Black Brunswickers
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The Black Brunswickers were a group of foot and cavalry infantry who served under German-born Frederick William (1771-1815), and who were formed in 1809 after the war broke out between the French and the Austrians. [1][2][3] The men who made up the regiment were volunteers, and were dressed in black, with a badge on their hats showing a death's head. They were dressed in this macabre way to reflect the Duke's hatred for Napoléon Bonaparte. It is known that the Duke was one of the bitterest disapprovers of Napoleon's occupation of Germany. [1]
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[edit] Life of the Brunswickers
The war between the French and the Austrians broke out in 1809, and this caused William to create, with the support of the Austrians, an armed force, and that was how the 2300 hussars came together and the Black Brunswickers (or the 'Black Horde' as they were colloquially known)[1] were born.[4] William financed the corps independently by mortgaging his principality in Oels. [4] With his legion of Brunwickers, Frederick Williams was momentarily able to take control of Brunswick in 1809, thus his name. [4] After this victory, however, when the Duke fled to England to join with his brother-in-law (a man who would later become King George IV) in battle, the forces of the Brunswickers were largely destroyed in battles and skirmishes fought in Spain and Portugal. [4]
[edit] Quatre Bras
After the Duke returned to Brunswick in 1813, he gathered new troops to the devastated ranks of the Brunswickers.[4] Despite these new recruits, the regiment underwent a great trouble at battle of Quatre Bras at Waterloo in 1815, and they suffered many losses,[2] including the death of their commander and leader, the Duke Frederick William, when he was killed by a misguided gunshot on the 16th of June. [3][4]
[edit] Inspired Art
'The Black Brunswicker' (1860), by John Everett Millais was inspired by the exploits of the Brunswicks. [2] In a letter to Effie Gray, Millais described his inspiration for the work:
| “ | My subject appears to me, too, most fortunate, and Russell (the war correspondent of Times) thinks it first-rate… I have it all in my mind’s eye and feel confident that it will be a prodigious success. The costume and incident are so powerful that I am astonished it has never been touched upon before. Russell was quite struck with it, and he is the best man for knowing the public taste. Nothing could be kinder than his interest, and he is to set about getting all the information that is required. [2] |
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The artwork took an estimated three months to paint, and it was greatly admired at the time. It was also bought for the highest price Millais had ever received from dealer and publisher Ernest Gambart - the luctrative sum of 100 guineas. [2] Later, in 1898, William Hesketh Lever purchased the work for his private collection. [2] Charles Dickens' daughter was used as a model for the woman seen in the picture. [2]
[edit] Notes
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