View source for King's German Legion

{{Short description|British Army formation (1803–1816)}}
{{Other uses|German Legion (disambiguation){{!}}German Legion}}
{{redirect|KGL}}
{{Use British English |date=January 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}}
{{Use shortened footnotes |date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name                     = King's German Legion
| image                         = King´sGermanLegion.jpg
| caption                       = A line infantryman, light infantryman and hussar of the KGL
| dates                         = 1803–1816
| countries                     = [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]]
| branch                        = [[British Army]]
| type                          = {{ubli
|[[Artillery]]
|[[Cavalry]]
|[[Line infantry]]
|[[Light infantry]]
}}
| role                          = 
| size                          = Approximately 14,000{{sfnp |Chappell |2000a |p=10 }}
| garrison                      = {{ubli
|Infantry: [[Bexhill-on-Sea]]
|Cavalry: [[Weymouth, Dorset]]
}}
| nickname                      = 
| motto                         = 
| march                         = 
| mascot                        = 
| battle_honours                = * [[Peninsular War]]
* [[Battle of Waterloo|Waterloo]]
* [[Battle of Venta del Pozo]] (1st and 2nd Light Infantry Battalion)
* [[Battle of Garcia Hernandez|Garcia Hernandez]] (1st Regiment of Dragoons )
* [[Battle of El Bodon|Bodon]] (1st Regiment of Hussars)
* [[Battle of Barrosa|Barrosa]] (2nd Regiment of Hussars)
* [[Battle of the Göhrde|Göhrde]] (3rd Regiment of Hussars)
| anniversaries                 = 
| decorations                   = 
| notable_commanders            = * [[Charles, Count Alten]]
* [[Henry de Hinuber]]
}}
[[File:Monument aux Hanovriens 14.JPG|thumb|right|upright=1|[[Hanoverian Monument|Monument to the Hanoverians]] in Waterloo (1818)]]

The '''King's German Legion''' ('''KGL'''; {{langx|de|Des Königs Deutsche Legion}}) was a formation of the [[British Army during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars]]. Consisting primarily of expatriate [[Germans]], it existed from 1803 to 1816 and achieved the distinction of being the only German military force to fight without interruption against the French and their allies during the [[Napoleonic Wars]].

Formed within months of the French dissolution of the [[Electorate of Hanover]] in 1803, the KGL was constituted as a [[combined arms]] corps by the end of the year. Although it never fought autonomously and remained a part of the British army for the duration of the Napoleonic Wars, the KGL played a vital role in several campaigns, most notably the [[Peninsular War]], [[Walcheren Campaign]] and [[Hundred Days]].

The KGL was disbanded in 1816, and many of its units were incorporated into the [[Hanoverian Army]], which later became part of the [[Imperial German Army]] after the [[unification of Germany]] into the [[German Empire]] 1871. The [[British German Legion]], raised during the [[Crimean War]], has sometimes been erroneously referred to as the "King's German Legion".{{cn|date=June 2023}}

== History ==
[[File:Sir Colin Halkett by William Salter.jpg|thumb|left|Colin Halkett helped to raise the King's German Legion.]]

After the [[Invasion of Hanover (1803)|occupation of Hanover]] by Napoleonic troops the [[Convention of Artlenburg]], also called the Convention of the Elbe, was signed on 5 July 1803 and formally dissolved the [[Electorate of Hanover]].  Consequently, the Elector's army was disbanded. Many former Hanoverian officers and soldiers fled the French occupation of Hanover to [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Britain]]; [[George III of the United Kingdom|George III]], the deposed [[Elector of Hanover]], was also [[King of the United Kingdom]].{{sfnp |Adkin |2001 |p=179 }}
{{sfnp |Beamish |1997a |loc=preface }}{{sfnp |Chappell |2000a |p=39 }}

