Leibtruppen
Life Guards

The colonel of a Landsknecht regiment had a staff which supported him in the administration of his command duties, and protected the commanding officer from his cocky subordinates. The latter assignment fell to the Trabanten (Leibtrabanten), literally satellites, of the staff, who eventually formed the regimental life guards, personally commanded (in the 16th and 17th century) by the colonel and proprietor of the regiment. This prestigious position was eventually bestowed on princely persons, and the sovereign himself became the commandant of such life guards formations called Leibkompanie, Leibbatterie, Leibeskadron, Leibbataillon, and Leibregiment in German.

In the German army several formations held the title of life guards:

• 1. Kompanie, 1. Garderegiment zu Fuß (Leibkompanie)
• 1. Eskadron Regiment Garde du Corps (Leibeskadron)
• 1. fahrende Batterie Gardefeldartillerie-Regiment (Leibbatterie)
• 1. Kompanie Regiment Nr. 115 (Leibkompanie)
• 1. Kompanie Regiment Nr. 116 (Leibkompanie)
• 1. Kompanie Regiment Nr. 117 (Leibkompanie)
• 1. Eskadron Dragonerregiment Nr. 23 (Leibeskadron)
• 1. Eskadron Dragonerregiment Nr. 24 (Leibeskadron)
• III. Bataillon Regiment Nr. 92 (Leibbataillon)
• III. Bataillon Regiment Nr. 118 (Leibbataillon)
• Prussian Grenadierregiment Nr. 8 (Leibregiment)
• Saxon Grenadierregiment Nr. 100 (Leibregiment)
• Baden Grenadierregiment Nr. 109 (Leibregiment)
• Hessian Infanterieregiment Nr. 115 (Leibregiment)
• Bavarian Leibinfanterieregiment (Leibregiment)
• Leibgardehusarenregiment (Leibregiment)
• Prussian Kürassierregiment Nr. 1 (Leibregiment)
• Prussian Kürassierregiment Nr. 2 (Leibregiment)
• Baden Leibdragonerregimenter Nr. 20 (Leibregiment)
• Baden Leibdragonerregimenter Nr. 24 (Leibregiment)

Other life guards covered in this issue:

• Leib-Regiment Kurfürst in Bayern, 1756–1763

The Austrian army only had life guards, namely: Arcieren-Leibgarde, Hungarian and Trabanten-Leibgarde, as well as the Leibgarde-Reitereskadron and the Hofburgwache.

Military Glossary