National militia soldiers (conscripts) depicted in 1704-1706 on a relief in Rosenborg castle (a close up is available at the bottom of this page).

During the first decade of the 18th century, the Danish army mainly wore light grey coats with each regiment having their own distinctive colour on the cuffs and lining and facings. A new uniform regulation on 24 October 1711 stipulated that the Danish army would henceforth have red coats. The regiments serving as auxiliary troops for the Maritime powers were not covered by this, however, and it was only with the regulation from 1716 that the entire Danish army had its red uniforms established.

At the beginning of this period, the vest and leg clothes (breeches and stockings) were usually the same colour as the cuffs and lining. But according to Daniel Schorr and Lars-Eric Höglund, these garments in all regiments would be red from 1711 onwards. Karsten Skjold Petersen claims, however, that this only applied from 1716 onwards and that vests and leg clothes before that were in the regimental colour. However, it is reported that soldiers had gaiters made of red tent cloth that covered the stockings at the battle of Gadebusch 1712.

Some details are difficult to find information about. For example, there is little information about the colour of the hat lace. These may have been in the regimental colour (earlier part of the period?) or in the button colour (later part of the period?). Thus, if they had "yellow" brass buttons, it is likely that the hats were edged with yellow lace, and if they had "white" silver or pewter buttons, they may have had white lace. The hat also had a cockade which at the beginning of the period may have been in the regimental colour and later became black.

The colour of the collar is usually not reported separately (Karsten Skjold Petersen lumps them together with the cuffs) and therefore it is not easy to determine if the regiments had collars on their coats. I have assumed that the uniforms in the first decade of the 18th century generally lacked collars but that they came into use at the time of Denmark's re-entry into the war in 1709. According to Karsten Skjold Petersen, a collar was included in the m/1711 uniform and would remain until it temporarily disappeared from the uniforms in 1731

From 1728, there are drawings by Worgewitz showing that the enlisted regiments (but not the national militia) wore their coats unbuttoned and with the skirt folded up. Exactly when this change took place is unclear, but according to Karsten Skjold Petersen, the m/1711 uniforms did not have turnbacks. I have depicted the m/1716 uniforms below in accordance with Worgewitz's drawings, but the change may have taken place later.

The funeral procession of Christian V's  half brother Christian Gyldenløve in 1703. Engraving by Andreas Reinhard c. 1707.
In the middle, grenadiers from the Grenadiers Corps can be seen (a close up is available at the bottom of this page)

Livgarden til Fods (Foot Guards)
1686-1702	1707-1713	1714-1716	1716-1731
Paille yellow coat with red lining and cuffs and 72 white buttons. Red cassock/cloak with paille yellow lining and cuffs and yellow buttons. Red vest and red leg clothes.	Paille yellow coat with red lining and cuffs and 34 brass buttons. Red coat with paille yellow lining and cuffs and yellow buttons. Red vest and red leg clothes. Hat with gold lace and black cockade. Red cover with embroidery and lace on the cartridge box.	Red coat with paille yellow lining and paille yellow cuffs with a silver stripe and 34 silver-plated buttons and white buttonholes. Paille yellow vest and paille yellow leg clothes. Hat with silver lace and black cockade. Paille yellow cover with silver embroidery on the cartridge box. White neckcloth.	Same as before but with red leg clothes.

During the Scanian campaign of 1709-1710, a Swedish spy report stated that the Foot Guards had "red coats and cloaks with yellow cuffs and collars". The uniform issued in 1707 clearly had the reverse colours, but the Foot Guards seem to have brought an older uniform with them during the campaign in order to reduce wear and tear on the regular uniform. Whether it consisted of the red cassocks with yellow lining that were abolished in 1702 or whether the Foot Guards had red coats in 1702-1707 is unclear. Non-commissioned officers and musicians did have red coats in 1702-1707, but the officers had ponceau red coats with paille yellow facings from 1708 which were the reverse colours compared to the privates.

Grenaderkorpset
(Grenadier Corps)

1702-1706	1708-1709	1712-1716	1724-1731
Red coat with pewter buttons and light blue lining and light blue cuffs with silver lace. The coat was decorated with 20 ell of white silk lace and 8 “lod” silver lace. Cloak with embroidered coat of arms (on the left shoulder?). Bearskin cap with brass plate. 30 pewter buttons for both coat and cloak (according to an engraving, the coat was single-breasted with 16 buttons). Light blue breeches and white neckcloth. Frederik IV's monogram in brass on the cartridge box. Tinned fuse cover on the bandoleer.	Since 1706, red coat with blue cuffs and collar and 26 silver-plated buttons. Blue stockings. Bearskin cap with a front of blue and some red cloth and gilded name cipher, red bag, and edged with silver lace. Brass fuse cover. In 1708, the corps received permission to have waist belt, bandoleer and cover of the cartridge box, covered with blue cloth and edged with silver lace.	Red coat with 34 white buttons (3 on each cuff) and white buttonholes as well as light blue lining and cuffs. Light blue vest and leg clothes. 1716-1724 Same as above but with red leg clothes.	Red coat with white buttons and buttonholes and light blue lining and cuffs. Light blue vest and red leg clothes. In 1724, a new type of grenadier cap made of leather was introduced and at the same time the bandoleer, waist belt and the cover of the cartridge box ceased to be covered with blue cloth.
		The appearance of the uniform worn in 1709-1712 is unknown.