The same year, Major [[Colin Halkett]] and Colonel [[Johann Friedrich von der Decken]] were issued warrants to raise a corps of [[light infantry]], to be named ''The King's German Regiment''. On 19&nbsp;December 1803, Halkett's and von der Decken's levies were combined as a basis of a mixed corps (includes all arms: mounted, infantry, artillery) renamed the King's German Legion. The KGL infantry were quartered in [[Bexhill-on-Sea]] and the cavalry in [[Weymouth, Dorset]].{{sfnp |Beamish |1997a |p=83 }}{{sfnp |Chappell |2000a |p=8 }} Some units were  involved in a street fight in [[Tullamore]], Ireland with a British Light infantry unit in the so-called ''Battle of Tullamore.''{{sfnp |Beamish |1997a |pp=95– }}{{sfnp |Chappell |2000a |p=14 }}{{sfnp |Offaly |2007 }}

The number of [[Officer (armed forces)|officers]] and other ranks grew over time to approximately 14,000, but during the 13 years of its existence, close to 28,000 men served in the legion at one time or another. Initially, most of the officers were appointed with temporary rank, but in 1812 all the officers of the legion were given permanent rank in the British Army for "having so frequently distinguished themselves against the enemy".{{sfnp |War Office |1812 |pp=1–2 }} It saw active service as an integral part of the British Army from 1805 to 1816, after which its units were disbanded. In November 1813 [[Liberation of Hanover|Hanover was liberated]] from French rule and the Hanoverian Army revived. At the [[Battle of Waterloo]] in 1815 two distinct Hanoverian forces{{snd}}the KGL and the Hanoverian Army{{snd}}served under the [[Duke of Wellington]].
[[File:William Beechey - George III. (National Maritime Museum).jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Portly man holds a sword, wears a bright red coat, and a big black hat.|The King referenced by the unit's name: George III, King of the United Kingdom and Elector of Hanover]]

== Organisation ==
[[File:KGL-Leichte-Inf.jpg|thumb|upright|Private from the 1st Light Battalion]]

=== Cavalry ===
* 1st Regiment of Dragoons (1804–1812, red jacket)
** ''changed into:'' 1st Regiment of Light Dragoons (1812–1816, blue jacket)
* 2nd Regiment of Dragoons (1805–1812, red jacket)
** ''changed into:'' 2nd Regiment of Light Dragoons (1812–1816, blue jacket)
* 1st Regiment of Hussars
* 2nd Regiment of Hussars
* 3rd Regiment of Hussars

=== Infantry ===
* 1st Light Infantry Battalion
* 2nd Light Infantry Battalion
* 1st Line Battalion
* 2nd Line Battalion
* 3rd Line Battalion
* 4th Line Battalion
* [[5th Line Battalion, King's German Legion|5th Line Battalion]]
* 6th Line Battalion
* 7th Line Battalion
* [[8th Line Battalion, King's German Legion|8th Line Battalion]]

===Artillery and engineers===
* King's German Artillery
** 2 horse batteries
** 4 foot batteries
* King's German Engineers{{sfnp |Beamish |1997b |pp=519– }}

==Campaigns==
[[File:Ferme de la Haie Sainte 01.JPG|thumb|[[La Haye Sainte]], which the KGL defended at Waterloo]]

Although the legion never fought autonomously or as a single unit, its units participated in campaigns in Hanover, [[Pomerania]], [[Battle of Copenhagen (1807)|Copenhagen]] and [[Walcheren Campaign|Walcheren]], the [[Peninsular War]] under General [[John Moore (British Army officer)|Sir John Moore]]; and the retreat to [[Battle of Corunna|Corunna]]; the [[Peninsular War]] under the [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Duke of Wellington]], including the battles of [[Battle of Bussaco|Bussaco]], [[Battle of Barrosa|Barrosa]], [[Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro|Fuentes de Oñoro]], [[Battle of Albuera|Albuera]], [[Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo (1812)|Ciudad Rodrigo]], [[Battle of Salamanca|Salamanca]], [[Battle of García Hernández|García Hernández]], [[Siege of Burgos|Burgos]], [[Battle of Venta del Pozo|Venta del Pozo]], [[Battle of Vitoria|Vitoria]], [[Siege of San Sebastián|San Sebastián]], [[Battle of Nivelle|Nivelle]], [[Battle of Orthez|Orthez]], Sicily, and the eastern parts of [[Spain]], Northern [[Germany]] and [[Battle of the Göhrde|Göhrde]].

