Organisational History The Vasa Age Drabant Corps Gustav II Adolf's Drabants and Hovregemente Kristina's Drabants and Hovregemente Charles X Gustav's Drabants and Livgarde Charles XI's Drabants and Livgarde Charles XII's Drabant Corps and Life Squadron Livdrabant Corps 1722-1821 Stånddrabant Corps Colonels and Battles Scanian War Great Northern War Drabant Corps Uniforms House of Vasa's Drabants 1521-1654 Charles X Gustav's Drabants Charles XI's Drabants 1660-1675 Charles XI's Drabants 1676-1695 Charles XII' Drabants and Life Squadron Drabant Uniforms 1696-1700 Drabant Uniform m/1699 Life Squadron 1717-1721 Later Drabant Uniforms Drabant Corps Colours Other Equipment

Ever since Gustav Vasa's rebellion in 1521, there has been a Swedish royal bodyguard. These were called drabants and in peacetime they guarded Stockholm Castle and the members of the royal family. In wartime from 1598 to 1721 they also functioned as a combat unit, either as an independent corps or as part of a larger regiment. In the latter case, they maintained their distinctiveness by having more expensive uniforms than the other soldiers.

Under the Vasa kings, the drabants fought on foot, but under the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken they were a cavalry unit. The corps' heyday came during the reign of Charles XII when all drabants had officer rank and constituted the foremost elite unit of the Swedish army. After his death, however, the corps once again became a pure palace guard whose sole task was to protect the king until the corps was completely disbanded in 1821.

Organisational History

The Drabant Corps can trace its origins to the 16 men from Dalarna who were appointed as Gustav Vasa's bodyguards in January 1521. For a long time, the Drabant Corps was exclusively a palace guard that was supposed to protect the members of the royal house, although drabants were often appointed as commanders of temporarily raised combat units. It was only in connection with Charles IX's rebellion against Sigismund in 1598 that the Drabant Corps, with the name Drabantfänikan, became a fighting military unit. The Drabant Corps then continued to serve in these dual roles throughout Sweden’s Age of Greatness. From 1618, the Drabant Corps formed a company in Hovregementet (= The Court Regiment, later called the Yellow Regiment). The Drabant Company also came to be called the Livgarde (Life Guards), which later became the name of the entire regiment.

Until 1655, the drabants fought on foot, but in that year, they were transformed into an independent cavalry unit called Garde de Corps. However, in 1657 they were again subordinate to the Livgarde and after the death of Charles X Gustav in 1660, the Garde du Corps was disbanded. The drabants then returned to the organisation that existed in 1655, that is, a division of foot soldiers that was part of the Colonel’s Company of the Livgarde. From 1665 onwards, however, the Drabant Corps received horses so that they could escort the king on horseback if necessary. When the Scanian War broke out in 1675, the Drabant Corps was reorganised so that it once again became a cavalry unit. However, the drabants continued to be part of the Livgarde until 1700, when they finally became a completely independent unit. In connection with the latter reorganisation, all drabants also received the rank of officer. After the peace in 1721, they once again became a pure palace guard until its dissolution in 1821 when the drabants instead became commanders in the newly established Livbeväring Regiment.

The Vasa Age Drabant Corps

The Drabant Corps was formed when Gustav Vasa was appointed as the leader of the rebellion in Dalarna in January 1521 and was then given a 16 men strong bodyguard. When he became the regent of Sweden in August of the same year, he added an additional 18 men from Arvid Västgöte's people. This gave his bodyguard a more national composition, which at the latest in 1523, when Gustav Vasa was elected king, came to be referred to as the drabants. However, the Swedish drabants had probably already begun to be replaced by professional soldiers from Germany the year before. The German dominance lasted until 1538 and during that period there were only a couple of drabants each year who were Swedes. But in 1538 the ethnic composition changed drastically so that only two out of 35 drabants were German. From then on, the Drabant Corps would consist mainly of Swedes.

The Drabant Corps consisted of 24 men in 1522 and around 30 men from 1527. This number then increased steadily during the mid-16th century. The growth was largely due to the royal family gaining more members who would have their own drabants. This brought about organisational changes to the extent that from 1540 the Drabant Corps was led by an appointed commander. Previously, the corps had a more informal leadership exercised by one of its members.

The regime changes during the 16th century affected the Drabant Corps in such a way that the part of the corps that protected Gustav Vasa was largely dissolved after his death in 1560, since Erik XIV already had more drabants than his father before his accession to the throne. Erik XIV's Drabant Corps was in turn dissolved when his brother Johan III seized power in 1568 and then created a completely new royal Drabant Corps. His old ducal Drabant Corps had been dissolved by Erik XIV in 1563. However, no such changes took place after Johan III's death in 1592. The royal Drabant Corps then came to be controlled in practice by the future Charles XI, who ruled Sweden during Sigismund's long stays in Poland. During the civil war in 1598 between Sigismund and Charles, the king's official bodyguard was therefore loyal to the man who rebelled against the king.

With Charles IX's accession to power in 1598, a new phase began in the history of the Drabant Corps, as it was then transformed into a combat unit called the Drabantfänika. However, for a “fänika”, its size was quite small, and the new role as a combat unit made the Drabant Corps' profession much riskier. It therefore became more difficult to maintain the strength of the corps. In the disastrous Battle of Kirkholm on 17 September 1605, the Drabant Corps consisted of around 150 men, of whom both the captain and the ensign as well as 108 Drabants were killed. These losses were almost completely replaced by new recruitment, but gradually the strength decreased again, so that the corps was very weak when Charles IX died on 30 October 1611. Although, what followed were extensive reforms and enlargements by his son Gustav II Adolf.

Gustav II Adolf's Drabants and Hovregemente

The new king Gustav II Adolf wanted not only to reconstruct his father's Drabant Fänika but also to make it larger than ever before. On 14 December 1613, an organisation of 304 men was established for the "Livgarde" (the first time this alternative name for the Drabant Fänika was used). However, this size was not reached before the next reorganisation. In 1615 the drabants consisted of 276 men, but after participating in the campaign against Pskov, only 145 drabants remained upon their return to Stockholm in the spring of 1616. New recruitment during the summer resulted in a force of 280 men and among them there was a new category of drabants, namely 30 “adelsdrabants” who were recruited from the nobility and intended to be trained for future service as army officers.

The Drabant Fänika was practically split into two companies when part of it was sent to Livonia in 1617 and another part remained in Stockholm. This division into two drabant companies became official in 1618 when the part that remained at home was expanded to a new company and both became part of the newly formed Hovregemente (= Court Regiment) which also included five regular enlisted companies consisting of Germans. The Hovregemente was also called the Drabant Regiment but is perhaps best known as the Yellow Regiment (after the colour of its uniforms). Together, the Drabant companies then consisted of almost 500 men, which was the largest number of drabants ever. However, the number dropped drastically during a reorganisation in 1621 when the Hovregemente was divided into eight companies of 148 men each, and of these, only the Colonel’s Company (also called the Livgarde Company) consisted of drabants. There were still 24 adelsdrabants who served as pikemen in the Colonel’s Company.

The special role of the Livgarde Company, however, meant that the organisation of the Hovregemente was not particularly stable. Every time Gustav II Adolf returned to Sweden, he took the Livgarde Company with him while the rest of the regiment remained in the theatre of war. This happened as early as 1622, and back home in Sweden, the Livgarde Company was united in 1624 with seven newly recruited companies to form a new Hovregemente. The other companies in the old Hovregemente that remained in Riga were then converted into a regular enlisted regiment. History seemed to repeat itself when, after another temporary stay in Stockholm, the Livgarde once again formed a new unit, the Guards Squadron, which then participated in the campaign in Prussia in 1626 while the other seven companies of the new Hovregemente remained in Livonia. In addition to the Livgarde, the Guards Squadron consisted of another company of drabants (called "blue coats") and two regular companies. But the Guards Squadron was soon merged with the rest of the Hovregemente when that was transferred to the field army in Prussia that same year. In connection with the merger, the number of regular companies was increased to eight so that the Hovregemente would have the normal organisation of eight companies even when the Livgarde Company was home in Sweden. After this merger, the Livgarde came to be a de facto wholly independent unit until the end of 1630 when it became the thirteenth company in the Hovregemente.

Various circumstances meant that the number of regular companies in the Hovregemente varied between 7 and 11 between 1626 and 1630. After the Hovregemente was transferred to Germany in 1630, the then 10-company regiment was strengthened to 12 and was then reunited with the Livgarde Company. Four more companies were added in 1632. Throughout this period, the Livgarde Company had a different organisation and was for a long time substantially larger than a regular company, at most consisting of almost 300 men. These were usually made up of Swedes, unlike the rest of the Hovregemente, which consisted mostly of Germans. Losses during the campaigns, however, meant that even the strength of the Livgarde Company fell below the official Swedish company size of 148 men. In April 1631, the Livgarde Company consisted of only 143 men, of whom 40 were surplus officers serving as privates, and 12 "students" also serving as privates. The latter category reflected the Livgarde' continued role as an officer training school.

Kristina's Drabants and Hovregemente

The death of Gustav II Adolf in the Battle of Lützen on 6 November 1632 was a turning point for both the Livgarde Company and the Hovregemente. The Livgarde Company's primary task was to protect the regent and she was in Stockholm, so it left the main army and began a slow return to Sweden. It guarded Gustav II Adolf's body in the Pomeranian town of Wolgast throughout the first half of 1633. In August of that year, the body was taken to Nyköping Castle in Sweden where it, along with half of the Livgarde, remained for almost a year while the other half of the Livgarde served at Kristina’s court in Stockholm. It was not until midsummer 1634 that Gustav II Adolf's funeral took place and the Livgarde Company was thus gathered in Stockholm and remained there until 1655.

