Hohenlohe Regiment
Encyclopedia
The Hohenlohe Regiment was an infantry regiment of the French Army
established after the abdication of Napoleon Bonaparte and consisting of foreign soldiers who wished to continue service in the French Army.
, but which had been disbanded following the abdication of Napoleon Bonaparte. In February 1821, it was renamed the Régiment de Hohenlohe after its founder and then commanding officer Colonel-Prince Louis Aloysius de Hohenlohe. The Hohenlohe Regiment participated in the French intervention in Spain of 1823 as part of Colonel-Prince Hohenlohe's 4th Corps of the Armée des Pyrénées. In 1829, the namesake of the regiment, Colonel Hohenlohe, died.
Other than during the French intervention in Spain, the Hohenlohe Regiment's service was largely uneventful as they were primarily used as a garrison force in various provincial towns around France. This was in marked contrast to the service of the other notable foreign regiments of the era: detachments of Swiss Guard
s had traditionally been stationed at Versailles
as part of the Maison du Roi
— with the bulk of the Regiment of Swiss Guards garrisoned just outside Paris for the purpose of maintaining royal authority in the city. Swiss regiments continued to perform this role under the restored Bourbon kings
. With the Swiss troops occupying such a high profile role enforcing the authority of the Bourbon kings, the Hohenlohe Regiment largely escaped the notice of the Provisional Government during the July Revolution
. While their counterparts in the Swiss regiments were disbanded by order of the government on August 14, 1830, the Hohenlohe Regiment, stationed in the port city of Marseille far from the Paris events of July 1830, escaped this immediate fate.
This relative isolation did not last for long, as the newly established July Monarchy
intended to honor the constitutional prohibition forbidding the use of foreign mercenaries on French soil. As result, on December 12, 1830, the regiment received orders to prepare to be deployed to Greece
in the vicinity of Patras
to support the Morea Expedition
, a French interventionist effort supporting the Greek independence movement
. On January 5, 1831, however, the Hohenlohe Regiment received orders to disband from King Louis Phillippe. Those members of the regiment who wished to continue to serve in the French army were folded into the 21st Line Infantry Regiment.
. An immediate legacy was passed onto the Foreign Legion by the Hohenlohe Regiment, aside from the distinction as an emigreé fighting force, in the form of the Hohenlohe Regiment's commissioned and non-commissioned officer corps which were credited with forming the Legion into a functional fighting force. In its original form, the Legion's 1st and 2nd Battalions were composed of veterans of the Swiss Guards and the Hohenlohe Regiment.
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
established after the abdication of Napoleon Bonaparte and consisting of foreign soldiers who wished to continue service in the French Army.
History
The Hohenlohe Regiment was established on September 6, 1815. Upon its formation, it was known as Légion royale étrangère and was composed of the consolidated elements of eight foreign regiments that had been raised during the Hundred DaysHundred Days
The Hundred Days, sometimes known as the Hundred Days of Napoleon or Napoleon's Hundred Days for specificity, marked the period between Emperor Napoleon I of France's return from exile on Elba to Paris on 20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815...
, but which had been disbanded following the abdication of Napoleon Bonaparte. In February 1821, it was renamed the Régiment de Hohenlohe after its founder and then commanding officer Colonel-Prince Louis Aloysius de Hohenlohe. The Hohenlohe Regiment participated in the French intervention in Spain of 1823 as part of Colonel-Prince Hohenlohe's 4th Corps of the Armée des Pyrénées. In 1829, the namesake of the regiment, Colonel Hohenlohe, died.
Other than during the French intervention in Spain, the Hohenlohe Regiment's service was largely uneventful as they were primarily used as a garrison force in various provincial towns around France. This was in marked contrast to the service of the other notable foreign regiments of the era: detachments of Swiss Guard
Swiss Guard
Swiss Guards or Schweizergarde is the name given to the Swiss soldiers who have served as bodyguards, ceremonial guards, and palace guards at foreign European courts since the late 15th century. They have had a high reputation for discipline, as well as loyalty to their employers...
s had traditionally been stationed at Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
as part of the Maison du Roi
Maison du Roi
The Maison du Roi was the name of the military, domestic and religious entourage around the royal family in France during the Ancien Régime and Bourbon Restoration; the exact composition and duties of its various divisions changed constantly over the Early Modern period...
— with the bulk of the Regiment of Swiss Guards garrisoned just outside Paris for the purpose of maintaining royal authority in the city. Swiss regiments continued to perform this role under the restored Bourbon kings
Bourbon Restoration
The Bourbon Restoration is the name given to the period following the successive events of the French Revolution , the end of the First Republic , and then the forcible end of the First French Empire under Napoleon – when a coalition of European powers restored by arms the monarchy to the...
. With the Swiss troops occupying such a high profile role enforcing the authority of the Bourbon kings, the Hohenlohe Regiment largely escaped the notice of the Provisional Government during the July Revolution
July Revolution
The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution or in French, saw the overthrow of King Charles X of France, the French Bourbon monarch, and the ascent of his cousin Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans, who himself, after 18 precarious years on the throne, would in turn be overthrown...
. While their counterparts in the Swiss regiments were disbanded by order of the government on August 14, 1830, the Hohenlohe Regiment, stationed in the port city of Marseille far from the Paris events of July 1830, escaped this immediate fate.
This relative isolation did not last for long, as the newly established July Monarchy
July Monarchy
The July Monarchy , officially the Kingdom of France , was a period of liberal constitutional monarchy in France under King Louis-Philippe starting with the July Revolution of 1830 and ending with the Revolution of 1848...
intended to honor the constitutional prohibition forbidding the use of foreign mercenaries on French soil. As result, on December 12, 1830, the regiment received orders to prepare to be deployed to Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
in the vicinity of Patras
Patras
Patras , ) is Greece's third largest urban area and the regional capital of West Greece, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens...
to support the Morea Expedition
Morea expedition
The Morea expedition is the name given in France to the land intervention of the French Army in the Peloponnese, between 1828 and 1833, at the time of the Greek War of Independence....
, a French interventionist effort supporting the Greek independence movement
Greek War of Independence
The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution was a successful war of independence waged by the Greek revolutionaries between...
. On January 5, 1831, however, the Hohenlohe Regiment received orders to disband from King Louis Phillippe. Those members of the regiment who wished to continue to serve in the French army were folded into the 21st Line Infantry Regiment.
Legacy
The Hohenlohe Regiment was, due to its nature as an infantry regiment composed of foreigners, one of the forebears of the French Foreign LegionFrench Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
. An immediate legacy was passed onto the Foreign Legion by the Hohenlohe Regiment, aside from the distinction as an emigreé fighting force, in the form of the Hohenlohe Regiment's commissioned and non-commissioned officer corps which were credited with forming the Legion into a functional fighting force. In its original form, the Legion's 1st and 2nd Battalions were composed of veterans of the Swiss Guards and the Hohenlohe Regiment.