In the Peninsular Campaign, the Germans enhanced the veteran core of the British army.  At Sabugal, in April 1811, several hundred German hussars augmented the Light Division, and the Hussars found the proper ford of the Coa River.{{sfnp|Urban|2004|pp=104–106}} At García Hernández, KGL dragoons performed the unusual feat of smashing two French [[Infantry square|square formations]] in a matter of minutes.{{sfnp|Smith|1998|p=381}} 

At the [[Battle of Waterloo]], the 2nd Light Battalion – with members of the 1st Light Battalion and the 5th Line Battalion – defended the farmhouse and road at [[La Haye Sainte]]. As the [[5th Line Battalion, King's German Legion|5th Line Battalion]] under Colonel [[Christian Friedrich Wilhelm von Ompteda]] was on its way to reinforce the defenders of Haye Sainte, the French cavalry attached to [[Jean-Baptiste Drouet, Comte d'Erlon]]'s Corp I rode them down; only a few of the intended relievers survived. After a six-hour defence, without ammunition, or reinforcements, the Germans were forced to abandon the farm, leaving the buildings in shambles and their dead behind.{{sfnp |Urban |2004 |pp=269, 271 }}

== Legacy ==
[[File:Einzug der King's German Legion in Hannover 1816 (Mittelteil) (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Ernst Hildebrand]] painting depicting the KGL's return to Hanover]]

The legion was known for its excellent discipline and fighting ability. The cavalry was reputed to be among the best in the British army.{{sfnp |McGrigor |2005 |p=96 }} According to the historian Alessandro Barbero, the King's German Legion "had such a high degree of professionalism that it was considered equal in every way to the best British units."{{sfnp |Barbero |2005 |p=33 }} After the victory at Waterloo, the Electorate of Hanover was re-founded as the [[Kingdom of Hanover]]. However, the [[Army of Hanover]] had been reconstituted even before the final battle, so that there were two Hanoverian armies in existence including at the [[Battle of Waterloo]]. In 1816 the legion was dissolved and some officers and men were integrated into the new Hanoverian army.

== Battle honours ==
[[File:KGL-flag.jpg|thumbnail|right|Infantry battalion Colours of the KGL]]
* [[Peninsular War]]
* [[Battle of Waterloo|Waterloo]]
* [[Battle of Venta del Pozo]] (1st and 2nd Light Infantry Battalion)
* [[Battle of García Hernández|García Hernández]] (near Salamanca) (1st Regiment of Dragoons )
* [[Battle of El Bodón|El Bodón]] (1st Regiment of Hussars)
* [[Battle of Barrosa|Barrosa]], near Cádiz, Spain (2nd Regiment of Hussars)
* [[Battle of the Göhrde|Göhrde]] (3rd Regiment of Hussars)

==Regimental colonels==
The following officers served as [[colonel of the regiment|colonels of the regiment]] or [[colonel commandant|colonels commandant]] to KGL units:
;The King's German Legion
*{{timeline-event |date=1803 |end_date=1816 |event=[[Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge]] }}

;1st Light Dragoons
*{{timeline-event |date=1804 |end_date=1813 |event=[[Eberhardt Otto George von Bock]] }}
*{{timeline-event |date=1813 |end_date=1815 |event=[[John, Count Walmoden Gimborn]] }}
*{{timeline-event |date=1815 |end_date=1816 |event=[[Wilhelm von Dörnberg]] }}

;2nd Light Dragoons
*{{timeline-event |date=1806 |end_date=1810 |event=[[Otto, Baron Schulte]] }}
*{{timeline-event |date=1810 |end_date=1814 |event=[[Claus, Baron Decken]] }}
*{{timeline-event |date=1814 |end_date=1816 |event=[[Johann August, Baron Veltheim]] }}

