His Majesty's Hussar Life Guards Regiment

At the end of 1774, Empress Catherine II ordered Prince Grigory Potemkin to form a hussar squadron of 130 people and two Cossack escort teams for service under Her Majesty; the squadron was named Leib Gusarsky, and the Cossack teams: one – Donskoy, the other – Chuguevskaya, and ordered to be at the highest court.

Upon the accession to the throne of Emperor Alexander I, the regiment was reorganized on December 29, 1802, into 5 squadrons and occupied the barracks in Krasnoe Selo and Pavlovsk.

Upon returning to Russia from a foreign campaign in 1814, the Life Hussars settled in Tsarskoe Selo, and the reserve squadron was abolished.

In the history of the cavalry, the Friedland Battle is interesting because here, on a wide and level space in front of the city of Friedland, between the Sortlak and Domeraus Forests, a hand–to–hand fight of significant detachments of Russian and French cavalry took place (a total of 85 squadrons operated on the field).

During the oncoming attack of the division of General Latour–Mobourg, the squadron commander, Colonel Zagryazhsky, received several wounds and fell unconscious from his horse, then he was captured by the French dragoons who surrounded him.

At this time, the captain Prince Abamelek immediately took command of the hussars left without a chief, encouraged his subordinates with personal fearlessness and rushed forward with them, stopped the enemy and, together with the staff captains Borozdin and Zabelin, took away three guns, which the French had previously captured from the Voronezh Musketeer Regiment.Near Friedland, four Life Hussar officers were wounded: Colonel Zagryazhsky, Captain Troshchinsky (with a bullet in the leg), Lieutenant Korovkin (with a bullet in his left leg and a broadsword in his right arm) and Lieutenant Dekhanov, whose leg was blown off by a cannonball.

[4]On August 26, 1812, the regiment as part of the 1st Cavalry Corps of General Fyodor Uvarov distinguished itself in the Battle of Borodino.

At about twelve o'clock in the afternoon, Kutuzov ordered Uvarov's cavalry corps (28 squadrons, 12 mounted guns) to attack the left flank of the French.

Horse artillery entered the action, and under its fire the 84th French Linear Regiment withdrew across the river, leaving one cannon to the hussars.

The troops were sent in echelons by rail to the Zhmerynka Station, where the gathering point for arriving reinforcements was located.

Crossing the Danube, the Russian Army headed through Bulgaria and on September 17, the Division stopped at Gorny–Studna, where the main apartment of the Sovereign Emperor was, who inspected the arriving troops.

On October 12, an order was given to the troops to move to the Plevno–Sofiyskoye Highway, take positions and Gorny Dubnyak and close the enemy blockade in Plevna.

At that time, His Majesty's Life Guards Hussar Regiment was commanded directly by the Adjutant Wing Baron Meyendorf.

The Jägers advanced intensively, the Life Hussars broke through the first chain and pursued the Turks, but then, under heavy gunfire, they returned.

The 5th Battery and the Life Hussars attacked the Turks and put them to flight, but at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, according to the order, a general retreat was made.

Russian artillery fired at the enemy all the time, Sheiket's bashi–bazouks went to Telish's rescue, but after the attack they began to quickly retreat.

During these days of the battle, Osman Pasha lost more than 5,000 people, and the supply of his army was cut and stopped.

After the fall of the specified fortified area, the command decided to besiege Plevna, and send other units through the Balkans.

On October 24, the Tsar traveled around the Guards regiments near the Plenna and thanked them for the glorious deed near Telish.

The Life Guards Hussar Regiment of His Majesty, received Badges for hats with the inscription: "For Telish – October 12, 1877".

On October 26, news was received that part of the troops, including the 2nd Guards Cavalry Division, were going to the Balkans.

Having passed the Arab–Konak position of the Turks, the city of Umurgach, after which a steep descent began, sometimes even more difficult, whose past ascents.

Arriving in Zhelyava, the division found itself in the rich Sofia Valley and attacked the fortified village of Tashkisen.

The passage through the small Balkans began: in three columns from Sofia to the Philippopolis Highway, to Butovo and Mechka, to the valley of the Maritsa River.

The 2nd Squadron completely captured the enemy's convoy in the village of Stroyevo, and then, reaching the Karlovskoe Highway, on January 3 they moved to Philippopolis and at night they occupied part of the city.

On January 22, the news of the armistice was received, but most of the troops had to remain for almost seven months on the shores of the Sea of Marmara, and only the sick were allowed to be sent back to Russia.

Doloman, crown, shlyk, band, shoulder straps, barbarians, valve – coat, greatcoat, lining – scarlet, mentik – white, metal device – gold.

Major General (1822) Alexander Chechensky (Raevsky): "On August 12 at the village of Tefenbrike; on August 19 and 20 in the rear of the enemy army; on September 8, when the town of Cebrig was occupied and in driving the enemy from it to the city of Delicha, and he took more than 500 people prisoner, on October 5 near the city of Tolkhe, where he captured several officers and lower ranks, and for the distinction in these matters the Life Guards was transferred to the Hussar Regiment; in Westphalia during the pursuit of the enemy from Osnabrück, where he was wounded; on October 6 near Leipzig, on December 8 and 9 in Holland, during the capture of the fortress of Breda, from where he was sent with a regiment to the fortress of Vilemstat, where he forced the enemy to leave the fortress from which up to a hundred cannons and up to 60 rowing ships were taken, and was at all times watching the garrison of the fortress of Antwerp, for which he was awarded the order Saint Vladimir, 3rd Class.

Since the reign of Alexander I, the Life Guards Hussar Regiment has traditionally participated in the following parades: – Annually on the day of Epiphany on January 6; – On the day of Holy Easter; – Annually at the beginning of summer and autumn, at general parades and the highest reviews for all regiments of the guard.

In June 2003, a memorial sign for the regiment was erected on the territory of the Sophia Cathedral in Tsarskoe Selo.