regiments operate in the Armoured role, primarily operatingthe Challenger 2 main battle tank. The Hussar regiments are grouped together withthe Dragoon and Lancer regiments in the order of precedence, all of which arebelow the Dragoon Guards.

A Dragoon regiment, the Light Dragoons, was formed by the amalgamation oftwo Hussar regiments, the 13th/18th Royal Hussars and the 15th/19th The King'sRoyal Hussars, in 1992. This marks a reversal of the trend during the mid-19thcentury when all light dragoon regiments then existing were converted to hussars.

60 (Royal Buckinghamshire Hussars) Signal Squadron is a Territorial Army unitwithin 36 (Eastern) Signal Regiment and was formed in 1999 from the 5thBattalion the Royal Green Jackets.

The King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery have a Full Dress uniform in the Hussar

style,[22] with a busby and frogged dolmen, and a pelisse for officers; the present

uniform was finalised in 1928.[23]

Venezuela

The Presidential Honor Guard Brigade of Venezuela wears full dress uniforms inthe hussar style, thus maintaining the traditions and legacy of Simon Bolivar's

Hussar Troop, raised in 1815, who fought with him during the Venezuelan War ofIndependence and in the larger Spanish American wars of independence during the early 19th century. The Brigadeserves as ceremonial escort to the President of Venezuela at Miraflores Palace and attends all State Arrival Ceremoniesconducted there; and as honor guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Carabobo Field, Carabobo, in honor of allthe fallen of the many wars and battles of the nation's armed services through the years.

See also

CossacksCuirassierDragoon

LancerPandurs - infantry mercenaries in Habsburg MonarchyUhlan


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References and notes

^ Clifford Rogers: The Oxford Encyclopedia of Medieval Warfare and Military Technology, Volume I. page: 306 | [1](http://books.google.hu/books?id=mzwpq6bLHhMC&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+Oxford+Encyclopedia+of+Medieval+Warfare+and+Military+Technology&hl=hu&ei=BGHbTqG6G5T38QPmhOSiBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=hussar&f=false)

1.

^ Cowley, Robert; Geoffrey Parker (2001). The Reader's Companion to Military History. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

p. 215. ISBN 978-0-618-12742-9.

2.

^ ab Corvisier, Andr; John Childs, translated by Chris Turner (1994).A dictionary of military history and the art of war(2ed.). Wiley-Blackwell. p. 367. ISBN 978-0-631-16848-5.

3.

^ Philip Babcock Gove, ed. (1986). "Hussar". Webster's Third New International Dictionary2. Springfield, Massachusetts:Merriam-Webster. pp. Page 1105. ISBN 0-85229-503-0.

4.

^ George T. Denis, Three Byzantine Military Treatises (Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks, 1985) p. 153.5.^ Digby Smith (2007). Charge!: Great Cavalry Charges of the Napoleonic Wars (http://books.google.hr

/books?id=3wrIU8_7PC4C). MBI Publishing Company. p. 15. ISBN 9781853677229. Retrieved 22 May 2012.6.

^ Polish Winged Hussar 15761775 Richard Brzezinski,Velimir Vuki7.^ M. Canard, "Sur Deux Termes Militaires Byzantins d'Origin Orientale" inByzantion, 40 (1970), pp. 22629.8.^ Haythornthwaite, Philip J. ; Bryan Fosten (1986). "Hussars".Austrian army of the Napoleonic Wars. Osprey Publishing.p. 22. ISBN 978-0-85045-726-1.

9.

^ Haywood, Matthew (February 2002). "Hussars (Gusars)" (http://www.warfareeast.co.uk

/main/Hungarian_Composition.htm).Hungarian Army Composition (Wargaming and Warfare in Eastern Europe). Retrieved2008-10-09. "In Matthius' reign the Hussars were equally referred to in the sources as Rac [an old Hungarian name forSerbs]. The primary reason for this being that the majority of Hussars were supplied by Serbian exiles or mercenaries."

10.

^ Nicolle, David; Witold Sarnecki (February 2008).Medieval Polish Armies 966-1500 (http://books.google.com/books?id=i3wRJpR8LOQC&pg=PA19). Men-at-Arms. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. p. 19. ISBN 978-1-84603-014-7. "Oneof several likely models for this development were those light hussars of Serbian origin who had first appeared in theHungarian army of king Matthias Corvinus (the Serbian word meaning bandit or robber)."

11.

^ Haywood, Matthew (February 2002). "Hussars (Gusars)" (http://www.warfareeast.co.uk/main/Hungarian_Composition.htm).Hungarian Army Composition. Wargaming and Warfare in Eastern Europe. Retrieved2008-10-09. "In Matthius' reign the Hussars were equally referred to in the sources as Rac [an old Hungarian name forSerbs]. The primary reason for this being that the majority of Hussars were supplied by Serbian exiles or mercenaries."

12.