The Hovregemente continued to fight in Germany until it was disbanded in connection with the peace of 1648. Although from 1635 it was in French service after it, together with the rest of Bernhard of Weimar's army, defected and changed paymaster. The Swedish government's attitude after 1635 was constantly to re-establish the Hovregemente, but the attempts were not successful until the Torstensson War of 1643-1645. At most four companies had been recruited in 1638 (out of twelve planned) but these are not mentioned after 1641 and were probably assigned to other regiments.

When the Hovregemente was finally re-established, it was after the Livgarde Company had gradually increased to almost 300 men. This was then divided into three companies in the autumn of 1643, and two of them participated in the Scanian campaign of 1644. In the autumn of 1644, recruitment of additional companies was carried out, and the plan was to re-establish the Hovregemente to a strength of 12 companies. This was changed to 20 companies in January 1645 when a decision was made to merge an existing regiment (Hugo Hamilton's). But even though a newly recruited company could be sent to Värmland already at the turn of the year (transferred to Scania in the summer of 1645), recruitment was slow as usual. In May 1645, there were only 10 companies (928 men) in Scania, and these consisted of the two companies that had been sent there the previous year and the merged regiment. During the summer, additional companies arrived, bringing the Hovregemente to 16 companies (1,409 men) in Skåne. The Livgarde Company remained in Stockholm and was joined by three more newly recruited companies at the end of 1645, bringing the Hovregemente to its established strength of 20 companies. By then, however, the Torstensson War had ended with the peace of Brömsebro.

After the peace of Brömsebro, the field regiment was garrisoned in the recently conquered Halland. These 16 companies, together with a newly recruited dragoon company, were transferred to Germany in the summer of 1646. They were used as garrison troops there too and it was not until 1648 that they saw combat in connection with the siege of Prague. That year, three more companies had been transferred to Germany, so that only the Livgarde Company remained in Sweden.

After the Peace of Westphalia, the Hovregemente was reduced to 12 companies. Four were to be in Stockholm and eight in Riga, where they arrived in November 1649. Once in Riga, the Hovregemente was expanded again with a dragoon company, and a redistribution of the men resulted in a ninth infantry company in 1650, which formed the garrison in Riga Castle. Only the Livgarde Company was permanently in Stockholm, while the other three companies were usually scattered in central Swedish towns during the winter months. However, from November 1652 to May 1653, they were in Riga.

Since 1638, the Livgarde Company had once again had an increasing number of Adelsdrabants (ten until 1640 and thirty in 1646). These came to be included in a 74-man strong Nobility Company (Adelskompani) that was formed in the spring of 1653 (also called the "Garde du Corps"). In addition to nobles, commoners were also allowed to be included if they had reached the rank of captain. The Nobility Company took over the Livgarde Company's role as ceremonial bodyguard to the queen, so that it was then transformed into an ordinary company and its soldiers ceased to be referred to as drabants. The Noblility Company was formally an independent unit from the Livgarde/Hovregemente, but its commanders (Lorenz von der Linde until October and then Klas Åkesson Tott) were in practice commanders of the part of the Livgarde/Hovregemente that was in Stockholm, while the actual colonel only had command of the Riga part. However, this would only become a parenthesis in the history of the Livgarde, as Charles X Gustav became king the following year. He had no need for a ceremonial palace guard and was only interested in combat units.

Charles X Gustav's Drabants and Livgarde

Kristina abdicated on 6 June 1654, but the incoming king had not wasted any time and ensured that the then 88-man Nobility Company was disbanded already at the end of May. Only one corporal and 35 privates were retained for service as the royal bodyguard, and these became part of the Livgarde's Colonel’s Company. Later in the summer, the Drabant Corps was expanded to 60 men, as his wedding to Hedvig Eleonora was imminent and the queen would also need a bodyguard.

The four companies of the Livgarde in Stockholm were also reformed upon Charles X Gustav's accession to the throne. One of them was disbanded to make the others full-strength, and two of them were sent to Bremen to participate in the First Bremen War. In connection with the armistice in early 1655, the companies in Bremen were merged with other regiments (one of them the newly formed Queen's Life Regiment), whereby they ceased to be part of the Livgarde.

The Colonel’s Company, which at the time of the accession to the throne had consisted of 125 men (excluding 36 drabants), had in August 1654 a strength of 17 officers, 194 corporals and privates and 60 drabants. Continued recruitment resulted in a strength of 18 officers and 252 corporals and privates in March 1655. The drabants had been separated that same month to form an independent cavalry unit. The following month the Colonel’s Company was divided into two companies that would form the backbone of a new field regiment on foot, which was planned to consist of 16 companies, but only half of them were raised.

The 60 drabants formed the core of the 139-man Garde du Corps (19 officers and 120 privates) which was fully recruited in June. Of these, however, only 115 men went into the field, as a corporal and 24 private drabants were left in Stockholm to protect the queen. When the crown prince was born in 1656, a further 12 drabants were recruited in Stockholm. Alongside the Garde de Corps, a Livgarde on Horse was also raised in Germany, which initially also consisted of only one company (from February 1657 there were occasionally additional companies). These two units were completely independent but were often confused with each other in accounts of Charles X Gustav's campaigns. Both units were led by a lieutenant colonel and their position in relation to the Livgarde on Foot is unclear, but they were subordinate to its colonel at least from November 1657.

After the Colonel’s Company was divided into two companies, two new Livgarde companies were formed in Sweden from contingents from the provincial regiments. The other twelve companies were to be recruited in Germany, but recruitment there went very poorly and by July 1655 only four weak companies (327 men) had been raised there. To compensate for the poor outcome, a company from the Livgarde in Riga was ordered to join the field regiment in Pomerania. The remaining Livgarde companies in Riga were used as the stem for two newly formed regiments and thus ceased to be part of the Livgarde. When the entire field regiment had been assembled in Pomerania in July 1655, it consisted of only 9 companies instead of the planned 12. Its strength was also only 963 men. One of the German companies was therefore disbanded, and the men were distributed among the other companies. Thus, the Livgarde field regiment received a normal organisation of eight companies that it maintained throughout the Polish campaign of 1655-1660. However, the effective strength remained weak. During the first half of 1656, it had fallen to 650 men and after a plague epidemic in the late summer and autumn it fell to 400 men. Remnants from other units reinforced the Livgarde at the turn of the year so that the strength was increased to 550, which, however, fell to 500 men in the spring of 1657 and then increased to 575 men in the summer after new recruitment had been carried out. A year later, in August 1658, the strength was down to 506 men. But the siege of Thorn took a heavy toll on the regiment, which had dropped to 170 men in the spring of 1659. During the summer, it was reinforced with forcibly conscripted Danes to 360 men, of whom only 285 remained when Charles X Gustav died in 1660.

In addition to the field regiment, a new company was also raised, consisting of conscripted Finns and 30 guardsmen who were deemed too old or sick for field service. This company was to serve as a palace guard in Stockholm. Plans to set up more Livgarde companies in Sweden were drawn early on, but only two of these were successfully raised in the spring of 1658, and in August these took over the task of palace guard in Stockholm, while the old company was sent to Denmark where it was garrisoned in Frederiksodde. The following summer, another Stockholm company was transferred to Denmark, while recruitment of two more companies continued in Sweden until the end of the war.

Four completely new Livgarde companies were recruited in the summer of 1658 in Germany and formed a squadron that participated in the fighting on Zealand. However, the strength of the squadron was no more than 270 men in October 1658 and after the unsuccessful storming of Copenhagen in February 1659 only about 80 men remained. Two more weak companies (120 men) were recruited in August 1658 and stationed in Frederiksodde together with the old Stockholm company. These were transferred in February 1659 to Funen where they were united with another weak newly recruited company. Conscripted Norwegian soldiers intended for the Livgarde also arrived in Denmark and the idea was to reorganise an eight-company strong regiment of all the Livgarde companies in Denmark and one company from Stockholm. But it took a long time before the parts could be assembled on Falster and then without the companies on Funen which remained where they were. Although soldiers from other units were commandeered to this field regiment, the result was only seven companies with a total size of about 455 men in August 1659, which were then transferred to Stettin. When Charles X Gustav died, this strength had dropped to about 375 men. The companies on Funen consisted of 129 men in August 1659, who were then completely wiped out in the Battle of Nyborg on 14 November.

Charles XI's Drabants and Livgarde

Charles X Gustav died on 13 February 1660, leaving behind a Livgarde consisting of two cavalry companies (Garde du Corps and the Livgarde on Horse) with a total of about 200 men, as well as 18 infantry companies. The infantry consisted of 8 companies in the Polish city of Elbing (285 men) which was the original field regiment, 7 companies in Stettin (375 men) which had been raised later during the war and 3 companies in Sweden which were under recruitment (260 men).

After the peace of Copenhagen was concluded on 27 May 1660, the army was to be converted to a peacetime force. On 27 June, the companies in Sweden were merged into one company that was stationed in Stockholm. The prewar established strength of that company was a staff of 16 men and 132 privates, but even though some soldiers were dismissed, there were still 81 surplus men. In addition, the home-based (and unmounted) Drabant Corps consisting of a corporal and 36 privates was attached to this company. However, the large number of surplus officers meant that in 1661, 26 officers were employed as drabants instead of being dismissed. The corresponding number of drabants were therefore dismissed, but 13 of them were instead employed in the Dowager Queen's newly formed Drabant Corps.

The Garde du Corps paraded at the funeral of Charles X Gustav in Stockholm on 4 November but was disbanded immediately afterwards. Of its 88 men, 10 were transferred to the Drabant Corps in Stockholm (possibly six more were added later). 58 former Garde de Corps drabants were maintained in the countryside while awaiting placement in other regiments. The sister unit, the Livgarde on Horse, consisted mostly of foreigners who were considered troublesome and unwilling to serve, and were kept in southern Sweden until it too was disbanded in November 1661 and they were allowed to return home.

