(Royal Majesty's Life Guards on Foot)

The Swedish infantry celebrated many triumphs during Sweden’s Age of Greatness, and the most prominent of its regiments was the Livgarde. This unit's elite status was marked by higher pay and more expensive uniforms. During the Great Northern War, it was also by far the largest regiment in the Swedish army, with first 1,800 men and then 2,600 men. In every battle, the Livgarde took the lead and in the order of battle they always held the place of honour on the far right.

The Livgarde has won numerous victories in most of Sweden's war but there is no doubt that its heydays were during the Great Northern War. During this war it took part in the landing at Humlebæk in 1700, the battle of Narva in 1700, the crossing of the Düna in 1701, the battle of Kliszow in 1702, the siege of Thorn in 1703 and the battle of Holowczyn in 1708. However, after all these successes they suffered a crushing defeat at Poltava in 1709 and only half of the Livgarde remained when the Swedish army surrendered at Perevolochna three days later. The Livgarde was restored after the disaster, but the new guard would not experience any triumphs as the old one had done. Recruitment problems kept it as a garrison regiment in Stockholm until 1718 when it participated with almost full strength in Charles XII's last campaign in Norway.

Organisational History

The main function of the Livgarde (= Life Guards) was to act as a bodyguard for the king and because kings have always had bodyguards, the Livgarde's ancestry can be traced back to Gustav Vasa's rebellion in 1521. In practice, however, there have been several different Livgarde that for various reasons disappeared and were replaced by newly established regiments. More specifically, there were six incarnations of the Livgarde during the Age of Greatness. Created in turn by Gustav II Adolf (2 incarnations), Kristina, Charles X Gustav, Charles XI and Charles XII. The continuity that exists between these regiments consists of the small force that was always left behind in Stockholm as a palace guard while the regiment was on campaign.

Before the Livgarde got its dual role as the king’s bodyguard and the most prestigious combat unit, there were several predecessors that had the second role of elite combat unit. These were Gustav Vasa's Stockholmsfänika and his sons' various Gårdsfänikor. These units and Gustav II Adolf's Konungens livregemente (the King's Life Regiment) that existed in 1613, however, lack continuity with the regiment that was formed in 1618 and would become the Livgarde. It was then that the Drabant Corps that had protected the Vasa kings was converted into a company in a new combat unit called Hovregementet (= the Court Regiment). Below is a summary of its early history, but a more detailed account of the history up to 1676 can be found on the page about the Drabant Corps.

The Hovregemente from 1618 was replaced in 1621 by a new regiment with the same name, where the Drabant Company was the only continuity. Later, this unit also became known as the Yellow Regiment after the colour of its uniforms. However, the original drabants retained a special position in both Hovregemente units in that it consisted of Swedes and was called the King's Livgarde. The other companies were mostly made up of Germans. After participating in Gustav II Adolf's campaigns in Livonia, Prussia and Germany, the regiment was split up after the Battle of Lützen in 1632. The Livgarde escorted the king's corpse to Stockholm and remained there as a palace guard. The remnants, which now increasingly came to be called the Yellow Regiment, continued to fight in Germany and in 1635 went into French service when its commander Bernhard of Weimar defected from the Swedish army. This regiment was then disbanded in 1648.

The Livgarde Company in Stockholm was expanded during the Danish War of 1643-45 to a new regiment consisting of 20 companies. However, this incarnation of the Livgarde was almost never assembled in one place but was usually distributed among several different garrison towns and theatres of war. This situation did not change after the Peace of Westphalia, when the Livgarde were reduced to 8 companies in Riga and 4 companies in Stockholm.

When Charles X Gustav set the army on a war footing in 1655, a comprehensive reorganisation took place so that all companies except the Life Company were transferred to other enlisted regiments. The Life Company then became the basis for a completely new Livgarde, while the Drabants were converted into an independent cavalry company called the Garde de Corps. Together with another cavalry company (Livgarde on Horse), it again became part of the Livgarde in 1657, which was now called the Livgarde on Horse and Foot. After Charles Gustav's death in 1660, the cavalry companies were disbanded, but the Drabant Corps remained in the organisation of the Livgarde. When the Scanian War broke out in 1675, the Drabants again formed a separate mounted company that was in practice an independent unit. This organisation was maintained until July 1700, when Charles XII reorganised the Drabant Corps and made it completely independent from the Livgarde.

