Cavalry of the Napoleonic Era: Cuirassiers, Dragoons, Hussars, and Lancers

Military terminology is hardly a straightforward thing, and this was as much the case in the Napoleonic Era as it is today! We've all seen these names thrown around to describe the different kinds of cavalry, but what do they actually mean? What, if anything, makes them distinctive? And just how much do these lines of classification blur when applied to real life examples?

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[BrandonF]

"Why is this video so blurry?"

Well, I was trying something a little different with the editing, and it didn't really work out like I was thinking it might. Sorry for that! This video may be better to listen to than to watch if the blurry motion gives you a headache! But for those just discovering this channel, please know that I made this video a long while back and the editing is *much* improved since then!

[mnk]

I think it was a french general who said dragoons are hardest to train because first you hand them a musket and teach them that formed up infantry easily repells every cavalry charge and then you put them on a horse and convince them that a good charge easily breaks every infantry formation.

[bluesnail]

Damn Brandon, that broadside against Winged Hussaraboos was ruthless

[superbun]

“[the Winged Hussars] have such a disproportionate and obsessed fan base you’d think they were German”
Oof, the sass is strong in this one 🤣
Also, I think a _certain_ Swedish heavy metal band may be partially responsible...

[adityaraman]

"They have such a disproportionate base of obsessed fans you'd think that they were German." Lmao, golden

[mothninja]

Why were the Polish considered to make the best lancers?


Because lances are pole-arms, of course! :D


...




...I'll get my pelisse.

[vincentoppenheimer]

Do I see "Waterloo", the greatest historical movie ever made, faded out in the background? Yes, I do and I love it.

[pablojn]

Brandon F: "These cavalry terms are sometimes confusing"

NTW players: you know am something of a *H i s t o r i a n* myself

[tomfennesy]

The Lancers were hard to train. Napoleon had a hard time making dragoons into Lancers. Usually they threw the lance away before the battle. Polish Lancers were better because they never stopped using Lance's from the late 1600's to late 1700's like everyone else.

[truth__hurts]

Discovered recently that my 4th great-grandfather was a hussar serving in Napoleon's army. I love this period.

[moritamikamikara]

"Any Hussar to live to more than 30 is a blackguard!"

[ceoofwalls]

Your one of the best History channel on YouTube

[aleksandersokal]

In Poland we have a distinction between the heavy (winged hussar type unit popular in Poland from 16th-18th century) which we call "husarz" in singular, "husarze" in plural and "husaria" as the name of the unit, while the light hussars which were common in 18th-19th century are called "huzar" in singular and "huzarzy" in plural and the name of the unit. Interestingly the hussar idea came to Poland in very late 15th century as light cavalry from Serbia and it was then mixed with the native noble heavy cavalry tactics. Thus, the Polish Winged Hussars emerged in mid-16th century, which had the heavy character to them. Though they were very much capable of carrying out other roles on the battlefield and on some cases even served as infantry capturing castle and in defesive ways like the battle of Hodów 1694. P.S.: Ulans were better than other Europeans is because they brought back the idea of a lance being used in combat back to the table to begin with, in Poland cavalry warfare did not stagnate like in the countries to the west (though the overall country stagnated in the 18th century and was partitioned from 1772 to 1794).

[brickbreak]

Girlfriend:
Ditches you for friends
Can't carry a single grocery bag
Makes droning noise while complaining
Run into them cheating on you

Horse:
Never leaves your side
Can carry a grown man with weapons, plus wear armour
Makes strong, valiant whinny
Run into enemy and drive a lance through their chest

[Altrantis]

During the Chilean war of independence, and I suspect a lot of the rest of Latin America, sometimes the bulk of the army were lancers. In the early 1800s Chile, horses were a lot more common than guns or sabers, so building an entire army of mostly lancers was easy.

[terry]

Manipulating a lance on horseback requires a particular skill set, which is why they were recruited from eastern Europe, which had a tradition of lancers. Also, you might have mentioned that a primary difference in armament in the cavalry was that the lights usually carried a curved saber, while the heavy usually carried a straight sword.

[robertrayes]

Massive improvements in both editing and pacing, as well as an excellent addition in the form of the light classical music in the background. The script has also seen a great improvement, far more formal and straight-to-the-point, as well as time effective and efficient in its delivery. If this is the direction this channel is going, you have my full support sir!

[robertx]

I love those uniforms during the Napoleonic Era . Painting figures of this era is one of my hobbies

[jozefkozon]

The rumor is that until the Polish uhlans showed what was possible with the lance, Napoleon considered abandoning its concept altogether. And they proved it by preying on Moscow lancers (probably compatriots) and, having acquired their weapons in close combat, smoothly crossed over to make a bloody highway in enemy lines. This event made such an impression that other cavalry in Napoleon's service adapted the lance to their repertoire.

[MrAwsomenoob]

"They are the noblest cavalry in Europe and the worst led."

"That may be, but we'll match them with our lancers"