Our friend Tom DeVoe is always coming up with a wealth of questions. I have sometimes the opportunity to find an answer here and there. I think the following will be of interest. In the XVIth and XVIIth centuries, the carabiniers were part of the light cavalry. They were responsable for the guard of generals, barracks etc. as well as the protection of retreats etc. They took their name from the weapon they carried: the carbine(carabine in French, thus carabinier for the man using it). They were the forerunners of the dragoons in their way of fighting on horseback as well as on foot. They were introduced in the French Army and formed into regiments by Henri IV, but were disbanded by Louis XIV. However, in 1679, two carabiniers were introduced in each company of light cavalry. On October 26, 1691, the carabiniers were segragated in a single company per regiment. It's important to note here that the company of carabiniers was always riding in the front of the regiments. That was the main reason in 1791 to place the carabiniers ahead of all the French cavalry. There is an Ordonnance,in the King's handwriting, dated 1696, stating the regulations, organization of the carabiniers etc. which should not be less than 1.73 meter (5 ft.7in.). The Ordonnance already recognized the elite status of the carabiniers by giving them a high pay. Before 1791, they already were considered as an elite corps. We are speaking of about a division of cavalry including 5 regiments with an effective ranging between 1500 to 4000 sabres. Until 1791, the carabiniers were part of the standard cavalry and had no special uniforms. Then a decree of April 1st, 1791, calls them "GRENADIERS DES TROUPES A CHEVAL"(grenadiers of the cavalry) which entittle them to the prestigeous "bonnet a poil" or bearskin. The reputation of the carabiniers came from their excellent behavior during the Seven Years War. They were at the battles of Crefeld 1758, Corbach, Clostercamp 1760, and Willinhausen 1761. At the end of the Seven Years War, the carabiniers were reduced to 30 companies organized in 10 squadrons and 5 brigades. They were stationed in Saumur and the neighboring cities of Angers, La Fleche and Chinon. The reputation of the corps concerning their horsemanship, maneuvering was such that it became customary, between 1763 and 1768, for the other cavalry regiments to send few candidates to Saumur to complete their instruction and broaden their knowledge by learning better ways and methods etc. This was the beginning of the Ecole de Cavallerie de Saumur. To date, Saumur is still the official cavalry school for the French Army and the Ecole d'Application for the armored troops.  Back to Empire, Eagles, & Lions Table of Contents Vol. 1 No. 21 Back to EEL List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1978 by Jean Lochet This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com