Reichsarmee
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Introduction
Military organisation of the Holy Roman Empire dates as far as 1512. The Habsburg emperor Maximilian I organised the Empire into 10 Reichskreise (circles or more precisely districts). These districts included a total of some 2,000 independent states and individuals. By 1756, the regulations for the raising and maintenance of the so called Reichsarmee (the Empire's army) had undergone a good number of changes. This will only be a very rough summary of military organisation as well as a presentation of the various district contingents making up for the Empire's armed forces – an army known among contemporaries to be composed of the finest as much as of the worst troops of all Europe.
The armies of the larger, or more prominent princely territories, not covered in the Armies section otherwise, will be presented individually here, whereas the remainder will merely be listed as part of it's respective Imperial District.
All of the districts' more than 300 immediate territories were to provide their preset contingent and pay their pre-estimated so called Römermonate (Roman months). A military tax first raised by Charles V for his 1521 campaign against Rome. Besides these territories, more than 1.400 immediate imperial estates (unmittelbare Reichslande) of the Rhenish, Swabian, and Franconian knightages were not part of any district and, thus, not obliged to contribute troops, nor did they pay the Römermonate. Their tribute was the so called "subsidium charitativum" instead – an irregular wartime ex-gratita donation.
The number of troops – i.e. the contingent – each district was to contribute had been minutely regulated in the so called Reichsmatrikel (the Empire's register). This register only fixed the total return for each district, whereas the council of district would distribute the share of each member according to it's size. It should be noted that many sovereigns own "household" troops were excluded from the register of a district, and only few of these were sent as district tribute. Their sovereigns usually preferred to hire them into foreign service, as it was done by Mainz, the Palatinate, Württemberg and Bavaria.
Theoretical establishment of the Empire's standing force – the "miles perpetuus" – to be maintained in peacetime was an accepted 40,000 men. This "simplum matriculare" was set at 12,000 horse including 2,000 dragoons, and 28,000 infantry. A doubled peacetime establishment proposed in 1702 had never been fully agreed to. Even the "simplum matriculare" had been regarded to be more of an ideal rather than obligatory. As a result, most sovereigns took matters with considerable ease, for neither Imperial, nor district administration possessed the means for control or authority to sanction in case of non-compliance. Even the "simplum" peacetime establishment had probably not been maintained. An example would be the 1725 Westphalian District's register bill. It includes the rather curious and awkward entry of the Wild- und Rheingraf von Grumbach, who simply registered his sons – 1 private aged three, 1 first class private aged five, and 1 corporal aged eight. Others did not even bother to register anyone at all. Theoretical wartime establishment was to be the "triplum" with a formidable force of some 120,000 men:
- Austrian District: 7,566 horse and 16,521 foot
- Burgundian District: 3,063 horse and 8,124 foot
- Electoral Rhenish District: 1,800 horse and 8,121 foot
- Franconian District: 2,940 horse and 5,706 foot
- Bavarian District: 2,400 horse and 4,482 foot
- Swabian District: 3,963 horse and 8,121 foot
- Upper Rhenish District: 1,473 horse and 8,559 foot
- Lower Renish - Westphalian District: 3,963 horse and 8,124 foot
- Upper Saxon District: 3,966 horse and 8,121 foot
- Lower Saxon District: 3,966 horse and 8,121 foot
This army was anything but an effective fighting force. A many district units assembling in 1757 were in fact multiple contingent regiments of untrained recruits, such as the Swabian District's Hohenzollern cuirassiers. It was made up of no less than 61 contingents. The largest being 95 men provided by the prince-bishop of Augsburg and the smallest being the abbess of Gutenzell's single horseman. They had no mounts in peacetime, nor had they undergone any kind of concerted training. They were unable to execute even the simplest manoeuvre. A regiment would serve with about as many regulations as the number of contingents it would compromise. It took several month of basic training to reduce this chaos to some extent and adapt to a single regulation at least within a regiment. The Würzburg troops were trained according to the Austrian regulation. The Palatinate troops to their own 1740 regulation. Württembergers and Swabians used the Württemberg regulation, an imitation of the 1754 Prussian one. The Upper Rhine contingents were trained according to the Darmstadt regulation. The Bavarian regiment used its own regulation, whereas Salzburg contingent of this District used the Austrian one.
By 1756 this tax was used to pay the imperial general staff, directly subordinate to the Reichstag (Imperial Diet) in Regensburg, as well as to maintain a reasonable artillery train. Armament and maintenance, though, was left to the armies contingents individual sovereigns.
N.B.: for details on the administrative organisation of the Districts, please refer to the article on the Holy Roman Empire.
Austrian District and Burgundian District
Austria and Burgundy had to contribute normally 11,529 horse and 24,645 foot. These numbers were never reached. The Austrian troops were with few exceptions never seen as a part of the Reichsarmee. They were regarded as national Austrian troops. In the later years of the war the Reichsarmee was sometimes actually seen as a part of the Austrian army. Only the regiment Blau Würzburg in Austrian pay, the cuirassier regiments Bretlach and Trautmannsdorff, the hussar regiments Splenyi and Szechenyi as well as some Grenz infantry regiments were assigned to the Reichsarmee for a longer period.
