Five main types of cavalry uniform served European armies between 1700 and 1914, each tuned to a specific battlefield job. Here is how to tell them apart.
Quick answer. The five classic cavalry uniform types are the cuirassier (heavy, armoured, long coat), the dragoon (medium, long coat with helmet), the hussar (light, braided short jacket, fur busby), the lancer (medium, square topped czapka, plastron fronted jacket), and the chasseur a cheval (light, green short jacket, shako). Each uniform expressed a specific tactical role.
Cuirassier: heavy cavalry
The cuirassier was the shock trooper of the horse age. The uniform: a long dark blue or buff coat under a steel breastplate and backplate (the cuirass), a heavy brass or steel helmet with a horsehair crest, white leather breeches, high black cuirassier boots to the thigh. The armament was a heavy straight sword, pistols and often a short carbine. The horse was large, the rider heavy, and the role was to charge in close formation and break enemy infantry squares or opposing cavalry.
Napoleon fielded twelve cuirassier regiments at the peak. Britain never adopted the cuirass, preferring heavy dragoons and the Life Guards for the same role. The French cuirassiers charged the British squares at Waterloo and failed to break them, which marked the beginning of the end for the full cuirass as battlefield armour.
Dragoon: medium cavalry
Dragoons began in the 17th century as mounted infantry who dismounted to fight. By the 18th century they had become proper cavalry with their own distinct dress: a long single breasted coat, usually red for British and dark blue for French and Prussian, a tall brass or leather helmet with a crest or plume, high boots and white or buff breeches. The dragoon could fight mounted or on foot, which made the regiment versatile but less distinctive than a specialist arm.
The British Royal Dragoons, Scots Greys and Inniskilling Dragoons became famous as the Union Brigade that charged at Waterloo. The French had thirty dragoon regiments under Napoleon. The uniform looked less flashy than a hussar's but was heavier and more durable.
Hussar: light cavalry
The hussar uniform is the most recognisable light cavalry dress. Short braided dolman, matching pelisse worn off the shoulder, Hungarian breeches, Hessian boots, fur busby or shako. The role was scouting, screening and pursuit, not shock charges. The uniform was Hungarian in origin, adopted across Europe from the 1690s onwards, and reached its decorative peak in the Napoleonic era. Hussar regiments survived into the 20th century as reconnaissance units before converting to armour.
Lancer: medium cavalry with lance
The lancer uniform was adopted from Polish uhlans in the 1800s. Distinctive features: the czapka, a square topped headdress derived from Polish folk costume, a double breasted jacket with a plastron (a square panel of regimental facing colour across the chest) and the lance itself, usually nine feet long with a pennon of the regimental colours. British lancers wore scarlet jackets with the plastron in different facing colours for each of the five lancer regiments. French and Russian lancers were in blue.
Lancers combined some of the shock value of heavy cavalry (the lance gave reach) with the mobility of light cavalry. The role declined after the 1860s as modern firearms made the mounted lance obsolete, but regiments survived until 1914 and later.
Chasseur a cheval and other light cavalry
The chasseur a cheval was France's main light cavalry formation, often more numerous than the hussar arm. The uniform: a green short jacket with regimental facings, green breeches with a hussar style knot, Hessian boots and a shako. The chasseurs worked alongside hussars in reconnaissance and screening and were considered less decorative but more disciplined. Other light cavalry types across Europe included the British light dragoons, the Russian jaegers zu pferd, and the various mounted rifles raised in colonial service.
Common questions
What is the easiest way to tell them apart?
Look at the headdress. Cuirassier: brass helmet with horsehair crest. Dragoon: leather or brass helmet. Hussar: fur busby or shako with plume. Lancer: square topped czapka. Chasseur: shako, often with a tall plume.
Which was the heaviest cavalry?
The cuirassier was the heaviest. Steel armour, large horses, long swords. Horse Guards and household cavalry in Britain fulfilled the equivalent role.
What was the lightest cavalry?
Hussars and chasseurs a cheval were the lightest. Small horses, light armament, speed over weight. Cossacks could be classed as even lighter irregular cavalry.
Did dragoons really dismount to fight?
By 1700 most dragoon regiments had become true cavalry. The ability to dismount survived in some regiments through the 18th century but was rarely used after the Napoleonic Wars.
Which uniform is most dramatic?
The hussar is the most decorated and most immediately recognisable. The cuirassier is the most imposing on parade. Both continue to appear in ceremonial dress today.