Because of this constant renaming of units, the regimental histories of Austro-Hungarian cavalry are very difficult to trace.

In addition, there was a constant, and apparently arbitrary, sometimes repeated, redesignation of units (e.g. the 14th Regiment of Bohemian Dragoons (Prince of Windisch-Grätz, Böhmisches Dragoner-Regiment „Fürst zu Windisch-Graetz“ Nr.

The 8th Bohemian Dragoons is the oldest, regular regiment of horse in the Imperial-Royal, later Imperial and Royal (k. k. and k.u.k.

In 1619, the Lower Austrian Protestant estates tried to obtain concessions from Emperor Ferdinand II at Hofburg Palace through the so-called storm petition (Sturmpetition).

On that occasion, three squadrons (Fähnlein) of Dampierre's Regiment of Arquebusiers stationed in Krems and a squadron of "Dampierre's Regiment of Cuirassiers" under the commander of the arsenal, Colonel Gilbert of St. Hilaire, deployed to Vienna.

Embarked on boats (so-called Tschaiken) on the River Danube, they arrived on 5 June 1619 at Vienna, entered the Residenz through the Fishermen's Gate (Fischertor) and intimidated the Protestants into abandoning their undertaking.

The core of the Regiment was maintained to the end of the war by the returning German Austrian dragoons.

The individual divisions were named after their official commanders: Under the Army reform begun by Emperor Joseph II, the cavalry abandoned the company subunit with its structure.