The death of Charles X Gustav also affected the infantry part of the Livgarde, which was split in a manner like what had happened in 1632 and 1648. It was then reduced to one company that became the palace guard in Stockholm and eight companies that were garrisoned in Riga (from 1672 in Pomerania). The latter part, called the German Livgarde, came to live its own life, and from 1680 it was not formally part of the Livgarde either. It was then garrisoned in Scania and Halland under the name “Tyska livregementet” (German Life Regiment). In 1709, this regiment was transferred to Sweden’s German possessions and disbanded when these fell to the enemy in 1715.

The company that guarded the royal palace in Stockholm after 1660 formed the basis of the fifth incarnation of the Livgarde. When Charles XI came of age in 1672, his Livgarde in Stockholm was expanded to four companies and a second expansion to 12 companies occurred in 1676 after the outbreak of the Scanian War. This organisation (ten companies of 150 men and two companies of 200 men, a total of 1,900 men, excluding drabants) would remain in effect until the outbreak of the Great Northern War. All companies then became 150 men strong, as 100 men were left behind in Stockholm as palace guards when the Livgarde went on campaign in April 1700. However, in September of the same year, another reorganisation took place when Charles XII wanted to increase the officer density by redistributing the privates into 18 companies of 100 men each. This organisation included for the first time special grenadier companies, namely three that under the command of a grenadier major also formed a grenadier battalion. Ever since 1684, the Livgarde had had an increasing number of grenadiers and in 1703 these companies were doubled to six (read The Livgarde's Grenadiers for more information). In 1702, the Livgarde had also been reinforced with three regular companies and since 1701 each company had consisted of 108 men. From August 1703, the Livgarde therefore consisted of 24 companies with 108 men each and forming four battalions (of which one was a grenadier battalion). When the Livgarde was at full strength, it had a field strength of 2,592 men. In addition to the field strength, the palace guard in Stockholm had been increased to 120 men in 1702.

After the Livgarde had been annihilated in Ukraine 1709, Charles XII ordered that it be restored to its former strength and also augmented by having six mounted "furirskyttar" in each company (a total of 2,736 men, not including the palace guard). But for various reasons the recruitment for this fourth incarnation was very slow (read more about this below) and it was only after Charles XII's return to Sweden in December 1715 that it took off. Although this work came to nothing due to catastrophic losses during the poorly executed retreat from Norway after the death of Charles XII.

The ambition level of the reconstructed Livgarde was lowered in May 1722 to 18 companies (of which three were grenadier companies) with a total strength of 1,800 rank-and-file. Although this established strength was not reached until 1728. The year before, however, the Parliament had decided that the Livgarde would return to the establishment of 1696 and that the manpower would thus be divided into only twelve companies. This meant fewer officers, but the reduction of the officer corps was to be gradual by not hiring replacements for those who left on their own accord. And the companies were withdrawn only when their captain had left his post. This would take a very long time as the Livgarde already had a large number of redundant officers as a result of the previous reduction in regimental strength and the wartime doubling of officers. However, the organisation with 18 companies was restored in 1737 and it would then remain in place until 1790.

In 1788, the strength was increased to 113 men per company and two years later it was further increased to 120 men. Although in 1790 a Second Guards Regiment was also created, which meant that the Livgarde, which was now called the First Guards Regiment, was reduced to ten companies. The total strength was thus only 1200 men for the regiment, which in 1792 changed its name again to Svea Livgarde. Cost-cutting measures in 1797 shrank the regiment to 1000 men by having each company keep 20 numbers vacant. However, just five years later, Svea Livgarde was given back its previous strength, and it was decided that the newly added 200 soldiers would form a special jäger battalion if necessary. Although this was also short-lived and a more extensive reduction took place in 1806 when more than half of Svea Livgarde' rank-and-file were dismissed. Only 534 men remained, and in 1808 they experienced another severe setback when a disgruntled Gustav IV Adolf demoted Svea Livgarde to a regular enlisted regiment called Fleetwood’s Regiment. Its strength was, however, increased to 760 men by receiving men from another guard regiment that was disbanded altogether. After Gustav IV Adolf was deposed in a coup d'état in 1809, the regiment was restored to its old status and the name Svea Livgarde. The number of companies had not changed during this time, remaining ten until 1830, and then eight for the rest of the 19th century.

