Pictures of my Bavarian Army

Maximillan Elector

My Bavarian Army

Arco Cuirassiers

Wolframsdorff Cuirassiers

Guards Brigade, consisting of the Garde Grenadiers, Garde Karbineers and Locatelli Hussars

Torring-Seefeld Dragoons

Monasreol Dragoons

LiebRegiment

IR Kurprinz

IR Tattenbach

IR Schellenberg

IR Maffei

IR Lutzelburg

IR Mercy

IR Bettendorf

IR d'Ocfort

Artillery

Cavalry of the Bavarian War of the Spanish Succession

The Bavarian cavalry at the start of the war had three Regiments of Dragoons, three of Cuirassiers and a number of Guard Regiments which only consisted of a few squadrons.  The Elector was told to raise his army to some 25,000 men and so all infantry regiments were brought up to 3 battalions and an extra cuirassier regiment was created(Wolframsdorff) which brought the army, along with militia battalions, up to around some 19,000 men.

After the battles of Schellensberg and Blenheim, only the the heavy and guard cavalry arm remained as a force of Bavarians along with the LeibGarde, Kurfurst and the Boismorel Grenadiers.  The replacements for losses was the disbanding of the Dragoons, which fed in replacements to the Cuirassiers and the Prinz Phillip Karbineers.

Major Battles of the Bavarian Cavalry

At Schellenburg, Monasterol's Dragoons 2 sqns & Santini's dragoons 1 sqn in Monasreol's Dragoon Bde ( along with 6 French Dragoon Sqn's deployed in support of the foot). Lt Gen Torring-Seefeld commanded 26 sqn's of Bavarian cavalry in support behind the Schellenburg - 6 sqn each of the 4 cuirassier regiments - Arco & Weickel in Weickel's Bde and Costa & Wolframsdorff along with 2 sqn of Locatelli Hussars in De Costa's Bde.

At Blenheim, Von Wolframsdorff commanded 23 sqn's of Bavarian Horse deployed between Oberglauheim & Lutzingen as part of the Cavalry under Compte d'Arco. In the 1st line Weickel's Bde consisted of 4 sqn each of Arco & Weickel Cuirassiers, and 3 sqn of Household Guard Horse - certainly the Garde Carabiniers (? 1 or 2 sqn) and Garde Grenadiers & probably also the Hartschiere Garde though Grant says these were palace ceremonial troops. In the 2nd line was de Costa's Bde with 5sqn Wolframsdorff Cuir., 4 sqn Costa Cuir. & 2 sqn Locatelli Hussars. The 3 Dragoon regiments appear to have been in Munich & Augsberg at the time.

At Ramilles, The Bavarians had Cavalry as part of 2 Bde's - 1st Line Santini's Bde 3 sqn each of Arco, Weickel & Garde brigaded with cavalry from Cologne & in 2nd line in Costa's Bde 3 sqn each of Wolframsdorff, Costa & Pr. Philip Carabiniers also with a unit from Cologne. reference = "Ramilles - Marlborough's Masterpiece" by Neil Litten by Partizan Press.

At Malplaquet there are 12 squadrons of unnamed Bavarian Horse present in the cavalry of the Left - 7 sqn in the 1st line & 5 in the 2nd. Reference = "Malplaquet 1709" by Christopher Scott also by Partizan Press.

The Dragoons

Guard Cavalry

The above Regiments are my interpretation based on the information found on the Internet.  Most are based on Anton Hoffmans excellent drawings and the colours are subject to various artist's interpretations of historical records.  So far as I am aware, there are no museum articles of clothing to verify the exact colours. My artwork is no means historically accurate.

Bavarian uniform facings(WSS) Quick reference sheet

Cuirassiers of the Bavarian Army at the start of the War of Spanish Succession

At the outbreak of the War of Spanish Succession Bavaria had 3 cuirassier regiments: General de Cavalerie Johan Baptist Graf von Arco, GFML Graf von Thurn & Taxis (La Tour) & GWM Karl Johan Lothar von Wieckel von Wackerstein. Each regiment was of 12 companies in 6 squadrons. A company was of 75 men: 1 Rittmeister, 1 Oberleutnant, 1 Unterleutnant, 1 Kornett, 1 Wachtmeister, 1 Fourier, 3 Korporal, 1 Trompeter (Leibcompagnie +1), 1 Feldscherer, 1 Fahnensattler, 1 Fahnenschmied, 62 Gemeine. In April of 1701 cuirassier regiments were below authorized strength: Arco – 276, Wieckel – 275 & La Tour - 268. But by the opening of the hostilities in 1702 they reached the full staff. La Tour Cuirassier twice changed inhabers in 1702-03. First in 1702 it became obrist Gabriel Ferdinand Graf von Verita, then on 15 September 1703 – obrist Bartholomaus Graf von Costa.

The fourth cuirassier regiment was raised on 15 May 1702. Its inhaber became obrist Beit Heinrich Morits Graf von Wolframsdorff. Existing cuirassier & dragoon companies were reduced on 8 & 12 men respectively to create the new regiment, so now Bavarian cuirassier regiments became of 780 men.

