3rd Cuirassier Regiment (France)
| 3e Régiment de Cuirassiers | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1645 – 1815 1816 – 1919 1940 1952 – 1964 1968 – 1998 |
| Country |
 France
|
| Branch |
.svg){kind=small} French Army
|
| Type | Heavy Cavalry/Armored Cavalry |
| Engagements |
Thirty Years' War War of the Spanish Succession French Revolutionary Wars Napoleonic Wars World War I Algerian War |
| Decorations | Croix de guerre 1914-1918 with a silver star |
The 3rd Cuirassier Regiment (French: 3e Régiment de Cuirassiers, 3e RC) was a cavalry regiment of the French Army, later reequipped as an armored regiment.
Timoléon de Sercourt d’Esclainvilliers inherited his fathers company of Light horse in 1635, when he was three years old. The same year in May, Cardinal Richelieu decided to reorganize the French cavalry, Esclainvilliers' company became part of the Cardinal Duc regiment. It fought in the Battle of Rocroi as a part of that unit. During this time the regiment became the Esclainvilliers Cavalry, the ancestor of the 3rd Cuirassier Regiment.
The regiment distinguished itself fighting in Flanders in 1650. In 1652, under the command of Turenne, it fought against the fronders in Paris and was present at Stenay. The unit was renamed as the Commissaire General Regiment in April 1656.
The regiment provided up six companies in 1665 for the reconquest of Flanders. The regiment took part in the siege of Maastricht in 1673, and then served as a garrison for a time in Franche-Comté before it returned to Flanders. It stayed in Flanders during both the Nine Years' War and the War of Spanish Succession.
The regiment joined the Army of the Rhine at Landan in 1742 and distinguished itself at Ratisbon. It was sent to the Army of the Alps in 1746, but the war ended the next year with the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle. During the Seven Years' War it was sent to Saint-Lô in 1762 to defend the French coastline. In 1791, the regiment was renamed as the 3rd Régiment de Cavalrie. In 1802/03 the Regiment was retitled the 3rd Cuirassiers.
During the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars, the regiment fought in the battles of Valmy, Marengo.
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