Dronningens Livregiment (Queen's Life Regiment)
1691-1702, dec. 1709	?-1711	1712-1716	1716-1731
Red coat with yellow lining and cuffs. Brass buttons 1705.	Yellow coat, yellow lining and cuffs	Red coat, yellow lining and cuffs, pewter buttons (yellow leg clothes?).	Same as before but with a red vest and red leg clothes.

The regiment was described at Gadebusch in 1712 as wearing both red, blue and gray uniforms. There were then coats that were made with 40 different coloured patches. The condition of the uniforms was so bad that the regiment had to take uniforms from one battalion and leave it in quarters, in order to equip the other so that it could take part in the battle.

Prince Christian's Regiment
1691-1710	1714-1716	1716-1721
Light grey coat with red cuffs (the shades are described as "grey" 1691, "light grey" 1695, "iron grey" 1702, "white" 1709 and "crimson" 1691, "dark red" 1695 and "red 1702 & 1710). Cloaks/cassocks in the same colour as the coat 1702 and 1709. Red stockings 1702	Red coat with brass buttons and black lining, collar and cuffs (black leg clothes?).	Red coat with pewter buttons and light blue buttonholes and lining, light blue cuffs and collar with black stripe, red vest and leg clothes.

The officers are mentioned in 1702 to have had the same colour as the privates except for the lining and sash. At the same time, the grenadiers had caps made entirely of fur. In Austria, however, they are mentioned as having had cloth grenadier caps with the regimental name embroidered on the back. There are also different descriptions of what the m/1716 uniform's cuffs looked like.

Prince Georg's Regiment (disbanded 1721)
1695-	1704	1713-1716	1716-1721
Light grey coat with orange/dark yellow cuffs and lining.	Blue coat with orange/dark yellow cuffs and lining. In English service 1701-1713.	Red coat with aurora coloured lining and cuffs, and blue stripes on cuffs and sleeves.	Red coat with aurora coloured lining and cuffs, and blue stripes on cuffs and sleeves. Red vest and leg clothes. Pewter buttons since 1717.

There are different descriptions of what the m/1716 uniform's cuffs looked like.

Prince Carl's Regiment
1691-1695	1704	1714-1716 ?	1716-1722
Light grey coat with orange/dark yellow cuffs and lining.	Blue coat with orange/dark yellow cuffs and lining. In English service 1701-1713.	Red coat with aurora coloured lining and cuffs, and blue stripes on cuffs and sleeves.	Red coat with aurora coloured lining and cuffs, and blue stripes on cuffs and sleeves. Red vest and leg clothes. Pewter buttons since 1717.

Snorrason cites a source (Vrigny) that wrote that the newly formed dragoon regiment Württemberg-Oels had grey coats with yellow facings in 1702, but believes that it actually describes Prince Carl's regiment, which was in the same location, because the dragoon regiment's enlistment patent states blue coats with red facings. Skjold Peterson, on the other hand, has assumed that the source has given the correct regimental name. The consequence of this seems be that two uniforms and two regiments have been combined in different ways by Snorrason and Skjold Petersen.

There are different descriptions of what the m/1716 uniform's cuffs looked like.

Sjællandske Regiment (Zealand Regiment)
1691-1695, (1708?)	1704	1714-1716	1716-1723
Light grey coat with blue cuffs and lining.	Blue coat with white cuffs and lining. In Dutch service 1701-1714.	Red coat with cuffs, lining (and leg clothes?) in feuille morte and brass buttons.	Same as before but with red vest and red leg clothes.

Snorrason mentions a decision from 1707 that Sjællandske should have brass buttons and blue wool for the buttonholes as well as blue breeches and stockings. These colours are also stated by Skjold Petersen for the year 1708, which indicates that the uniform regulation of 1691 was also followed in the 18th century, even though Skjold Petersen does not mention anything about grey coats.

Fynske Regiment (Funen Regiment)
1691-1710	1714-1716	1716-1731
Light grey coat with green cuffs and lining. In 1702, the vest and leg clothes were described to be green, the buttons white, the hat brim yellow and the cockade green-white. The collar was stated in 1702 to have been red, but the source might have misidentified a neckcloth as a collar.	Red coat with green cuffs, lining, and leg clothes, and brass buttons.	Same as before but with red vest and red leg clothes.

