Her Majesty’s Cuirassier Life Guards Regiment

Categories / Army. Navy/Garrison
HER MAJESTY’S CUIRASSIER LIFE GUARDS REGIMENT a cavalry guards regiment, raised in 1704 as the Dragoon Regiment of Portes, from 1708 was known under the name of Nevsky Dragoon Regiment, from 1733 known as the Life Cuirassier Regiment. In 1796 Empress Maria Fedorovna became the Regiment’s Patron and the regiment was called Her Majesty’s Life Cuirassier Regiment. In 1831-55 it was named the Heir and Tsesarevich’s Alexander Nikolaevich Regiment. In 1855-80 its patron was Empress Maria Alexandrovna; in 1856 the regiment was granted the privilege of the New Guards and received the name the Her Majesty’s Life Guards Cuirassier Regiment. From 1881 Empress Maria Fedorovna was its patron and the regiment was assigned to the Old Guards, in 1894 designated the Her Majesty Empress Maria Fedorovna’s Life Guards Cuirassier Regiment. It participated in the wars with Sweden of 1700-21, 1741-43; the Seven Years War of 1756-63, the Russo-Turkish War of 1787-91, in the wars with France of 1799 (in Switzerland), of 1805, and 1812-14, in suppressing of the Polish Insurrection of 1830-31. The regiment was stationed in Gatchina (hence the informal name Gatchinsky Cuirassiers), in contrast to the Cavalry Guards Regiment (Yellow Cuirassiers) this regiment was called Blue Cuirassiers (for the colour of their uniform cloth). The regiment’s barracks were located in the area bordered by Ekaterinverdersky (now Krasnoarmeysky) Avenue, Kirasirsky Boulevard, Varshavskoe Freeway (now Kievskaya Street) and Konyushennaya Street (now Grigorina Street). During WW I 1914-18 the Regiment was disbanded.

References: Марков М. И., Мордвинов А. А. История Лейб-гвардии Кирасирского Ее Величества полка: В 2 т. СПб., 1884-1904; Трубецкой В. С. Записки кирасира. М., 1991.

A. N. Lukirsky. Alexander II, Emperor
Maria Alexandrovna, Empress
Maria Fedorovna, Empress
Maria Fedorovna, Empress
Трубецкой В. С. Записки кирасира. М., 1991
Марков М. И., Мордвинов А. А. История Лейб-гвардии Кирасирского Ее Величества полка: В 2 т. СПб., 1884-1904
Марков М. И., Мордвинов А. А. История Лейб-гвардии Кирасирского Ее Величества полка: В 2 т. СПб., 1884-1904