;1st Hussars
*{{timeline-event |date=1804 |end_date=1816 |event=[[Charles, Baron Linsingen]] }}

;2nd Hussars
*{{timeline-event |date=1804 |end_date=1816 |event=[[Victor, Baron Alten]] }}

;3rd Hussars
*{{timeline-event |date=1804 |end_date=1810 |event=[[John, Baron Reden]] }}
*{{timeline-event |date=1810 |end_date=1814 |event=[[Johann August, Baron Veltheim]] }}
*{{timeline-event |date=1814 |end_date=1816 |event=[[Frederick de Arentsschildt]] }}

;1st Light Battalion
*{{timeline-event |date=1804 |end_date=1816 |event=[[Charles, Count Alten]] }}

;2nd Light Battalion
*{{timeline-event |date=1803 |end_date=1816 |event=[[Colin Halkett]] }}

;1st Line Battalion
*{{timeline-event |date=1803 |end_date=1816 |event=[[Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge]] }}

;2nd Line Battalion
*{{timeline-event |date=1804 |end_date=1816 |event=[[Adolphus, Baron Barsse]] }}

;3rd Line Battalion
*{{timeline-event |date=1805 |end_date=1816 |event=[[Henry de Hinuber]] }}

;4th Line Battalion
*{{timeline-event |date=1804 |end_date=1809 |event=[[Ernest, Baron Langwerth]] }}
*{{timeline-event |date=1809 |end_date=1816 |event=[[Sigismund von Löw]] }}

;5th Line Battalion
*{{timeline-event |date=1804 |end_date=1810 |event=[[George de Drieberg]] }}
*{{timeline-event |date=1810 |end_date=1813 |event=[[George Klingsohr]] }}
*{{timeline-event |date=1813 |end_date=1815 |event=[[Christian Friedrich Wilhelm von Ompteda]] }}
*{{timeline-event |date=1815 |end_date=1816 |event=[[Louis, Baron Bussche]] }}

;6th Line Battalion
*{{timeline-event |date=1804 |end_date=1816 |event=[[Augustus Honstedt]] }}

;7th Line Battalion
*{{timeline-event |date=1806 |end_date=1816 |event=[[Frederick, Baron Drechsel]] }}

;8th Line Battalion
*{{timeline-event |date=1804 |end_date=1816 |event=[[Peter du Plat]] }}

;Foreign Veteran Battalion
*{{timeline-event |date=1814 |end_date=1816 |event=[[Claus, Baron Decken]] }}

;King's German Artillery
*{{timeline-event |date=1803 |end_date=1816 |event=[[Friedrich von der Decken]] }}

== Memorials ==
* Plaques on the outside wall of {{lang |fr |[[La Haye Sainte]]}}
* Monument opposite {{lang |fr |La Haye Sainte}} commemorating the dead of the KGL
* [[Hanover]] – the [[Waterloo Column]]
* Hanover – a statue of [[Charles Alten|Carl von Alten]] stands in front of the archives near the Waterloo Plaza that surrounds the Waterloo Column
* Hanover – also near the archives is a plaque commemorating Major Georg Baring
* Hanover – the {{lang |de |Legionsbrücke}} ({{lit |Legion's Bridge}}) crossing the river [[Ihme]] was originally named {{lang |de |Waterloobrücke}} ({{lit |Waterloo Bridge}}), but was renamed for the KGL in 1945
* [[Osnabrück]] – the {{lang |de |Heger Tor}}, formally called {{lang |de |[[Waterloo-Tor]]}} ({{lit |Waterloo Gate}}) commemorating the officers and soldiers of the KGL
* Commemorative stone at [[Wittingen]], [[Lower Saxony]] with inscription {{lang |de |Des Königs Deutsche Legion 1803–1815 – Peninsula, Waterloo, Göhrde}}
* On the Gehrdener mountain is a stone commemorating Carl Ludewig von Holle, fallen in Waterloo{{sfnp |Pfannkuche |1926 |pp=108–109 |loc=text and picture }}
* On the monument for the Battle of Vittoria is a plaque for the KGL