The Livgarde companies in Stettin shrank rapidly during 1660, and in September consisted of only 184 men, who were then reorganised into four companies. In October 1661, only 99 corporals and privates remained, who then became part of the garrison regiment in Pomerania.

The Livgarde companies in Poland received men from disbanded regiments in July 1660, but since personnel were also granted discharge, the strength of the eight companies remained almost unchanged compared to the beginning of the year (243 non-commissioned officers and privates and 57 dragoons). This part of the Livgarde was transferred to Riga in August where it was reinforced with further men from disbanded regiments so that in December it had 569 men. In October 1661, the Queen's Life Regiment was merged with the Livgarde in Riga, which then consisted of 10 companies until 1663 when the number was reduced to 8. Due to a surplus of senior officers, this part of the Livgarde had its own colonel since 1661, although it was still counted as the same regiment as the company in Stockholm. The intention was that the double colonels would be a temporary arrangement, but in practice it became a permanent division of the Livgarde, which was confirmed in 1680 when the then-named "German Guard" lost its status as Guard. It had been transferred from Riga to Pomerania in 1672 and then to Scania in 1679, where it was later named Tyska livregementet (= German Life Regiment).

From 1663, the Livgarde consisted of eight companies in Riga and one company in Stockholm, which also included the drabants. The Swedish part was gradually expanded, especially when Charles XI came of age in 1672 and then when the Scanian War broke out, so that it became a larger regiment. The organisation that was established during the Scanian War was then maintained during the following peace period.

Established Strength of the Livgarde in Sweden
(officers & non-commissioned officers + men)

The Drabant Corps had been partially mounted in 1665 when it was first provided with 20 horses and then 24 horses in 1670. These horses were to be used by the royal bodyguard that accompanied the king on his travels. However, when the Scanian War broke out in 1675, the decision was made to expand the Drabant Corps to 200 men and convert it entirely into a mounted combat unit.

This new cavalry corps was to be led by a lieutenant colonel and have a captain lieutenant with the rank of major and two lieutenants with the rank of captain. The non-commissioned officers consisted of a quartermaster, a sergeant and six corporals. In total, there were 12 officers & NCOs and 12 other persons in the staff (including a drummer and three trumpeters) so that the total personnel strength was 224 men. This organisation was maintained throughout the reign of Charles XI with only minor changes. A field surgeon's assistant and a stock maker were added to the staff in 1685 and towards the end of the period six private drabants were appointed as lance corporals.

Formally, the corps was still part of the Livgarde until Charles XII's reorganisation in 1700, but in practice it was a separate unit as early as 1676. After the peace of 1679, the corps was also stationed in Arboga (4 corporalships) and Köping (2 corporalships) while the rest of the Livgarde returned to Stockholm. The plan was to build barracks and stables in Stockholm for the drabants, but this fell through. However, the task of being the king's bodyguard meant that there were always 24 drabants in Stockholm when the king was in the capital.

Charles XII's Drabant Corps and Life Squadron

In January 1699, Charles XII decided that the Drabant Corps should be stationed in Stockholm. Barracks and stables for them were to be built on the small island of Skeppsholmen and were completed in September 1700. However, these were not put into use due to the outbreak of war. But already in February 1700, four corporalships had been housed in temporary barracks in Stockholm.

Starting on 22 December 1699, Charles XII began to reform the Drabant Corps so that it would consist only of officers and become a completely independent unit with the king himself as its commander. This was achieved by partly giving existing drabants the rank of officers and thereby greatly increasing their salaries. And partly by replacing those drabants who were not considered to be up to the standard for the corps that Charles XII wanted to create. The actual organisation, however, did not change much. The established strength of men was to remain 200 men (which was never achieved). What was changed was that the 6 lance corporals were abolished and instead the number of corporals was doubled to 12. The position of lieutenant colonel in the Drabant Corps also disappeared when the king took over the command. Later, the title lance corporal would return as a title for the private drabants with the longest service time.

The transformation took place in several stages and what happened on 22 December 1699 was that 1 corporal, 1 lance corporal and 39 drabants were dismissed. These were instead employed as “stånddrabanter” (ceremonial guards) in Princess Ulrika Eleonora's newly established Drabant Corps. During March and April 1700, extensive new recruitment then took place to replace the dismissed personnel. The lance corporals and one private drabant were promoted to corporals and the last corporal positions were filled by three lieutenants from the Livgarde and the Livregemente on Horse. In addition, 40 new private drabants were recruited. Except for one corporal from the Livgarde, the new private drabants were former officers (26) and non-commissioned officers (13). Of the new drabants, most came from the Livgarde and then from the Livregemente on Horse, but the new recruits were diverse. They came from Jämtland in the north, Stade in the south, Gothenburg in the west and Livonia in the east. Among them were also a naval officer and an artillery NCO. In June, ten more drabants were hired and it was decided that the old drabants would have the same rank and pay as the new drabants.

On 18 July, the decision was made to separate the Drabant Corps from the Livgarde. At that time, its lieutenant colonel was promoted to colonel of Småland Regiment and was replaced by Charles XII as the nominal commander of the Drabant Corps. Although in practice this meant that the captain lieutenant henceforth became the corps commander. Before Charles XII's reforms, the captain lieutenant of the Drabant Corps had held the rank of major, but now he was equated with a major general.

In September 1700, a final culling of less capable personnel took place. Three corporals and 50 private drabants were dismissed and this time they were compensated with a life pension. The effective strength of the corps was reduced because of this from 198 men to 147 men and it would never exceed 165 men during the reign of Charles XII.

The civil-military staff consisted at the end of 1700 of 1 judge-advocate, 1 preacher, 1 field surgeon, 2 farriers, 1 saddler, 1 gunsmith, 1 stock maker and a wagon maker. Later, additional staff were added, such as 5 assistant field surgeons.

The average effective strength of the Drabant Corps during the years 1701-1708 was 147 Drabants. However, after the disastrous Russian campaign and the long stay in the Ottoman Empire, in 1716 only 37 men remained in the corps that was now called the Livdrabant Corps. Instead of filling the ranks with new officers, Charles XII chose to use the existing Livdrabants as officers in a newly established Life Squadron. However, it was probably his intention to restore the former Drabant Corps later.

The Life Squadron was formed in November 1716 and, in addition to the Livdrabants, consisted of 360 privates and 30 non-commissioned officers drawn from the Livregemente on Horse, Östgöta, the Norra skånska and Södra skånska cavalry regiments. It was divided into two divisions, each of which was in its turn divided into three troops.

The table below shows the established composition of the Drabant Corps and the ranks of the positions in 1700 and when the Life Squadron was formed in 1716. The information about ranks comes from several different sources and was never established in one and the same document.

In addition to the drabants, the Life Squadron consisted of 6 orderlies and 24 quartermasters who served as non-commissioned officers. The rank and file consisted of 72 filemasters, 72 vice filemasters and 216 privates. All in all, the combined Drabant Corps and the Life Squadron consisted of 407 combat personnel (excluding musicians, about whom I have no information).

The number of musicians (drummers and trumpeters) at the Drabant Corps at different times is uncertain because they were not part of the regular establishment. Instead, they were paid for by the royal court’s funds.

Livdrabant Corps 1722-1821

After the Peace of Nystad in 1721, the army was put on a peace footing. At the turn of the year 1722, the organisation of the Livdrabant Corps was restored to the conditions that existed in 1696, which meant significantly lower pay and rank for the 23 existing drabants. The Life Squadron was disbanded at the same time and was partly used to fill the ranks of the Livdrabant Corps. The old drabants became officers in the new corps and the 6 orderlies in the Life Squadron became non-commissioned officers. The new men consisted of 132 men, who were mainly former filemasters in the Life Squadron. The new Livdrabant Corps would continue to serve on foot and the Life Squadron's horses had been auctioned off as early as 7-9 December 1721. For parades, the corps could be mounted (at least in the 1770s), but then horses from the king's stables were used.

The history of the Livdrabant Corps during the Liberty Age (1719-1771) is very poorly researched and the only information available in the literature is from Julius Mankell's work from 1866. The very brief information in this work also seems to contradict von Schreeb's description given above. According to Mankell, the Life Squadron's men were returned to their original regiments. Instead, the Livdrabant Corps was filled with excess officers and noble non-commissioned officers. According to Mankell, the strength of the Livdrabant Corps also gradually decreased so that only 136 men remained in 1736. Possibly all this was something that happened after the reorganisation at the New Year of 1722. In any case, after the Peace of Nystad, the Livdrabant Corps was exclusively a royal bodyguard, and it did not participate in any battles in the following wars.

The corps' accommodations were spread across the country, but in 1780 it was moved to Stockholm and then given a new organisation. The 100 private drabants were distributed to 4 companies with the names Svea, Göta, Finska and Vendes. Each company was given a captain lieutenant as its commander and in addition to the lieutenant captains, the entire corps had a staff of 22 people. Apart from the king, there was no overall commander until 1793 when a fifth captain lieutenant was added. The oldest in service would then be the commander of the entire corps. The rest of the staff was expanded at the same time to 35 mounted and 6 unmounted. Private drabants now had the rank of ensign, corporals had the rank of captain, corporals had the rank of major, and lieutenants had the rank of colonel. The captain lieutenant was considered a lieutenant general.

In 1791, Duke Charles was given his own corps of livdrabants, consisting of two captain lieutenants, three other officers and 32 drabants. It was disbanded in 1809 when he became king and seems to have been under the command of Robert von Rosen throughout.