What shade Fynske Regiment's green colour had was not mentioned until 1735 when it was stated to be dark green. A plate from 1716 showing the different regiments' cuffs, however, has depicted Fynske in a light green shade.

"Copenhagen Garrison Regiment" (was named after its colonels: Schack, Schwärtzel, Prince of Hesse and Zepelin)
m/1691	December 1709	1713-1714
Light grey coat with lining in feuille morte. The cassock (overcoat) in the picture on the left was abolished in 1707 in the Danish army.	A Swedish spy report states that they had white coats and cloaks with brownish yellow cuffs and collars	Red coat with cuffs and lining in feuille morte and white lace on the cuffs. Brass buttons

This regiment was merged in 1714 with the Sjællandske Regiment which had returned home from Dutch service. Karsten Skjold Petersen does not mention this regiment in his book, but I suspect that his uniform information from 1712-1713 about the Sjællandske Regiment refers to this regiment. According to him, Sjællandske received new uniforms in 1713 and that should therefore have been the date for when the "Copenhagen Garrison Regiment" received its m/1711 uniform.

Fourth Danish Regiment (disbanded 1721, was named after its colonels such as Friis and Callenberg)
1703?	1709-	-1716	1716-1721
According to the enlistment patent of 1701, the regiment was to have blue coats with white facings.	Light grey coat with red cuffs and lining. Unlike First Danish, the collar is not mentioned.	Red coat with brass buttons and yellow lining and black and yellow cuffs (vest made from the 1709 coat?).	Same as before but with red vest and red leg clothes.

The cuffs in the pictures on the right follow the plate from 1716. However, Daniel Schorr and Lars-Eric Höglund have the colours in reverse order, while Karsten Skjold Petersen is more vague and does not indicate the order of the colours. However, given that the lining was yellow, it seems that yellow was the main colour.

West Sjællandske National Regiment ("South Sjællandske" from 1717)
1701-1713	1714-1722	Lolland batttalion 1722-1730	Zealand battalion 1722-1730
Light grey coat with brass buttons. Aurora coloured cuffs and lining. The piecoat had blue cuffs in 1701.	Red coat with brass buttons and aurora coloured lining. The cuffs were striped in aurora-white-red.	Red coat with brass buttons and aurora coloured lining. The scuffs were striped in green-paille-red, as well as red vest and leg clothes.	Red coat with brass buttons and paille lining. The cuffs were striped in green-paille-red. Red vest and leg clothes.

The regiment was issued new uniforms in 1722 and was supposed to have paille-coloured lining. But there was a large quantity of aurora coloured baize available and in order not to waste it, the two battalions were given different lining colours. The Zealand battalion got paille as the lining colour and the Lolland battalion got aurora as the lining colour. But in addition to the deviant lining colour, the Lolland battalion also received yellow hat lace and black neckcloths. The regimental commander complained about the lack of uniformity and the king authorised the expense of replacing the yellow hat lace with white lace, but the lining and neckcloths were left as they were.

Also note that the Lolland soldiers were added to the regiment during a reorganisation in 1717 and that these may have kept their uniforms from the former Viborg-Lolland regiment.

Riberske National Regiment
1701-1713	1714-1716	m/1716	1718-?
Light grey coat with brass buttons, light green cuffs and lining..	Red coat with brass buttons, yellow lining and striped cuffs (black-yellow-red). Yellow leg clothes since at least 1715.	Red coat with brass buttons, red lining and red cuffs with two blue stripes and a collar with a blue stripe. Red vest and leg clothes.	Two newly formed companies that replaced those captured by the Swedes in 1716 were given grey vadmal coats, leather breeches and red stockings.

There are different descriptions of what the m/1716 uniform's cuffs looked like.

Contemporary images of Danish uniforms

National militia soldiers (conscripts) depicted in 1704-1706 on a relief in Rosenborg castle

The Grenadier corps at the funeral of Christian Gyldenløve in 1703. Engraving by Andreas Reinhard ca. 1707.

Read also about Danish cavalry uniforms.

Höglund, Lars-Eric – Sallnäs, Åke. Stora nordiska kriget 1700-1721, II. Karlstad (2003)
Schorr, Daniel. Danish-Norwegian uniforms 1709-1720. *
Skjold Petersen, Karsten. Den danske hærs uniformer i 1700-tallet. Copenhagen (2005)
Skjold Petersen, Karsten. Kongens klæder. Copenhagen (2014)
Snorrason, Torstein. Danish Uniforms 1699-1712. *
Vaupell, Otto. Den danske hærs historie til nutiden og den norske hærs historie indtil 1814. Copenhagen (1872-1876)

* = articles published in 2008 on the now defunct website www.northernwars.com