The Royal-Suédois was an infantry regiment in the French Army

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...

 during the Ancien Régime. It was created in 1690 from Swedish prisoners taken during the Battle of Fleurus

Battle of Fleurus (1690)

The Battle of Fleurus, fought on 1 July 1690, was a major engagement of the Nine Years' War. In a bold envelopment the Duc de Luxembourg, commanding Louis XIV’s army of some 35,000 men, soundly defeated Prince Waldeck’s Allied force of approximately 38,000 men comprising mainly Dutch, German, and...

. The regiment was very successful and eventually earned the right and privilege to be called a Royal regiment. Thus it was named the Royal Suédois. As a special privilege granted by the King of France, the regiment was allowed to only accept Swedish officers. However most of the privates and NCOs were of German origin, from Swedish Pomerania

Swedish Pomerania

Swedish Pomerania was a Dominion under the Swedish Crown from 1630 to 1815, situated on what is now the Baltic coast of Germany and Poland. Following the Polish War and the Thirty Years' War, Sweden held extensive control over the lands on the southern Baltic coast, including Pomerania and parts...

, in view of the difficulty of obtaining sufficient numbers of Swedish recruits, and at least one Irishman, Daniel Charles, Count O'Connell, was a Lieutenant-Colonel in the regiment.

Initially named the Lenck Regiment, the unit was renamed the Appelgrehn Regiment in 1734 and the Royal-Suedois in 1742. From about 1750 onwards the regiment was distinguished by wearing dark blue coats with buff (yellow-brown) collars and cuffs. This colour combination matched the uniform of most infantry regiments in the Swedish Army during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Count Axel von Fersen bought the regiment (or rather the position of Colonel

Colonel

Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...

) in 1783, according to some in order to be able to stay close to the Queen of France Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette ; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was an Archduchess of Austria and the Queen of France and of Navarre. She was the fifteenth and penultimate child of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I....

. He remained in command of the Regiment until the beginning of the French Revolution

French Revolution

The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...

 in 1789, and officially this was the case when, in 1791, all royal foreign regiments were disbanded. The regiment was then reorganised as the new 89th Regiment of the Line.

In December 1813, the regiment was once again raised by a French émigré

Émigré

Émigré is a French term that literally refers to a person who has "migrated out", but often carries a connotation of politico-social self-exile....

 in Germany, and it fought in the Swedish Army

Swedish Army

The Swedish Army is one of the oldest standing armies in the world and a branch of the Swedish Armed Forces; it is in charge of land operations. General Sverker Göranson is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Army.- Organization :...

 during the Battle of Leipzig

Battle of Leipzig

The Battle of Leipzig or Battle of the Nations, on 16–19 October 1813, was fought by the coalition armies of Russia, Prussia, Austria and Sweden against the French army of Napoleon. Napoleon's army also contained Polish and Italian troops as well as Germans from the Confederation of the Rhine...

 in 1813 and during the campaign in Norway in 1814

Norway in 1814

1814 was a pivotal year in the history of Norway. It started with Norway in a union with the Kingdom of Denmark subject to a naval blockade being ceded to the king of Sweden. In May a constitutional convention declared Norway an independent kingdom. By the end of the year the Norwegian parliament...

. The Royal Suédois was finally disbanded in December 1814 in Norway.

Today, the regiment's traditions and flag are carried on in the French Army

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...

via a company in the 4th Infantry Regiment.