Bavarian cuirassiers during the WSS were dressed in grey coats with cuffs & lining in regimental colours:

regiment	Regimental colour	Kamisol
Arco	blue	blue
Wieckel	red	red
La Tour(Costa)	red	grey
Wolframsdorff	green	green

Bavarian cuirassiers didn’t suffer a lot during the campaign of 1704. In October of 1704 Arco & Wolframsdorff Cuirassiers were of 12 coys, Costa – 10, Wieckel – 8. By the 1 November of 1704 Arco & Costa were reduced to 5 squadrons (10 coys), Wieckel & Wolframsdorff – 4 (8).

Cuirassier Regimental Standards

Though the originals standards were kept as trophies, no records exist of what they actually looked like.  The above standards are my interpretation based on the facing colours of the Regiment and the family crest being placed in the center of the standard.  They are no means historically accurate.

Source: Staudinger K. Geschichte des kurbayerischen Heeres unter Kurfürst Max II Emanuel. B. 2. S. 774, 783-784, 792, 797.

Individual Regimental Colours Bavarians of the War of Spanish Succession

Greetings,

Here is my research based on all available information from various sources on the Internet.   Now I am not claiming to be 100% accurate, but the is the best I have come up with so far.

Bavarian Army Regiments up to and including the War of Spanish Succession

Bavarian Army Regiments up to and including the War of Spanish Succession

Year	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII	VIII	IX		X
1682	Berlo	Puech	Degenfeld	Montfort	Perouse	Steinau	Preysing
1683	Berlo/Mercy	Puech	Degenfeld/La Rosa	Montfort	Perouse/Rummel	Steinau	Preysing
1684	Mercy/Leibregiment	Puech	La Rosa/Gallenfels	Montfort	Rummel	Steinau	Preysing
1685	Leibregiment	Puech/Schwanenfeldt	La Rosa/Gallenfels	Montfort	Rummel	Steinau	Preysing/Seyboltsdorff
1686	Leibregiment	Schwanenfeldt	Gallenfels	Montfort	Rummel/Prinz Veldenz	Steinau	Seyboltsdorff
1687	Leibregiment	Schwanenfeldt	Gallenfels	Montfort	Prinz Veldenz	Steinau	Seyboltsdorff
1688	Leibregiment	Schwanenfeldt disbanded	Gallenfels	Montfort disbanded	Prinz Veldenz	Steinau	Seyboltsdorff
1689	Leibregiment	x	Gallenfels/Schwanenfeldt	x	Prinz Veldenz/Zacco	Steinau	Seyboltsdorff
1690	Leibregiment	x	Schwanenfeldt	x	Zacco	Steinau	Seyboltsdorff
1691	Leibregiment	x	Schwanenfeldt	x	Zacco	Steinau	Seyboltsdorff
1692	Leibregiment	x	Schwanenfeldt	x	Zacco	Steinau	Seyboltsdorff
1693	Leibregiment	x	Schwanenfeldt	Wollendorf-Kompagnien	Zacco	Steinau	Seyboltsdorff/Rivera
1694	Leibregiment	x	Kurprinz	Harthausen	Zacco	Steinau/Desprez	Rivera
1695	Leibregiment	x	Kurprinz	Harthausen/Rivera /Harthausen	Zacco	Desprez	Rivera/Tattenbach
1696	Leibregiment	x	Kurprinz	Harthausen	Zacco/Maffei	Desprez/Lützelburg	Tattenbach
1697	Leibregiment	x	Kurprinz	Harthausen	Maffei	Lützelburg	Tattenbach
1698	Leibregiment	x	Kurprinz	Harthausen	Maffei	Lützelburg	Tattenbach	Spilberg (formed out of troops of the Bavarian Circle)
1699	Leibregiment	x	Kurprinz	Harthausen	Maffei	Lützelburg	Tattenbach	Freikorps Spilberg und Batt. Bettendorff.
1700	Leibregiment	x	Kurprinz	Harthausen	Maffei	Lützelburg	Tattenbach	Freikorps Spilberg
1701	Leibregiment	x	Kurprinz	Harthausen	Maffei	Lützelburg	Tattenbach	Battaillon Spilberg	Battailon d’Ocfort
1702	Leibregiment	x	Kurprinz	Harthausen	Maffei	Lützelburg	Tattenbach	Spilberg	d’Ocfort	Bettendorf
1703	Leibregiment	x	Kurprinz	Mercy	Maffei	Lützelburg	Tattenbach	Spilberg	d’Ocfort	Bettendorf
1704	Leibregiment	x	Kurprinz	Mercy disbanded	Maffei	Lützelburg	Tattenbach disbanded	Schellenberg	d’Ocfort disbanded	Bettendorf disbanded
1705	Leibregiment	x	Kurprinz	x	disbanded	disbanded	x	disbanded
1706	Leibregiment	x	Kurprinz	Chevalier de Baviere	x	x	x	x
1707	Leibregiment	x	Kurprinz	Chevalier de Baviere	x	x	x	x
1708	Leibregiment	x	Kurprinz	Chevalier de Baviere	x	x	x	x
1709	Leibregiment	x	Kurprinz	1709 - 1716: In French Service as Royal Baviere, Commander Max II. Emanuel	x	x	x	x
1710		x		till 1718: Lerchenfeld	since 1722: Cano	since 1722: Seyboltsdorff	x	x