In the spring of 1808, a 640-man strong battalion was raised through conscription in Stockholm and the Livdrabant Corps was tasked with training the men. This battalion was disbanded in 1809 but it was re-established in 1812 when country wide conscription was made permanent. This time it was instead the officers of Uppland and Södermanland regiments who were to train the conscripts. This was not optimal since they would also train the conscripts in their own counties. In 1821, the decision was therefore made to disband the Livdrabant Corps and use its personnel as officers to the conscripts in the city and county of Stockholm, which was then named the Livbeväring Regiment. A total of 29 officers and the same number of non-commissioned officers were selected to serve in the new regiment, while the remaining Livdrabants were placed on a disbandment establishment (they continued to receive pay for the rest of their lives). The only thing that remained of the Livdrabant Corps was then a captain lieutenant. When necessary, the officers of the Livbeväring Regiment continued to perform the ceremonial functions that the Livdrabant Corps had traditionally performed. However, from the coronation of Oscar I in 1844, it was instead men from the Guards regiments who were dressed in drabant costumes. From 1860, the drabant costumes consisted of newly manufactured uniforms that were supposed to represent the drabants of Charles XI and Charles XII. These anachronistic uniforms are still in use today.

In 1858, the decision was made to disband the Livbeväring Regiment's officer corps, and in 1862 its duties were taken over by the two Guards Regiments, each of which increased its officer corps by one major and four captains. In the same year, the position of captain lieutenant was also abolished, thus eliminating the last remnant of the Livdrabant Corps.

Stånddrabant Corps

Alongside the livdrabants, there were also stånddrabants who were paid by the royal court and, unlike the former, had no military function. They were former soldiers and served as guards for the royal family, but their function was almost exclusively ceremonial.

The Stånddrabant Corps’ creation dates to 1700, but its origins can be traced back to the outbreak of the Scanian War. Two corporals and two private drabants were deemed unfit for field service and were not included in the reorganised Drabant Corps in 1676. Instead, they were assigned to guard duty at the royal palace in Stockholm during the war. These "old drabants" were then included in the special drabant corps that was formed in 1682 for Queen Ulrika Eleonora the Elder. This consisted of one corporal and twelve private drabants. They were allowed to continue to serve even after the queen's death in 1693, and eight of them were still employed in 1700. Together with 41 drabants dismissed from the king’s drabant corps by Charles XII, they formed Princess Ulrika Eleonora's Stånddrabant Corps that year.

The term "stånddrabant" itself came to be used for drabants with only ceremonial functions, while the fighting drabants began to be called Livdrabants in the 1710s. During the 17th century, there had been no such distinction.

When the Stånddrabant Corps was formed in 1700, it consisted of 1 corporal, 2 lance corporals and 46 drabants. Gradually, the number decreased through retirements and in 1711 only 1 corporal and 11 drabants remained. This was considered too few and the following year a permanent establishment consisting of 2 corporals and 24 drabants was created. The corps was also retained after Ulrika Eleonora became reigning queen, but the strength was reduced to 1 corporal and 12 drabants. It was again increased to 24 drabants by Gustav III in 1783.

The corps was abolished in 1844, and the stånddrabants ended their service by parading at the funeral of Charles XIV Johan on 26 April. For his coronation, the new king Oscar I chose to instead use men from the guard regiments for the ceremonial duties that the stånddrabants had performed.

Stånddrabants in 1797 with costumes they wore until 1844 (painting by Martin Rudolf Heland)

Colonels and Battles
(Green background represents victories, red background defeats and grey background indecisive battles)

Scanian War

When the Scanian War began, there were 40 private drabants and 3 drabant corporals who were part of the Livgarde's Colonel’s Company. These were primarily foot soldiers, but the drabants had 24 horses that were used by those who served as the royal bodyguard when Charles XI travelled on horseback. At the end of August 1675, the king decided to reorganise this force into a cavalry company consisting of 200 private drabants and 12 officers. The recruitment of the new drabants took place in Stockholm and was completed in October. The horses were purchased in Scania and Halland where they also remained waiting for the drabants' arrival. The drabant company was fully organised in December and at the New Year 1676 it departed for Scania. The first muster took place on 3 June in Allerup north of Trolleholm after Charles XI had arrived in Scania.

After the Danish landing at Råå at the end of June 1676, the Drabants and the rest of the army carried out a hasty retreat to Småland via Kristianstad. However, when the Danes divided their field army into two parts, the Swedish army chose to go on the counter-offensive and attack the smaller part, which was completely destroyed in the Battle of Halmstad on 17 August. This was the first battle for the new Drabant Corps, and they took the place of honour on the far right in the Swedish order of battle, which they would continue to do in all subsequent battles. The Drabants' losses in the Battle of Halmstad were two killed and six wounded. Despite the victory, the Swedish army was still smaller than the approaching Danish main army and they therefore retreated further north in Halland to Syllinge.

In October 1676, a new Swedish counter-offensive was launched, culminating in the bloody Battle of Lund on 4 December. The Drabants had a strength of 160 men when they left Syllinge on October 6, and this had then dropped to 150 men when the Battle of Lund began. Already at the beginning of the battle, the Drabants, together with the Livregemente, distinguished themselves by attacking the enemy alone after the rest of the cavalry had retreated. They managed to hold off the enemy long enough for Swedish reinforcements to join in and defeat the Danish left wing, which was then pursued for a long time. During this fight, the Drabants' commander, Lieutenant Colonel Siegroth, fell. After the Drabants and the rest of the Swedish right wing returned to the battlefield, they rescued the hard-pressed Swedish army and defeated the rest of the Danish army. However, the battle has gone down in history as Scandinavia's bloodiest, and the Drabants suffered heavy losses. Only 50 men remained in the saddle after the battle. The fallen Siegroth was replaced as unit commander by Henrik Johan Naschert, even though he had lost an arm in the battle.

The 1676 campaign ended with the recapture of Helsingborg on 30 December, after which the drabants went into winter quarters in Vä outside Kristianstad. While the drabants rested there during the first half of 1677, the gaps in the ranks were to be filled with recruitments. But this proved difficult and after a contingent of 34 recruits arrived in July 1677, the drabants had a strength of only slightly over 150 men.

A new campaign was launched, which soon resulted in the Battle of Landskrona on 14 July 1677. The Swedes were victorious again, but this battle was also bloody. The Drabants distinguished themselves by single-handedly resisting an attack by the Danish cavalry until reinforcements arrived. Of a force of 142 men, 28 men were killed and 50 were wounded.

In August, the drabants participated in the pursuit of the Danish cavalry that had broken out of Landskrona and made it to the Kristianstad area before returning to Landskrona. In September, news came of a setback in Uddevalla, which resulted in a cavalry force that included the drabants was ordered to march there as reinforcements on 17 September. However, they did not get further than Halmstad two days later before the march was interrupted. Instead, the drabants were placed in winter quarters in (Trolle-) Ljungby near Kristianstad.

Recruitment for the 1678 campaign season was considerably more successful than the previous year. Already on 7 September, 48 new recruits arrived to the army, and at the muster on 30 May, the Drabant Corps’ ranks had a surplus of 13 drabants. However, 1678 was a more uneventful year, revolving around the siege of Kristianstad. After the Danish garrison capitulated on 4 August, the drabants were stationed in Höör before going into winter quarters in Sölvesborg and Ronneby. The Drabant Corps still had a surplus of 7 drabants at the muster in Sölvesborg on 24 October.

The 1679 campaign season was even more uneventful. It began when the drabants left Fjälkinge in the Kristianstad region on 9 July to head for the Rönneå area. The goal was to retake Helsingborg, but news of the Norwegian army led to a march towards Varberg on 11 August, which was called off on 17 August, after which they returned to their old location at Rönneå on 25 August. After the armistice had been signed in Lund on 1 September, the drabants were stationed in Sireköping east of Landskrona. Peace was signed on 26 September, and on 26 October the drabants marched home via Asarum, Växjö and Värnamo. At the latter location it was divided into two parts, which then travelled on opposite sides of Lake Vättern before arriving in Arboga and Köping, where they would be stationed during the coming peace period.

Great Northern War

When the Great Northern War broke out, the Drabant Corps was in the midst of a period of reorganisation with "old" drabants in Arboga and Köping and "new" drabants in Stockholm. Both groups left their camps on 30 April and marched to Ystad, where they arrived on 8 and 15 June respectively. Once there, a reorganisation was carried out on 18 July, separating the Drabant Corps from the Livgarde and making it directly subordinate to the King. In practice, this meant that Captain Lieutenant Arvid Horn became the commander of the drabants.

The first event of the war was the landing at Humlebæk where the then 198-strong Drabant Corps was included in the second wave of troops which consisted of cavalry. However, due to bad weather, they could not be shipped over until 3 August, which was eight days after the first wave which included the king and the Livgarde. The Drabant Corps did fight in any battle because Denmark made peace in Traventhal on 8 August. The drabants left Denmark on 22 August and was transferred to Kristianstad where they were stationed for a month before sailing to Pernau on 1 October.

The real baptism of fire for Charles XII's Drabant Corps was the Battle of Narva on 20 November 1700. Of a force of 151 men, 11 were killed (1 adjutant, 1 corporal and 9 privates) and 28 were wounded, of whom five later died of their injuries. 42 horses were killed or wounded.

A strength report from 26 November states that 17 Drabants were sick and that only 95 men were fit for duty. This weakened Drabant Corps then participated in raids into Russian territory, without encountering the enemy, before going into winter quarters in Lais outside Dorpat in mid-December. There they remained until mid-June when the army broke up and marched to Riga.

During the stay in Lais, several Drabants were involved in duels and five were dismissed because of this. This continued to be a significant problem, as the Drabant Corps now consisted of officers who were class-conscious and ambitious. During the war, the Corps lost 6% of its personnel due to duels, while the war deaths was 17%.