Electoral Rhenish District
The Electoral Rhenish District had to contribute 1,800 horse and 9,921 foot. There were no standing District regiments or a District general. Only the four biggest contributors of the District: the archbishop (Erzbischof) from Köln (Cologne), the archbishop from Mainz and the archbishop from Trier as well as the elector (Kurfürst) of the Pfalz provided contingents from their own household troops. All other contributors paid fees in the imperial cash office.
1. Elector archbishop of Mainz (Kurmainz)
The prince-elector of Mainz was among the closest Allies of the Emperor, he immediately gave one regiment into Austrian payment. The Mainz or Lamberg infantry regiment (similar to the wartime Austrian infantry in 2 field battalions with 6 coys each, 1 garrison battalion with 4 coys, and 2 coys of grenadiers) fought for the entire war along with the Austrian armies.
The remaining Mainz armed forces amounted to some 7 battalions, 1 company of dragoons, and a smallish artillery and miner corps with a total of some 5,202 men in March 1757. From among these troops the infantry regiment Kurmainz (4 bns) was formed to join the Reichsarmee:
- Infantry Regiment Kurmainz or Wildenstein (4 battalions, 2 grenadier companies, 8 guns for a total of some 2,246 men)
2. Elector archbishop of Cologne (Kurköln)
Only smallish and under strength military forces were to be found within the dominions of the archbishop of Cologne as a result of his costly lifestyle and general lack of interest to his armed forces. As many other German princes, Clemens August had also arranged for a subsidies contract. Dating from 1751, he agreed to maintain an auxiliary corps of 6,000 men on France request. When in 1757 France called for the troops, not a single formed body was available. Instead, she had to content herself with a mere 1,800 men, that were now recruited into French regiments.
In order to raise the demanded contingents for the Reichsarmee, a number of existing core units had been combined, others were filled with untrained recruits. Throughout the war, Cologne's contingents were usually under strength, poorly armed and uniformed, and plagued with a high rate of desertion. Provincial militia (Landmiliz) and a number of units remained within its territories on fortress duty, to guard Clemens August's residence in Bonn, as well as to protect the inhabitants of the Westphalian dioceses from friend and foe, as these provinces became theatre of operations.
In 1757, the contribution to the Reichsarmme of Clemens August was made up of the following units:
- Leibregiment Nothaft (1 battalion with 6 companies, 1 grenadier company, 2 guns for a total of 820 men)
- Infantry Regiment Wildenstein (1 battalion with 6 companies, 1 grenadier company, 2 guns for a total of 820 men)
3. Elector archbishop of Trier (Kurtrier)
- Infantry Regiment Kurtrier (with 2 bataillons of 4 companies and 2 guns with 1.120 men)
4. Elector of the Pfalz (Kurpfalz)
The elector of the Pfalz provided his contribution to the Reichsarmee of 2 infantry regiments with 3 battalions and 2 cavalry regiments with 8 squadrons. Furthermore he also arranged a subsidies contract with France.
- Infantry Regiment Effern (2 battalions with 4 companies, 2 grenadier companies, 2 guns for a total of 1,296 men)
- II./Kurpfalz Garde zu Fuß (1 battalion with 5 companies, 1 grenadier company and 2 guns for a total of 800 men)
- Cuirassier Regiment Kurpfalz (2 squadrons from the Reiter Regiment Prinz Friedrich Michael von Zweibrücken and the Upper Rhenish District squadron of 3 companies of the Leibdragoner Regiment Kurpfalz for a total of 450 men)
- Kurpfalz Leib-Dragoner Regiment of the Kurfürstin (5 squadrons with 802 men)
- Kurpfalz Hussar Company
- District Artillery
Franconian District
The Franconian District had several standing regiments. During the Seven Years War served (see Liste der Regimenter im fränkischen Reichskreises):
- No. 1 Infantry Regiment Varell
- No. 2 Infantry Regiment Ferntheil
- No. 3 Infantry Regiment Cronegk
- Cuirassier Regiment Bayreuth
- Dragoon Regiment Ansbach
- Franconian District Artillery
Prince-diocese of Würzburg
In 1756, the prince-bishop of Würzburg's household troops consisted of:
- 3 regiments of infantry: Hutten, Drachsdorff and Kolb
- 1 regiment of non-mounted dragoons which remained within the Würzburg territories throughout the war
- 1 company of artillery
- 1 largish Land-Regiment (Militia), formed in 1756, for garrison duty and serving as Würzburg's recruiting depot
The Würzburg and Bamberg share to the register of the District consisted of:
- 9 companies of infantry
- 2 companies of cuirassiers
- 2 companies of dragoons
In contrast to most other Imperial principalities, the Würzburg armed forces were found in a good state of readiness, even the District units were maintained properly, though, all units were not up to strength. This states military establishment also included an Artillery and Ingenieurs Akademie and a well esteemed cannon foundry. In September 1756, the prince-bishop had signed a subsidies contract with Austria, in which he agreed to send 4,000 men as auxiliaries to the Austrian army, one regiment in Austrian payment, the other on his own expense. The troops to take to the field, according to this subsidies contract were:
- Rot Würzburg Infantry, raised 1756
- Blau Würzburg Infantry, raised 1757
- Artillery (1 coy)
The latter two infantry regiments were not part of the contribution of the Franconian or any other District. They were rather household troops of the archbishop of Würzburg and both in Austrian pay.