{{gallery
|align=centre
|width=180
|height=120
|perrow=5

|File:Ferme de la Haie Sainte 12.JPG
|Plaque on the outside wall of {{lang |fr |La Haye Sainte}}

|File:Ferme de la Haie Sainte 11.JPG
|Second plaque on the wall of {{lang |fr |La Haye Sainte}}

|File:Belgium-Waterloo-The-Thombs-1900.jpg
|Monuments next to {{lang |fr |La Haye Sainte}}{{snd}}the one on the left is for the KGL

|File:Heger-Tor-os.JPG
|The {{lang |de |Heger Tor}} in Osnabrück, formally called {{lang |de |Waterloo-Tor}} for the KGL

|File:Waterloosäule sst.jpg
|Waterloo Column in Hanover

|File:Carl von Alten Denkmal.jpg
|Statue of Charles Alten in Hanover, Germany by sculptor {{ill |Heinrich Kümmel |de }}

|File:Hannover Gedenkstein Georg Freiherr von Baring 2012.jpg
|Plaque to Georg Baring in Hanover

|File:Deutsche Legion Denkmal Wittingen.jpg
|Stone in Wittingen, Lower Saxony
}}

== German army ==
[[File:UK-Nap-KGL 1st.jpg|thumb|upright|A Sergeant, 2nd Btn. KGL, Waterloo (1815)]]
After the [[unification of Germany]], some of the old KGL units that had served in the Hanoverian Army were perpetuated in the [[German Army (German Empire)|Imperial German Army]], which eventually led to their serving in the [[Reichswehr]] and the [[Wehrmacht]]. These were:
* Kavallerie-Regiment 13–1st Regiment of Light Dragoons
* Kavallerie-Regiment 13–2nd Regiment of Light Dragoons
* Kavallerie-Regiment 14–1st Regiment of Hussars
* Infanterie-Regiment 16–1st Line Battalion
* Infanterie-Regiment 17–1st Light Battalion

== See also ==
* [[British military history]]
* [[Russian–German Legion]]
* [[Portuguese Legion (Napoleonic Wars)]]

== References ==
{{reflist |20em}}

== Sources ==
{{refbegin |30em |indent=yes}}
* {{cite book |last=Adkin |first=Mark |title=The Waterloo Companion |location=London |publisher=Aurum Press |year=2001 |ol=OL3646086M |isbn=1-85410-764-X }}
* {{cite book |last=Barbero |first=Alessandro |author-link=Alessandro Barbero |year=2005 |title=The Battle of Waterloo |publisher=Walker and Company |isbn=0-8027-1453-6 }}
* {{cite book |last=Beamish |first=North Ludlow |author-link=North Ludlow Beamish |year=1997a |orig-date=1832 |title=History of the King's German Legion |volume=1, ''Reprint'' |publisher=Naval and Military Press |isbn=0-9522011-0-0 }}
* {{cite book |last=Beamish |first=North Ludlow |author-link=North Ludlow Beamish |year=1997b |orig-date=1837 |title=History of the King's German Legion |volume=2, ''Reprint'' |publisher=Naval and Military Press |isbn=0-9522011-0-0 |ol=OL23440828M |url=https://archive.org/details/historykingsger00beamgoog/page/n6/mode/1up |access-date=2025-01-26 }}
* {{cite book |last=Chappell |first=Mike |year=2000a |title=The King's German Legion (1) 1803–1812 |location=Botley, Oxford |publisher=Osprey Publishing |isbn=1-85532-996-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/the-kings-german-legion-1803-12/vdoc.pub_the-kings-german-legion-1803-12/ |access-date=2025-01-26 }}
* {{cite book |last=McGrigor |first=Mary |year=2005 |title=Wellington's Spies |publisher=Pen and Sword Books |location=Barnsley |isbn=1-84415-328-2 }}
* {{cite web |ref={{sfnref |Offaly |2007 }} |title=The Battle of Tullamore – Offaly History |date=2007-09-01 |url=https://www.offalyhistory.com/reading-resources/history/tullamore-history/the-battle-of-tullamore |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160916203902/https://www.offalyhistory.com/reading-resources/history/tullamore-history/the-battle-of-tullamore |archive-date=16 September 2016 |access-date=2025-01-26 }}
* {{cite book |last=Pfannkuche |first=Adolf |year=1926 |title=Die Königlich Deutsche Legion 1803–1816 |edition=2 |publisher=Helwingsche Verlagsbuchhandlung |location=Hannover |language=de |oclc=35452961 }}
* {{cite book |last=Smith |first=Digby |author-link=Digby Smith |year=1998 |title=The Napoleonic Wars Data Book |location=London |publisher=Greenhill |isbn=1-85367-276-9 }}
* {{cite book |last=Urban |first=Mark |author-link=Mark Urban |year=2004 |title=Wellington's Rifles: Six Years with England's Legendary Sharpshooters |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |isbn=0-8027-1437-4 }}
* {{cite web |ref={{sfnref |War Office |1812 }} |title=War Office, August 18, 1812 |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/16635 |website=The London Gazette |access-date=2 June 2016 }}
{{refend}}

