Dutch Lancer of the
Imperial Guard

In 1810, enough young men of occupied Holland were recruited to form substantial foreign military contingents for Napoleon's army. Some of these men, having served the King of Holland (Louis, Napoleon's brother) as hussars of the Royal Guard were incorporated directly into the Imperial bodyguard and renamed the Dutch Lancers of the Guard.

Together with their senior sister, the Polish regiment whose uniform is also depicted in this series, they constituted the Light Horse Lancers of the Imperial Guard.

Major General Baron Colbert, head of the new Dutch regiment believed their uniform should be similar to the Poles' and only after endless debating was a sample made for Imperial approval. This sample was modeled in front of the Emperor by a Lt. Georges Fallot, nicknamed "the bear", and made such a good impression that the uniform was adopted.

The Dutch Lancer are identified by their red jacket (kurtka), dark blue facings and yellow trim. In all other aspects they are identical to the Polish lancers.