The artillery company served the battalion guns and four 12-pdrs howitzers, that formed part of the Reichsarmee's heavy artillery in 1757. The Würzburg and Bamberg units joined the Franconian District regiments in 1757.
Bavarian District
- Infantry Regiment Kurbayern
- Infantry Regiment Salzburg
- Bavarian Artillery
Swabian District
- Fusilier Regiment Alt-Württemberg
- Infantry Regiment Baden-Baden
- Infantry Regiment Baden-Durlach
- Infantry Regiment Fürstenberg
- Cuirassier Regiment Hohenzollern
- Dragoon Regiment Württemberg
- Swabian District Artillery
Upper Rhenish District
- Infantry Regiment Hessen-Darmstadt
- Infantry Regiment Nassau-Weilburg
- Infantry Regiment Pfalz-Zweibrücken
- Upper Rhenish District Artillery
Lower Renish - Westphalian District
The contingent of this district consisted of 3,964 Horse and 8,124 Infantry. Troops were only provided by the prince-bishop of Münster and the prince-bishop of Paderborn. The rest payed contributions or was an enemy. The prince-bishop of Münster provided 1,026 and the prince-bishop of Paderborn 387 Infantry.
Prince-Bishopric of Münster:
The army of the bishop of Münster consisted of Infantry Regiment Elverfeldt, Infantry Regiment Nagel, Infantry Regiment Menge, Infantry Regiment Saxe Gotha, Infantry Regiment Schorlemer, Infantry Regiment Bönninghausen, Infantry Regiment Jung-Menge, Cuirassier Regiment Verlo, Cuirassier Regiment Geldern and the Artillery.
In 1757, the contribution to the Reichsarmme of Münster totalled some 2,400 infantrymen and consisted of the following units under the overall command of colonel von Nagel:
- Prince-Bishopric of Münster
- Infantry Regiment Elverfeldt (1 battalion with 7 companies, 1 grenadier company and 2 x 4-pdrs guns)
- Infantry Regiment Nagel (1 battalion with 7 companies, 1 grenadier company and 2 x 4-pdrs guns)
- Prince-Bishopric of Paderborn:
- Infantry Regiment Mengersen (1 battalion with 5 companies, 1 grenadier company and 2 x 4-pdrs guns)
N.B.: Münster supplied 118 artillerymen who served the battalion guns of the 3 aforementioned regiments as well as those of the 2 regiments (Nothast and Wildenstein) raised by the archbishop of Cologne as part of the Electoral Rhenish District contingent.
Upper Saxon District
- Herzoglich Sächsisches Infantry Regiment
- Dragoon Regiment Sachsen-Gotha
References
Boehm, E.; Rottgardt, D.: Die Reichsarmee 1757-1763 I. Teil. Zusammensetzung und Organisation, Manuskript, KLIO - Arbeitsgruppe 7jähriger Krieg, 1979
Boehm, E.; Rottgardt, D., Weirich, W.-D.: Die Reichsarmee 1757-1763 II. Teil. Die einzelnen Einheiten, ihre Stärke, Zusammensetzung, Uniform und Feldzeichen, Manuskript, KLIO - Arbeitsgruppe 7jähriger Krieg, o.J.
Brabant, Arthur: Das heilige römische Reich teutscher Nation im Kampf mit Friedrich dem Großen, vol. I, II Berlin 1904, vol. III Dresden 1931
Deutsche Uniformen, Bd. 1, Das Zeitalter Friedrich des Großen, 240 Bilder von Herbert Knötel d. J., Text und Erläuterungen von Dr. Martin Letzius, hrsg. von der Sturm-Zigaretten GmbH, Dresden 1932
Knötel, R.: Uniformkunde, Lose Blätter zur Geschichte der Entwicklung der militärischen Tracht, Rathenow 1890-1921
Mittheilungen zur Geschichte der militärischen Tracht, Beilagen zum III.-XVIII. Band der Uniformkunde, hrsg. von Prof. Richard Knötel, fortgesetzt von Herbert Knötel d.J., 1892-1921, Band I und II.
Zeitschrift für Heeres- und Unformkunde, several volumes
Die Zinnfigur, several volumes