The 1701 campaign began with the Battle of Düna on 9 July. The now 140-strong Drabant Corps made an impressive effort when they, greatly outnumbered, protected the infantry against attacks from the Saxon cavalry. The losses consisted of 2 killed and 19 wounded, one of whom later died of his injuries. Among the wounded were Captain Lieutenant Arvid Horn, who was shot in the kneecap, and Lieutenant Otto Wrangel, who was again wounded in the hand.

At the time of the Battle of Kliszow on 9 July 1702, the Drabants had a strength of 147 men. However, this figure was not the effective strength, as there were probably wounded Drabants who had not recovered. During the battle, three Drabants took command of other squadrons whose commanders had been killed. Losses were light and only one corporal was killed. The number of wounded is not mentioned, but among these was again Arvid Horn. As a reward for the Drabant Corps' efforts in the battle, six Drabants who had been dismissed for duels were pardoned.

In the following years, several smaller battles were fought with the participation of the Drabant Corps. First, the Battle of Pultusk on 21 April 1703 (146 men). Then in 1704, both the storming of Lemberg on 28 August (159 men) and the Battle of Punitz on 28 October (160 men).

A minor skirmish took place on 15 January 1706 during the Grodno operation. A force of 12 drabants led by a corporal who were supposed to clear a village of enemies attacked and "massacred" a troop of 60 Russian foot soldiers. Only the corporal was wounded.

The Polish campaign ended with a year-long stay in Altranstädt in Saxony. During this time, Arvid Horn resigned as captain lieutenant to become a royal councillor in Stockholm instead. This was probably because he had been plagued by frequent illnesses. His two successors, however, did not last long. Carl Gustaf Wrangel died in Altranstädt of illness after barely six months. The next captain lieutenant, Otto Wrangel, was killed in the Battle of Holowczyn on 4 July 1708.

The Battle of Holowczyn was a great success for the Swedish army, but the losses of the Drabant Corps were the highest since the Battle of Narva. According to von Schreeb, the Drabant Corps numbered 134 men, of whom 8 were killed (including the captain lieutenant) and three were mortally wounded. Pihlström's diary states 9 killed (including the captain lieutenant, the quartermaster, the adjutant and a lance corporal) and 31 wounded. Kuylenstierna states even higher losses and a lower strength (125 men, of whom 13 were killed and 33 wounded), but his figures is probably less credible.

At the end of 1708, the Drabant Corps consisted of 146 men. The established strength of 200 private drabants plus 17 officers had never been reached and the corps had at most had 198 men during the summer of 1700. After that, there were never more than 165 drabants on duty at any one time. At its lowest, the Drabant Corps had 133 men (December 1706 and 1707) before shrinking to only 131 men in 1709 at the time of the Battle of Poltava (not all of them were fit for duty, however). The average number during the period 1701-1708 was 147 drabants.

One drabant was killed in a battle at Oposhna on 28 January 1709. Things got worse in the battle of Krasnokutsk on 11 February. The battle itself was a Swedish victory, but the drabant suffered badly when pursuing the fleeing enemy. With exhausted horses, they chose to attack a too strong Russian force in Gorodnoye on foot. This resulted in 10 drabants being killed, several wounded and one captured.

In the Battle of Poltava, 17 drabants were killed and 9 were captured. Another 4 were captured at Perevolochna, while 101 men followed the king to Bender. During their stay in the Ottoman Empire, 20 drabants died, 15 were promoted to other units, 4 deserted, and 6 were dismissed for various crimes. The remaining 54 drabants marched to Stralsund in September 1714, but only 50 drabants arrived there and were reunited with Charles XII in March 1715.

In the Battle of Stresow on 5 November 1715, 2 drabants were killed and 2 were captured. Two drabants were mortally wounded. When Stralsund capitulated on 12 December, the drabants were allowed to keep their weapons and were promised safe passage home to Sweden. However, the journey home did not take place until 4 June 1716, when 35 drabants and 3 civilian personnel left Lübeck and arrived in Ystad the following day (the captain lieutenant and a corporal had arrived in Sweden earlier in the year).

After returning to Sweden in 1716, the Drabant Corps consisted of 37 men plus three non-combatants, divided into the following categories: 1 captain lieutenant, 1 quartermaster, 11 corporals, 7 lance corporals, 17 privates, 1 preacher, judge-advocate and 1 field surgeon. Eleven of these had been members of the Drabant Corps since it left Sweden in October 1700 and two of them had been drabants since the Scanian War. The corps was stationed in Lund, where Charles XII had his headquarters.

The Drabant Corps was now too small to function as an independent unit and there was a shortage of officers to fill its ranks. As a replacement, the Life Squadron was therefore formed from men from provincial cavalry regiments in November 1716 and the existing drabants served as its officers. In connection with this, vacant command positions within the Drabant Corps were filled through promotions of drabants. However, no new drabants were appointed during 1716 and 1717, and the corps' strength was reduced by ten Drabant corporals being promoted to other regiments. To still have enough officers for the Drabant Corps, 5 officers from other units were loaned to the Drabant Corps in 1717. Further promotions took place in 1718 and it was not until October that the shrinking corps received new drabants when five were hired.

The Life Squadron participated in the Norwegian campaign of 1718 and set out from Lund on 6 October. Unlike previous campaigns, the drabants did not follow Charles XII's movements. They were instead stationed in Eidsberg parish, eighty kilometres north of Fredrikshald, on 11 November. They cleared the area east of Glommen of the enemy on 23–28 November, but no battles with the Norwegians took place. After Charles XII's death, they left Eidsborg on 6 December in great haste and were stationed in Västmanland. There they remained until the summer of 1721, except for a short stay in Stockholm to attend Charles XII's funeral on 26 February 1719. However, a smaller force consisting of five drabants and 13 men from the Life Squadron was always in Stockholm. In July 1719, this force appears to have been involved in a battle at Dalarö as eight men from the Life Squadron were captured by the Russians.

What remained of the Drabant Corps after the death of Charles XII was 33 men. Despite the recruitment of four new drabants in 1719, the corps shrank to only 24 men in 1720, all but two of whom were nobles. The fact that the corps was now dominated by nobles was a sharp contrast to how it had been during the time of Charles XII.

After a stay in Stockholm in the summer of 1721, the Life Squadron returned to Västmanland and was disbanded there at the turn of the year. The Drabant Corps was retained but its organisation was restored to the conditions that had existed in 1696.

Of a total of 387 drabants who served during the reign of Charles XII, 64 men were killed while 74 died of disease.

Drabant Corps Uniforms

The Drabant Corps represented the royal house and was always issued more decorative uniforms than the other units. However, it would not have any stable uniform colours until the 17th century when the Swedish blue-yellow colours were established for the corps. During the 16th century, it seems that the colours were changed every time they received new clothes, which happened twice a year. Although, there was a long period during the reign of Gustav II Adolf and Kristina when the drabants were dressed in yellow with black decorations.

House of Vasa's Drabants 1521-1654
(the drawings below are Göte Göransson's interpretations of their clothes)

Drabant drawn by Göte Göransson and based on a copy in the Royal Library of a now lost Gripsholm panel from 1546-47.

During the reign of Gustav Vasa, the drabants were apparently dressed in the same way as German Landsknechts. That is, multi-coloured clothes with which were torn so that the different colour of the lining was visible through the holes in the jackets and breeches. The people of the province of Dalarna criticised Gustav Vasa in 1526 because the court had adopted "foreign and alien ways with cut and motley clothing". The king responded to the criticism by saying that he did not want to be lectured by them in how he dressed his drabants and that he had to conform to other potentates, emperors, kings and princes because "we Swedes are no more pigs or goats than they are".

The first notice of the drabant's clothing is a delivery of two dozen halberds and scarlet hats (bonnets) in 1522. The first known drabant uniform is from 1532 and consisted of clothes that were liver-coloured (probably the breeches), white (probably the jacket) and green (the lining). In 1534 the clothes were also mainly liver-coloured and white but also had a smaller amount of blue and yellow fabric. The lining was red. In 1540 the drabant wore liver-coloured, parrot green and white clothes. The lining that was visible in the cutouts was blue on the right sleeve and yellow on the left sleeve. The hats were blue. For the meeting with the Danish king in Brömsebro in 1541 the drabant were issued their most expensive uniforms to date and these consisted mostly of black velvet but also contained parrot green broadcloth. The collar was adorned with black leather and yarn lace, and the hat was also black. In 1546 the uniforms were also black, but the lining was sky blue, and the collar was made of leather. Later in the year they received grey jackets. In 1553 the coat was very colourful and consisted of green, red, black and blue broadcloth. Breeches, waistcoats and under garments were blue and black. In 1554 the cassock was black and the breeches were ash-coloured with ash-coloured and black lining. In 1555 the coat and breeches were yellow, blue and orange while the other clothes were green. In 1556 the royal drabants wore brown clothes while Duke Erik's drabants wore blue, black and white clothes. In 1559 the drabant clothes consisted of black velvet and red, brown and white broadcloth. In 1560 the drabants wore clothes with black velvet, white silk and gold embroidery.

The Drabant clothes that were issued for Erik XIV's coronation consisted of black velvet and red silk with silver decorations. In 1563, the clothes consisted of white velvet as the outer fabric and blue silk as the inner fabric and violet decorations. The summer clothes of 1564 and 1566 consisted mainly of leather.

In 1579 the drabant clothes were violet, in 1582 red, in 1586 blue, in 1591 black, in 1592 brown, in 1599 red with trim of an unknown colour, in 1603 blue with yellow trim, in 1607 yellow with blue trim (reverse colours for the coat), and in 1608 and 1609 blue with green trim. In 1610 the clothes were made of wadmal of an unknown colour but had yellow trim. The trim was grey in 1613 but in 1614, 23 drabants received blue trim and 157 received yellow. As in 1607, the buttons were made of glass in 1614, but the number had increased from 24 to 34.