== Further reading ==
{{refbegin |30em |indent=yes}}
* {{cite book |last=Beamish |first=North Ludlow |author-link=North Ludlow Beamish |year=1832 |title=History of the King's German Legion |location=London |publisher=Thomas and William Boone |volume=1 |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_TqIQAAAAYAAJ/page/n7 |oclc=24612003 |access-date=2025-02-22 }}
* {{cite book |last=Chappell |first=Mike |year=2000b |title=The King's German Legion (2) 1812–1816 |location=Botley, Oxford |publisher=Osprey Publishing |isbn=1-85532-997-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/the-kings-german-legion-1803-12/vdoc.pub_the-kings-german-legion-2-1812-16-men-at-arms-v-2 |access-date=2025-01-26 }}
* {{cite book |last=Lindau |first=Friedrich |year=2009 |title=A Waterloo Hero: The Adventures of Friedrich Lindau |publisher=Pen and Sword |isbn=978-1848325395 }}
* {{cite book |last=Mastnak |first=Jens |year=2015 |title=Die King's German Legion 1803–1816: Lebenswirklichkeit in einer militärischen Formation der Koalitionskriege |location=Celle |publisher=Bomann-Museum |series=Forschungen zur Hannoverschen Militärgeschichte |volume=2 |department=[[University of Vechta]] |isbn=978-3-925902-89-5 }}
* {{cite book |last=Mastnak |first=Jens |year=2023 |title=In der King's German Legion. Die Briefe der Brüder Carl, Ernst, Friedrich und Ivan von Hodenberg (1803–1815) |location=Kiel  |publisher=Solivagus Verlag |isbn=978-3-947064-14-4 }}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.kgl.info/ King's German Legion] (in German) 2nd light battalion and 5th line battalion re-enactment society
* [http://www.kgl-linie.de/ King's German Legion] (in German) 5th line battalion re-enactment group
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170922084752/http://kgl-grenadiers-company.de/ King´s German Legion] (in German) 5th line battalion (grenadier company) re-enactment group
* [http://www.kgl.de/ King's German Legion] (in German & English)
* [https://archive.org/search.php?query=king%27s%20german%20legion King's German Legion] (English) Memoirs of Baron von Ompteda (download)
* [https://archive.org/details/journalanoffice00legigoog King's German Legion] (English)"Journal of an officer in the King's German Legion"

{{subject bar |auto=y |portal1=British Empire |portal2=Lower Saxony |portal3=Modern history }}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:King's German Legion| ]]
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1816]]
[[Category:19th-century military history of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:German military units and formations of the Napoleonic Wars]]
[[Category:British military units and formations of the Napoleonic Wars]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1803]]
[[Category:German regiments in British Service]]
[[Category:Foreign regiments in British Service]]