^ Balkanhistory.com (http://www.balkanhistory.com/serbian_medieval.htm)13.^ Myweb.tiscali.co.uk (http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/matthaywood/main/Hungarian_Composition.htm#HussarsGusars)14.^ Brzezinski, Richard and Velimir Vuki, Polish Winged Hussar 15761775, (Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2006), 6.15.^ ab Hungarian-history.hu (http://www.hungarian-history.hu/lib/thou/thou12.htm)16.^ ab Peter the Great's army, Volym 2-Angus Konstam17.^ British Military Uniforms from Contemporary Pictures: Henry VII to the Present Day, W. Y. Carman, Arco Publishing 1968(http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Q68MAQAAIAAJ&q=hussar+hessian+boots&dq=hussar+hessian+boots&hl=en&sa=X&ei=xf4aT5XVLsrQhAeJ69mnDA&redir_esc=y)

18.

^ Haythornthwaite, Philip J. (2001).Napoleon's Commanders Vol. I (c17921809). Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-055-2.19.^ Albert Seaton, page 22 "Fredericks the Great's Army", ISBN 0-85045-151-520.^ In February 1987 Alan Garca ordered the 1st Light Cavalry Regiment, "Glorious Hussars of Junn" - Per's Liberator, tobe his presidential life-guard escort regiment (replacing the Dragoon Guards of the Cavalry Regiment "Field MarshalDomingo Nieto" - Life Guard Escort of the President of the Republic of Peru that was disbanded the same year)

21.

^ World Uniforms in Colour: The European Nations, Rinaldo D. D'Ami, Patrick Stephens Ltd., 1968, ISBN 85059 031 0

(http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=0aoMAQAAIAAJ&q=king%27s+troop+royal+horse+artillery+uniform&dq=king%27s+troop+royal+horse+artillery+uniform&hl=en&sa=X&ei=JvcaT6zTLMaIhQfexZDrAw&redir_esc=y) (p.51)

22.

^ The Royal Artillery, W. Y. Carman, Osprey Publishing Ltd 1973, ISBN 0-85045-140-X (http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=7nnyYVACkt8C&pg=PA38&dq=king%27s+troop+royal+horse+artillery+uniform&hl=en&sa=X&ei=JvcaT6zTLMaIhQfexZDrAw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=king's%20troop%20royal%20horse%20artillery%20uniform&f=false) (p.38)

23.

Further reading

Radosaw Sikora, Fenomen husariiBronisaw Gembarzewski,Husarze. Ubir, oporzdzenie i uzbrojenie 15001775Zbigniew Bocheski,Ze studiw nad polsk zbroj husarsk in:Rozprawy i sprawozdania Muzeum Narodowegow Krakowie. Krakw, 1960Marek Plewczyski, Obertyn 1531Romuald Romaski,Beresteczko 1651Leszek Podhorodecki, Sawne bitwy PolakwSzymon Kobyliski, Szymona Kobyliskiego gawdy o broni i mundurze


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Janusz Sikorski,Zarys dziejw wojskowoci polskiej do roku 1864Jan Chryzostom Pasek, PamitnikiMirosaw Nagielski,Relacje wojenne z pierwszych lat walk polsko-kozackich powstania Bohdana Chmielnickiego

Bitwa pod Gniewem 22.IX 29.IX. 1626, pierwsza poraka husarii in: Studia i materiay do historii wojskowoci,Warsaw, 1966J. Cichowski, A. Szulczyski,HusariaJakub o, Pamitnik towarzysza chorgwi pancernejBrzezinski, Richard. Polish Armies 15691600. (volume 1) #184 in the Osprey Men-at-Arms Series. London:

Osprey Publishing, 6, 16.Brzezinski, Richard. Polish Winged Hussar 15761775. Warrior Series. Oxford: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2006.Hollins, David.Hungarian Hussars 17561815. Osprey Warrior Series. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, Ltd., 2003.Klucina, Petr. (Illustrations by Pavol Pevny),Armor: From Ancient To Modern Times. Reprinted by New York:Barnes & Noble Books, 1992, (by permission of Slovart Publishing Ltd, Bratislava).Ostrowski, Jan K., et al.,Art in Poland: Land of the Winged Horsemen 15721764. Baltimore: Art ServicesInternational, 1999.Wasilkowska, Anna. The Winged Horsemen. Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Interpress, 1998.Zamoyski, Adam. The Polish Way. New York: Hippocrene Books, 1996.

External links

Hussars Photographs (http://www.hussards-photos.com)video of a Hussar colour party canter (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34hnE-RofpA&feature=related)First American Living History group to portray the Polish winged Hussars (http://www.husaria.us)1st re-enacment group in the U.S.A. to represent the winged hussars (http://www.foxywebdesigns.com)The famous Hungarian hussar (http://youtube.com/watch?v=kV68h3FKDpg)French official website of the Bercheny's 1st Airborne Hussars Regiment (http://www.1rhp.info)Hungarian Hussar site. (http://www.magyarhuszar.hu)About Polish Hussars on Polish Renaissance Warfare site (http://www.jasinski.co.uk/wojna/comp/comp06.htm)How the Polish Hussars Fought (http://www.kismeta.com/diGrasse/HowHussarFought.htm)Polish Hussars Feature on MyArmoury.com (http://www.myarmoury.com/feature_hussars.html)Hussars, the armoured force of the seventeenth century (http://www.wilanow-palac.pl

/hussars_the_armoured_force_of_the_seventeenth_century.html) at the Wilanw Palace MuseumWarfareeast.co.uk (http://www.warfareeast.co.uk/main/Hungarian_Composition.htm#HussarsGusars)

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