In a letter from March 1616, Gustav II Adolf ordered "shirts" for the drabants, half of which could be yellow-brown and half red with trim in blue or another suitable colour. New uniforms were purchased for Gustav II Adolf's coronation in 1617 and the following year a drabant received yellow breeches and a yellow jacket as well as a moose skin jacket "from the remaining drabant clothing". Black clothes are mentioned when the king travelled to Denmark in 1619, but they were probably only a temporary mourning outfit because these drabants received yellow clothes somewhat later. In connection with Gustav II Adolf's wedding in 1620, some drabants received red clothes with silver decorations (Queen Maria Eleonora's Brandenburg colours) while the majority still wore yellow clothes (with silver decorations). In 1622, the yellow colour was combined with black for the adelsdrabants, while the other drabants received grey clothes. In 1624 some drabants received yellow uniforms (with yellow stockings) and others received black uniforms, with gold and silk lace. The following year, clothes "of black and yellow" were ordered for the Livgarde Company in preparation for a planned meeting with the Danish king.

From September 1627 in Dirschau we have a more detailed note about the uniforms of the Livgarde Company. At that time the guardsmen paraded "with halberds and dressed in yellow livery decorated with black silk and gold lace and yellow cloaks lined with black velvet".

For the years 1628-1629, however, the king's drabant are stated to have grey clothes with silver trim. The queen's drabants, on the other hand, had yellow clothes with blue elements and grey hats (blue coat with yellow trim and yellow jacket, breeches and stockings). These colours seem to have become permanent during the last years of Gustav II Adolf and according to Brzezinski, grey clothes and grey hats were delivered as late as January 1632. According to the Livgarde' regimental history work, however, the yellow colour with black decorations (and black hats) began to return to the king's drabants in 1632, but after his death black mourning clothes were introduced for all drabants. In 1628, the captain of the queen's drabant had red clothes with yellow trim (gold lace according to Höglund) and in 1629 the officers had yellow uniforms. According to Höglund, the captain of the king's drabants also had red clothes (and buff coats) in 1628.

The black mourning clothes of the Livgarde Company disappeared at the end of 1635 when yellow clothes with black and yellow lace, buttons and straps and black hats were produced. The pikemen had coats with three wide black and yellow stripes and yellow lining while the musketeers were given cassocks with both black and yellow baize as lining. The cassocks are mentioned here for the first time and were an outer garment that, unlike the cloaks, had sleeves. The drabant's stockings were yellow. In the following years, most drabants retained this colour combination, although complaints were made in 1641 about a lack of uniformity when half of the drabants lacked livery. Deviating colours were also mentioned as early as 1637 when eight drabants had light brown livery with crimson and light brown plush.

For the adelsdrabants, a transition to different "coloured" clothing with gold buttons is noticeable in 1638. In 1640 they were issued red broadcloth and baize, and some were given grey hats. For the period 1646-1648, all clothing was red except for leather shirts (buff coats) and grey hats. In addition, the clothes were decorated with gold lace and buttons. Small gold buttons were on the shirt, sleeves and cloak collar. The gold lace was designed as six stripes on the cloak, breeches and sleeves. The colours are the same at Kristina's coronation in 1650 except for the buttons and lace, which were then described as "silver in gold". The lace then consisted of two stripes on the buff coat's sleeves and stockings and four stripes on the breeches, while the number on the cloak is not mentioned. Immediately after the coronation, the adelsdrabants temporarily changed to yellow-black clothing with embroidery depicting the national coat of arms and the queen's monogram. But they soon returned to the red clothes worn during the rest of Kristina's reign.

The uniforms of the ordinary drabants seem to have been stable and consisted at all times of yellow coats (pikemen), cassocks (musketeers), shirts and breeches with black-yellow laces of varying width and black-yellow buttons. At least the non-commissioned officers had 1650 yellow stockings with 2 striped laces at Kristina's coronation (4 on cloak and breeches). The hats were black. The "higher" pikemen had at the same coronation cloaks with six striped laces of black silk and gilded silver thread and a lining of black plush. The number of striped laces was 4 on the breeches and 2 on the stockings. Their belt was black with fringes in gold and black. The "lesser" pikemen had to make do with half as many striped laces which were also yellow instead of gilded silver. The musketeers only received one stripe of lace for their cassock, which had a black lining, but, like the lesser pikemen, had 2 stripes on their breeches and one stripe on their stockings.

Charles X Gustav's Drabants

With the accession of Charles X Gustav to the throne in 1654, the Vasa House was replaced by the Palatine House and the uniforms of the drabants were immediately changed from the yellow and black livery of the Vasa House to blue-yellow colours which were probably inspired by the Swedish flag and national coat of arms. However, the shade of blue on the uniforms was bleumerant which was a pale blue shade, and which was also described as sky blue. After the death of Charles X Gustav, the colour is referred to alternately as bleumerant or blue and it is not clear whether the two words refer to the same light blue shade or whether the word "blue" refers to a darker blue colour (which was what "blue" normally meant during the 17th century). Sometime during the reign of Charles XI, however, a permanent transition to a dark blue shade occurs.

At the coronation on 6 June 1654, the drabants wore buff coats, bleumerant cloaks and breeches of broadcloth, and yellow knitted stockings. The buff coat was made of leather with bleumerant velvet sleeves and was provided with 6 ells thick and 1 ell narrow lace of "gold in silver" (the latter probably for the collar). The buff coat was also edged with silk ribbons. The cloak had yellow velvet cuffs and yellow lining of “rask” (= fabric with a thin shiny surface) as well as "cloak ribbon" and 40 ells of "gold in silver" lace. Both the silk ribbons and the cloak ribbons were probably blue-yellow since such ribbons are mentioned shortly afterwards together with yellow sleeves and grey buttons on the cloak. The breeches had 32 ells of "gold in silver" lace. The stockings were decorated with red "frissad". Each drabant also received a dozen small "gold in silver" buttons, 6 ells of bleumerant silk lace and 13 ells of narrow "gold in silver" lace with several decorations. The hat had a ribbon and a feather bush. The belt had "gold in silver" fringe. To avoid wear on the magnificent uniform, they also seem to have had a kind of fatigue uniform, since "grey clothes with cloaks" are mentioned in connection with a trip to deliver Charles X Gustav's queen in the autumn of 1654.

A bleumerant cassock was introduced in 1656 with "4 royal names and crowns of gold and silver". Then the cloak became solid grey instead while the buff coat was made entirely of elkskin. Otherwise, the uniform seems to be largely the same with a total of 71 ells of "gold and silver" lace and 48 ells of blue and yellow ribbons and remained so for the coming years. However, this only applies to the Stockholm-based drabants.

The drabants who accompanied Charles X Gustav to Poland (Garde du Corps) were given black clothes in Krakow in 1656, which is also confirmed by eyewitness accounts. Erik Dahlberg wrote in his diary that the King's Life Guard were called the black coats and the Guard Captain Gabriel Kurck tells in his memoirs about the Battle of Warsaw where he mentions "The King's Guard on horse of its black Rukova".

Charles XI's Drabants 1660-1675

When the drabants were on guard duty during the peace years, they wore a conspicuous cassock (see picture above). It was blue, adorned with the king's monogram in gold and silver embroidery on the back, sides and chest, framed by edges and lace in silver mixed with gold. But it was replaced by a blue coat at the outbreak of war.

The information mentioned below for the non-commissioned officers and corporals only applies from 1667 and 1668 respectively, since that was when they had their uniforms paid for by the crown.

The provost was dressed like a corporal. In the early 1660s, the musicians wore the same clothes as the privates, but in the late 1670s they were given separate uniforms consisting of blue over- and under-jackets, breeches and stockings. The over-jacket was lined with yellow baize and the under-jacket with ticking. The pipers' and drummers' uniforms were adorned with 1 ½ ells of yellow rask (= fabric with a thin shiny surface), 1 ell of edging lace, 50 ells of "gold and silver" lace, 10 ells of taffeta ribbon and 8 ells of ribbon on the sleeves, 4 dozen "gold and silver" buttons on the jacket and 2 ½ dozen on the waistcoat, as well as a dozen silk buttons. The hat was adorned with a hatband and a bow. The uniform of the regimental piper, which was added in 1669, had grey broadcloth instead of blue and more decorations.

Charles XI's Drabants 1676-1695

Höglund also states that trumpeters and drummers in 1677 wore blue jackets with yellow lining, 4 dozen gilded silver buttons and 50 ells of gold lace, as well as blue breeches and stockings. Wernstedt states that the Drabant Corps had black hair bags in 1695.

After the death of Queen Ulrika Eleonora in 1693, the drabants were dressed in mourning clothes consisting of black broadcloth, veils on their hats and at the neck, belts and cartridge box covered with black broadcloth, shabraque made of black broadcloth, and black gloves. This mourning dress was also introduced after the death of Charles XI but was then limited to just the number of drabants who were on duty.

Charles XII's Drabants and Life Squadron

Drabants led by Charles XII on the left and infantrymen on the right during the Battle of Düna in 1701.
Detail from a miniature painting by Johan Henrik Schildt (1678-1732), probably painted during the period 1701-1704.

In the early years of Charles XII's reign, the drabant uniforms had the same appearance as during his father's reign. It was not until 20 April 1699, that he decided to introduce a significantly more elaborate uniform, which is the one seen on the left in the picture above.

Detail from a copper engraving showing drabants at Charles XI's funeral on 24 November 1697.

Some changes to the drabant uniform had already taken place before, however. A new uniform was issued in 1696 (according to a specification from 21 December 1695) and the drabants were then given tricorne hats for the first time. Another change was that the buff coat was abolished at the end of 1697 and was replaced by a leather waistcoat.

