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Mamelukes of the Imperial Guard

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Mamelukes of the Imperial Guard
Mamelouks de la Garde Impériale
M. Ducel, a Mameluke from 1813 to 1815, was one of the last surviving veterans of the Imperial Army.
Active1799–1815
Allegiance Napoleon I
Branch French Imperial Army
TypeLight Cavalry (Mamelukes)
RoleReconnaissance
Bodyguards
SizeTwo squadrons
Part ofImperial Guard

The Mamelukes of the Imperial Guard (French: Mamelouks de la Garde Impériale) were a cavalry unit that served in Napoleon I’s Imperial Guard during the Napoleonic Wars. Originally made up of Mameluk slave soldiers, the unit eventually was mostly recruited from a wide mixture of Middle Eastern and European soldiers. Originally only mustering a single squadron, a second squadron would be raised from European cavalrymen in 1813, both squadrons served under the Mounted Chasseurs of the Imperial Guard. The various spellings of the squadron's title include Mamelukes, Mamluks and Mamelouks.

History

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The Charge of the Mameluks on The Second of May 1808 in Madrid by Jacques Onfroy de Bréville, 1929)

During the French invasion of Egypt and Syria, troops of France's Army of the Orient fought against Mamluk cavalrymen, including at the decisive Battle of the Pyramids. The French, impressed by their fighting abilities, recruited a number of Mamluks into indigenous cavalry units of the Army of the Orient. After the invasion ended in failure, the French negotiated terms with the British, allowing remaining troops of the Army of the Orient to be repatriated by the Royal Navy back to Europe. A number of Mamluks who had served with the French embarked on the troopship HMS Pallas and eventually ended up in Marseilles at the "Depot of the Egyptians" near the neighbourhood of La Castellane.[1]

In 1801, General Jean Rapp was sent to Marseilles to organize a cavalry squadron of 250 Mamluks into the French Revolutionary Army. On 7 January 1802, the unit was reduced to 150 men. A list of the squadron's effectives made on 21 April 1802 indicated that it had 3 officers and 155 other ranks. As the result of a decree issued on 25 December 1804, the unit was reorganised into a company attached to the Mounted Chasseurs of the Imperial Guard which was named the Mamelukes of the Imperial Guard. The unit's officers were French, while the other ranks were a mixture of Syrians, Greeks, Circassians, Crimeans, Armenians, Egyptians, Georgians, Arabs, Turks, Albanians, Hungarians, Maltese and Tunisians.[2] Every soldier of the company was armed with two brace of pistols, a curved saber, dagger, mace and eventually a battle-ax. During the remainder of their service the Mamelukes were issued at various dates with carbines, a form of blunderbuss and a musket. These firearms were manufactured by the Manufacturie de Versailles.[3]

The Mamelukes reportedly fought well during the campaigns of Napoleon, particularly at the Battle of Austerlitz on 2 December 1805 under Jean-Baptiste Bessières,[4][5][6][7] and in Poland[8] [9][10] [7]

In 1813 the Mamelukes were reinforced with Frenchmen who were designated as '2nd Mameluks'. There were 2 companies of Mameluks, the 1st was ranked as Old Guard and the 2nd as Young Guard. The Squadron of Mameluks was attached to the Regiment of Guard Chasseurs. Between 1813 and the following year a total of 205 Frenchmen and 119 recruits from a variety of European countries were added to the original mixture of Manluks and others.[11]

Despite the decree of 21 March 1815 that stated that no foreigner could be admitted into the Imperial Guard, Napoleon's decree of 24 April prescribed amongst other things that the Chasseurs-à-Cheval of the Imperial Guard include a squadron of two companies of Mamelukes for the Belgian Campaign. With the First Restoration, the company of the Mamelukes of the Old Guard was incorporated into the Corps Royal des Chasseurs de France. The Mamelukes of the Young Guard became part of the 7th Chasseurs-à-Cheval.[12]

Following the Second Bourbon Restoration of 1815 there were widespread reprisals against individuals or groups identified with the defeated Napoleonic regime. These included the small number of Mamelukes still in service, eighteen of whom were massacred in Marseilles while awaiting transportation back to Egypt. Since 1806 a depot had been maintained in Marseilles for retired veterans of the squadron and their families.[13]

The fight between a Mameluke and a Russian Dragoon, by Jacques Onfroy de Bréville

See also

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mamelouks de la Garde impériale.

References

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  1. ^ Fabrice Houdart, "Speech at the Cosmos Club in December 2019 — Institute of Current World Affairs, Washington, D.C.,"| http://fhoudart.medium.com/speech-at-the-cosmos-club-in-december-2019-institute-of-current-world-affairs-washington-dc-8f3fb7674ba8"| accessed [March 27, 2024]
  2. ^ Jouineau, Andre (2005). The French Imperial Guard. Vol. 3 Cavalry 1804-15. Histoire & Collections. p. 6. ISBN 2-913903-98-3.
  3. ^ Jouineau, Andre (2005). The French Imperial Guard. Vol. 3 Cavalry 1804-15. Histoire & Collections. p. 10. ISBN 2-913903-98-3.
  4. ^ Muzaffar Husain Syed; Syed Saud Akhtar; B D Usmani. Concise History of Islam. Vij Books India Private Limited. p. 80. ISBN 9789382573470. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  5. ^ Ronald Pawly (2021). Napoleon's Mamelukes. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 16, 17, 19, 20–1. ISBN 9781780964218. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  6. ^ Enrico Acerbi (2022). All about Austerlitz. Soldiershop Publishing. ISBN 9788893278621. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  7. ^ a b John R. Elting (2009). Swords Around A Throne Napoleon's Grande Armée. Hachette Books. ISBN 9780786748310. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  8. ^ Digby Smith (2007). Charge! Great Cavalry Charges of the Napoleonic Wars. Pen & Sword Books. ISBN 9781784380007. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  9. ^ Bryan Perrett (2012). The Changing Face Of Battle. Orion. ISBN 9781780225258. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  10. ^ Hala Mundhir Fattah; Frank Caso (2009). A Brief History of Iraq. Facts On File. p. 133. ISBN 9780816057672. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  11. ^ Jouineau, Andre (2005). The French Imperial Guard. Vol. 3 Cavalry 1804-15. Histoire & Collections. p. 6. ISBN 2-913903-98-3.
  12. ^ Jouineau, Andre (2005). The French Imperial Guard. Vol. 3 Cavalry 1804-15. Histoire & Collections. p. 6. ISBN 2-913903-98-3.
  13. ^ Jouineau, Andre (2005). The French Imperial Guard. Vol. 3 Cavalry 1804-15. Histoire & Collections. p. 6. ISBN 2-913903-98-3.
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