The new gold-laced m/1699 uniform was originally intended to be a parade uniform that would be worn only when ordered to do so. Otherwise, non-commissioned officers would instead wear a simpler coat without lace and “schagg”, while the privates would wear their own clothes. This was the same situation that had applied to the uniforms of the Drabants since at least 1695. But when Charles XII reorganised the Drabant Corps in 1700 so that all men would have officer rank, this parade uniform instead became the corps' everyday uniform. However, this uniform had not yet been issued on 27 January 1700 and, judging from Olof Stiernhöök's diary, it was on 30 August 1700 that the Drabant Corps wore the m/1699 uniform for the first time.

The officers also received new uniforms paid for by the crown when the m/1699 uniform was ordered. However, this was a one-off event and in the future all drabants would purchase new uniforms themselves when their old ones became worn out. They had also received substantial salary increases in 1700 to be able to afford that expense. This unfortunately means that we lack information about any changes to the drabant uniform during the Great Northern War.

Drabant Uniforms 1696-1700

The 208 cloaks purchased in July 1695 were not replaced when the m/1699 uniform was issued in 1700. The material of the m/1699 uniform's waistcoat and breeches is not mentioned, but Tor Schreber von Schreeb assumes that they were made of leather, like the uniform from 1695 and the one issued to the Life Squadron in 1717.

Drabant Uniform m/1699
(the distribution of gold lace on the uniforms is very uncertain, and the pictures below are just a suggestion)

	Privates	Lance Corporals	NCOs
Hat:	Hat with sweatband, button and 2 ½ wide lace.	Hat with sweatband, gold button and 2 ½ ells of lace.	A fine “Carbeck” hat with a gold button and 2 ½ ells of gold lace.
Coat:	5 ells of blue shrunken broadcloth. ⅝ ells of schagg for flaps, 6 ½ ells of blue rask (= fabric with a thin shiny surface), 1 ½ of white rask, 1 ½ ells of canvas and 2 ½ lot of silk. 31 large and 10 small gilt brass buttons. 8 ¾ ells wide lace, 11 ¾ ells of border lace and 17 ½ ell of gold for buttonholes	5 ¼ ells of blue broadcloth, ⅝ ells of schagg, 8 ells of rask, 1 ¼ of canvas, 3 lots of silk. 31 large gilded brass buttons. 8 ¾ ells wide gold lace, 14 ¾ ells of border lace and 21 ells wide buttonhole lace.	5 ¼ ells of blue broadcloth, 8 ells of rask, 1 ½ ells of canvas, ⅝ ells of schagg, 3 lots of silk. 31 large and 10 small gilt brass buttons. 27 ½ ells wide and 54 ell narrow gold lace, 15 ells of gold border lace and 17 ½ ells of gold lace for buttonholes. The corporals had no narrow gold lace and the border lace was 16 ½ ells.
Waistcoat:	13 ½ ells of gold lace, the buttonholes weigh 3 ½ ,lots, 8 ells of border lace.	3 ⅞ ells wide lace, 8 ells of border lace, 14 ells of buttonhole lace.	3 ⅞ ells wide gold lace, 8 ells of gold border lace and 14 ells of gold lace for buttonholes.
Waistbelt:	Made of elkskin with a gilded buckle and covered with blue schagg and 7 ¾ ells of lace.	2 ⁷⁄₁₆ ell 6 laan and 1 ⅞ ell 7 laan gold lace.	Covered with blue schagg and decorated with 2 ⁹⁄₁₆ ell of gold lace with 6 lan and 1 ⅞ ell of gold lace with 7 lan. The corporals had only 4 ½ ell of gold lace.
Cartridge box and belts:	Covered with schagg. The belt: 5 ½ ells wide and 2 ¾ ells narrow lace. The cartridge box: 2 ¾ ells lace.	Covered with blue schagg and adorned with 3 ⅛ ells (belt) and 1 ⅞ ells of gold lace (cartridge box).	Covered with blue schagg and adorned with 3 ⅛ ells wide and 1 ⅞ ells narrow gold laces. The corporals' narrow gold laces are 1 ¾ ells.
Gloves:	2 ½ ells of gold lace (weight 2 ½ lots).		Elkskin collars and 2 ½ ells of gold lace.
Shabraque & pistol covers:	Blue broadcloth with 7 ¾ ells wide and 7 ¾ ells narrow gold lace.	3 ⅞ ells wide gold lace, 8 ells of border lace and 11 ells of buttonhole lace.	Fine blue broadcloth adorned with 8 ells wide and 16 ell narrow gold lace. The quartermaster and adjutant also had 8 ells of gold fringe.
Two pictures of Arvid Horn who was the Captain Lieutenant of the Drabant Corps 1695-1706. On the left a detail from a miniature painting by Johan Henrik Schildt (Arvid Horn is marked as number 2). On the right a portrait from 1705 by Johan David Swartz (the coat is not the m/1699 uniform described below).

On 13 February 1701, the Drabant Corps was reported to have had a drummer and 8 trumpeters whose uniforms were worn out. According to the accounts, their coats were adorned with silver lace. The kettledrum banners were also worn out, and new ones were ordered that were to be white with gold fringes around the king's monogram with a crown and palm branches embroidered in gold, and also provided with banners of blue and yellow silk adorned with gold and silver thread and gold fringe around the (blue and yellow?) tassels.

After these notes, the sources are silent about the uniform of the drabants. However, at the end of 1716, the remaining drabants became officers in the Life Squadron. The following year, the uniforms for the privates and non-commissioned officers of this squadron were established, which they then wore for the rest of the Great Northern War.

Later Drabant Uniforms

Uniform depicted c. 1778 by an unknown artist.

Uniform m/1779 depicted in 1783 by Carl Gustaf Roos.

The uniforms of the Livdrabant Corps during the period 1722-1765 have unfortunately not been described in the literature and therefore I am completely lacking in information about them. However, new uniforms were issued in 1725, so that is the latest time when the uniforms from the Great Northern War may have been replaced.

The uniform that was decreed in 1765 was to consist of a blue coat lined with chalong. The vest and breeches were yellow, and the hat was provided with gold lace. The uniform also included a belt and égillette in blue and gold. The officers' égillettes were entirely in gold. Procurement of such uniforms took place both in 1765 and 1768. In the latter case, delivery was probably delayed until 1771 and in connection with this, the cloaks that had been issued in 1764 were also replaced. According to a drawing from around 1778, the shabraque, pistol covers and hat were decorated with gold lace. The hat also had a white feather plume and yellow silk cockade.

The next uniform model that was based on Gustav III's national costume was probably issued as early as 1778, although it is usually referred to as m/1779 because that was when the rest of the army was decreed to have such uniforms. The exact appearance is not described in the sources, but it is said to have looked like the picture above by Carl Gustaf Roos. That is, a dark blue jacket with gold lace along the edges and lapels and a white armband to show that the livdrabants had officer rank. Round hat with gold lace, white and blue feather plume and yellow staff. Blue-yellow sash with gold fringes, yellow breeches and collared boots. The officers were distinguished by the fact that their jackets also had gold lace at the buttonholes.

The shabraque and pistol covers were given more lace in 1778, although it is not clear from the model drawing whether they were gold or yellow. These were probably used on parade and in the 1790s the livdrabants also wore buff coats and cuirasses on parades. A yellow jacket also appears during the reign of Gustav III and it is unclear whether it was a change to the uniform or a parade garment. In any case, it became part of the uniform at the latest when the m/1779 was replaced by the m/1792, which also introduced epaulettes on the shoulders to show the rank insignia.

Livdrabant officer's and private's m/1801 uniforms seen from the front and from the side (by Wilhelm von Runge ca. 1803)

On 14 December 1801, Gustav IV Adolf introduced a new uniform model for the Livdrabant Corps, inspired by the simpler style of the Carolean uniform. The tricorne hat also returned, although in accordance with contemporary fashion it was higher and had a flattened front ("Bicorne"). In the pictures above, the hat has a blue-yellow plume, but it seems to have soon turned white instead. The white plume can be seen on a plate from 1808 plate from 1808, which is kept at the Swedish Army Museum, and where the shabraque can also be seen in the background.

The m/1801 uniform was used throughout the reign of Gustav IV Adolf, but for the period after 1809 until the dissolution of the corps in 1821, I again lack information about the uniforms of the Livdrabant Corps. In 1821, the Livdrabants became officers of the Livbeväring Regiment, although when necessary, they continued to serve as Livdrabants at the court until 1858.

The picture on the right is from the encyclopaedia Nordisk familjebok and shows a "Livdrabant at the court of Charles XIV John 1844".

The Stånddrabant Corps seems to have been dressed in so-called "flaxar" throughout their existence, which were sleeveless outer garments. Compare the portrait of Drabant Petter Ljung from 1704 with the pictures below of Gustavian uniforms that were in use until the Corps' dissolution in 1844.

Unlike the fashionable bicorne that was part of the livdrabants' m/1801 uniform, the stånddrabants were allowed to keep the so-called "Swedish hat". The latter had been introduced by Gustav III in 1778 and was completely abolished in the Swedish army in 1815 when the shako was introduced as headgear instead. However, the stånddrabants wore them until 1844.

"The Stånddrabants’ Toilette ", lithograph by Adolf Ulrik Schützercrants published in "Scener utur soldatlifvet" (1831)

Two pictures by Adolf Ulrik Schützercrantz. On the left, a picture from 1832 showing the corporal Anders Graak with a partisan intended for command. On the right, a picture of a private drabant from 1844.

Not shown on this page are the brand new Drabant uniforms that were purchased for Oscar I's coronation on September 28, 1844. These were worn by commandeered soldiers from the guards regiments. Instead of the Swedish hat, a Prussian-style helmet was introduced, adorned with three crowns and a yellow-painted cockade. Otherwise, the uniform consisted of a medium-blue coat with yellow lining, trousers made of reindeer-hide, boots, waistbelt, as well as cartridge box and gloves made of chamois leather. This uniform was then in use throughout Oscar I's reign.

For the coronation of Charles XV on 3 May 1860, Oscar I's Prussian-style Drabant uniforms were replaced with two variants of national romantic uniforms that were supposed to look exactly like the drabants of Charles XI and Charles XII. However, due to insufficient knowledge, there were a number of deviations from the originals. Among other things, they made the incorrect assumption that the Drabant uniforms had the same simple and austere appearance as Charles XII's preserved uniform. Although we now have better knowledge, these anachronistic Drabant uniforms are still used today in ceremonial contexts.

Drabant Corps Colours

The colour of the Livgarde Company according to a watercolour painting by Reginbaldus Möhner from 1632-1635.

The first record of a colour for the drabants is from 1563 when Erik XIV went on campaign. The drabants then received a so-called “fänika” with a yellow cross and fields in red, green and violet. All troop units had yellow crosses at this time, but the drabants distinguished themselves by having more colours on their fänika than any other unit.

During the reign of Johan III, the drabants stayed at home in Stockholm and there is no evidence that they had a colour at this time. The Drabant Corps also did not have an ensign employed, which was the person in charge of carrying a colour. An ensign was, however, employed in 1600 when Charles IX went on campaign with his drabants and in 1604 there is evidence that the corps was issued a colour that was blue, yellow and red. A new yellow colour was issued in connection with Charles IX's coronation in 1607. This colour possibly had decorations in blue since the drabants' uniforms were yellow with blue details at the same time. Additional colours with unknown colouration were issued in 1612, 1616 and 1617. However, we do know the colour issued in 1618, was yellow. In the same year, the drabants became part of the Hovregemente and its colours were then made up of varying mixtures of black and yellow fabric. The colours of the Hovregemente and the Livgarde are described in more detail in the page about the Livgarde. It is worth mentioning, however, that the Livgarde Company distinguished itself in the early 1630s by having an all-black colour with the national coat of arms as a motif, while the other companies of the Royal Regiment had yellow-white colours with geometric patterns as a motif.

Detail from a copper engraving in Suecia antiqua et hodierna.

When the Drabants broke away from the Livgarde and formed independent cavalry units – the Garde du Corps in 1655-1660 and the Drabant Corps from 1675 – these units do not seem to have been provided with any standards. The sources do not mention any distribution of standards or details about what they would have looked like. Furthermore, there was no cornet (= standard bearer) in the organisations of these units. In Lemke's battle paintings of the Scanian War, the Drabant Corps is also depicted without a standard, unlike the other squadrons. The corps is also not mentioned in the regulations on colours and standards that were issued in 1675, 1682 and 1686.

On the other hand, there is a copperplate engraving (part III:54) in Suecia antiqua et hodierna that was engraved in 1694 and that depicts the Drabant Corps with no less than two standards even though it only constituted one company (however, it was formed into two squadrons during the Scanian War). There is also a drawing from 1695 among the Drabant Corps' documents in the National Archives with the text "March of the Royal Majesty’s Drabant Guard with standards" and which is signed by Charles XI. This could indicate that the Drabant Corps had standards at this time or that there were at least plans for them to have standards. But if so, it has left no trace whatsoever in other sources.

A very late eyewitness account from a Polish noblewoman describes an event from the Russian campaign when Charles XII was quartered in her estate. "One evening an officer and 24 drabants arrived, who stationed at the gate 2 mounted guards and a blue and yellow colour with the Swedish coat of arms, the latter as a sign that this was the king's quarters". It is clear from the text that this was a so-called quarter colour and not a standard carried in battle. If the Drabant Corps had had a standard, it would most likely have been white with the national coat of arms or the king's monogram as a motif, like the Livgarde, the Livregemente and the Liv-Dragoons. It is possible that quarter colours have been misunderstood in the previously mentioned cases.

The fact that the Drabant Corps did not carry standards during the Great Northern War is also supported by the sketches of the Swedish cavalry formation at the Battle of Poltava drawn by Major General Creutz. In them, each squadron is shown as a rectangle and all but the drabants are provided with standards on top of their rectangle. Not having field signs was indeed unusual but not unique to the Drabant Corps since the Livgarde's Grenadier Battalion did not have them either.

The Life Squadron did not receive a standard either, but perhaps it was intended to receive one. Among the squadron's equipment is mentioned "a Standard pipe and two straps out of it".

Other Equipment

Gorget from a portrait of Arvid Horn who was the captain lieutenant of the Drabant Corps 1696-1706

Since the time of Gustav Vasa, the drabants had been armed with halberds, a weapon that in Europe was strongly associated with the bodyguards of princes. When the Drabant Corps served as a fighting unit, however, they had the same weapons as the rest of the infantry. And in 1620, the halberds disappeared altogether when partisans began to be used in ceremonial contexts instead. However, there is information that the short-lived Nobility Company (Adelskompani) had halberds in 1653.

Partisan from 1626 with a length of 207 cm, of which the blade is 48 cm. (5675_LRK)

The partisans that were issued in 1620 were made in Amsterdam and from there another 60 partisans with the same design were issued in 1626. The first batch had been ordered for the wedding of Gustav II Adolf on 25 November 1620. They consisted of both gilded and silvered partisans because they were to have the black and yellow colours of the Vasa house and the red and white Brandenburg colours of the queen. Under the partisan tip they had a tassel of black silk with gold thread inserted and red silk with silver thread inserted, respectively.

Partisan from 1649 with a tassel from 1965 in the black and yellow colours of the Vasa house. The blade is 51.8 cm long. (5691_LRK)

Between 1626 and 1642, no new partisans seem to have been acquired. In the latter year, it is said that most partisans were so worn out that the tips could not be screwed onto the rod. Therefore, Queen Kristina ordered 24 new partisans of unknown appearance, which were manufactured in Jäders bruk outside Arboga. A further 48 gilded and 60 ungilded partisans were ordered in 1645 from the same place and they were probably delivered the following year. Their appearance was largely the same as those from the 1620s and they were followed by additional similar partisans in 1648 and 1649.

Partisan from 1654 with a blue-yellow tassel from the 19th century. Length: 212.5 cm, of which the blade is 66.5 cm. (24599_LRK)

Kristina's partisans were replaced as early as 1654 when Charles X Gustav chose to acquire 60 gilded partisans with a different appearance for his wedding (made in Garpström's mill, which was also located at Arboga). Charles X Gustav's partisans were then in use until 1693 and had, like their predecessors, ornamentations. At the funeral of Queen Ulrika Eleonora in 1693, however, Kristina's partisans were reintroduced, but with all the ornamentations grinded away. Charles X Gustav's partisans do not seem to have been used again until the Gustavian era, when they came to be used together with Kristina's. At the same time, modified spoils of war from the Seven Years' War also seem to have been introduced as commander's partisans. All of these partisans fell out of use when the Stånddrabant Corps was dissolved in 1844.

Carbine m/1699. Length 120.5 cm. (AM.031064)

When the mounted Garde du Corps was formed by Charles X Gustav, they distinguished themselves by also being armed with carbines. Other cavalry units at that time were only armed with swords and pistols. The carbines had wheel locks and this was also the case when the drabants were once again mounted in the winter of 1675-1676. Flintlock carbines were issued for the first time at the end of 1698. These were of German manufacture and had originally been issued to Östgöta Cavalry Regiment. Completely new flintlock carbines (m/1699) were not issued until 1703 and this model was then used during the rest of the Great Northern War (although not by the rank and file of the Life Squadron who received Dragoon muskets).

The pistols also originally had wheel locks, and flintlocks were probably introduced at the same time as the carbines. However, there does not seem to have been a specific model for drabants. However, the Life Squadron received its own model in 1717.

Pistol m/1717. Length 54.3 cm. (AM.034863)

The swords issued in 1675-76 had mounts of polished and blue-tanned steel and a hilt twined with brass wire. This type of sword was used until Charles XII's reform of the Drabant Corps in 1700. After that, all Drabants were officers and then their swords would have gilded mounts. A new model for Drabant swords was established in 1701 and a full set was manufactured the same year, but they did not arrive at the Drabant Corps until November 1703 together with new carbines. A new full set of m/1701 swords was manufactured in 1711 but was not issued until 1725. Instead, a completely new model with a longer blade was established in 1717 and the following year it was issued to the newly formed Life Squadron.

Drabant sword m/1701 manufactured in 1711. Length 114.8 cm of which the blade is 97.3 cm. (AM.049927)

The Drabants had cuirasses from at least 1677 during the Scanian War. A document from 1695 mentions that the officers were to have cuirasses with both breast and back plates as well as special parade cuirasses. In March 1701, Charles XII decided that the entire Drabant Corps should have cuirasses with both breast and back plates. 200 such cuirasses were then manufactured in Arboga and were ready to be shipped over at the end of July. These were somewhat stronger than the previous officer cuirasses in that the back plates stood up to shots from carbines, while the officer cuirasses' back plates only stopped pistol bullets. All breastplates stopped musket shots.

In the early 19th century, the captain lieutenants of the Livdrabant Corps wore cuirasses adorned with the lesser national coat of arms. This model was also a "full cuirass", meaning it had both a breastplate and a backplate.

The picture above shows drabants with carbine belts and cartridge boxes covered with blue velvet and gold lace. This was typical of the Drabant Corps during both the Carolean and Gustavian periods making it hard to date preserved item such as the carbine belt and cartridge box below that are kept in Livrustkammaren in Stockholm. There is also a waistbelt that may belong to these objects.

Carbine belt (25396_LRK) and cartridge box (32228_LRK) from an unknown date.
The cartridge box has an extra leather cover that would protect the velvet in bad weather.

Drabanten och kaptenen vid Lifgardet Olof Stiernhööks journal 1700-1703. published by Samuel E. Bring (KFÅ 1912)

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