Salaries and Recruitment Area

Together with the Artillery Regiment and the Adelsfana, the Livgarde was one of the few truly national regiments which collected its recruits from all over Sweden. However, the Livgarde consisted almost exclusively of ethnic Swedes. The guardsmen who came from Finland were for example concentrated to its Swedish speaking regions. And despite of the strong national character, the main recruitment area can be localised to the central portions of Sweden (Svealand and Östergötland) from where about 75 % of the recruits came. The number of Stockholmers in the ranks was high, but since most Swedes at this time lived in rural areas, their share was not higher than 9 %.

A guardsman had a wage of 36 daler in silver the year 1696 (to be compared with the 33 daler which soldiers received in other enlisted infantry regiments in proper Sweden). If he was promoted to underrotmästare (= vice filemaster) he would get 41 daler. A rotmästare (filemaster) received 50 and corporals got 63-66 daler. The lower NCO ranks (förare, furir & rustmästare) received 90 daler in silver as their yearly wage while the higher NCO ranks (fältväbel & sergeant) got 108. Lieutenants & ensigns earned 378 daler, captains 556, the major 1,242, the lieutenant colonel 1,306 and the colonel 2,056 daler. The income differences were enormous and even though the private guardsmen earned more than their colleagues they could not support a family on that wage. It was almost required that the soldier had a second job and/or a wife who also worked. Because the burdens of military service were light during peace time these second jobs could very well be the soldiers' primary occupation.

Colonels and Battles
 Green colour represents victories, red colour defeats and black colour indecisive battles.

Note that of the battles fought during the period 1621 -1635, only Lech and Lützen are recognised as official victory names for the Livgarde. The landing at Humlebæk is also not included among the official victory names. On the other hand, there are official victory names for which it is more doubtful whether they should be counted. The Battle of Warsaw and the march across the Belts were carried out without the participation of the Livgarde infantry regiment. There were only two company-sized mounted detachments that participated in the former battle and in the march across the Belts the Livgarde was represented by only 16 drabants who formed the king's bodyguard.

Scanian War

When Denmark joined Sweden's enemies in September 1675, it was decided to expand the Livgarde from four companies to twelve companies. These companies did not include the drabants, who were reorganised into a 200-man cavalry corps. It functioned as a completely independent unit during the war and is therefore reported on its own page. The recruitment of the first four new companies was completed in December and this battalion then marched to Lidköping. The recruitment of the last four companies, however, took longer. Upon arrival in Gothenburg in March 1676, they still had 10% vacancies. This even though they picked 100 men from the Stockholm City militia just before the march and then received a further 30 men from Änkedrottningens livregemente till fot (Dowager Queen's Life Regiment on foot) in Gothenburg.

The original battalion of the Livgarde participated in the coronation of Charles XI in Uppsala on 28 September 1675. It then marched to Jönköping via Stockholm and Vingåker. From there, it marched in November first to Vänersborg and then to Gothenburg before returning to Vänersborg at the turn of the year. The plan was for the Swedish army to carry out a campaign against Norway, but bad weather thwarted this. In March, all three Livgarde battalions gathered in Gothenburg.

Before that, 200 guardsmen had been commanded to the unsuccessful naval expedition in the autumn of 1675 to relieve the besieged Wismar but which never got further than Gotland before bad weather and disease forced it to return. The Livgarde' losses during the command consisted of 8 dead and about 40 sick.

In May 1676, the Livgarde arrived in Malmö where, depending on how the naval war developed, they were to either participate in a landing on Zealand or defend Scania against a Danish landing. It was the latter, and after a mock landing in Ystad where 200 guardsmen were sent, the real landing took place at Råå south of Helsingborg. The Swedish army was outnumbered and had its planned retreat route cut off. In what was almost a wild flight, the Swedes retreated to Kristianstad instead, where lack of provisions and disease meant that only two-thirds of the army was in a fighting condition. After a continued retreat to Växjö, Charles XI was able to carry out a counteroffensive when the Danish army split up. The smaller part of the Danish army was annihilated in the Battle of Halmstad on 17 August. The Livgarde's losses in the Battle of Halmstad were 9 non-commissioned officers and privates killed and 15 wounded. Of the officers, two were wounded (including the colonel). After the battle, 43 prisoners of war were enlisted in the Livgarde.

Despite the victory, the Swedes were forced to retreat to Syllinge north of Viskan because the rest of the Danish army arrived in Halland. In Syllinge, on 3 October 1676, the Livgarde had an effective strength of 1,337 men (excluding officers). 260 men were sick and were transferred to Alingsås. The next day, the Livgarde marched towards Hamneda south of Ljungby in Småland, where the main army assembled on 21 October. Once there, the Livgarde was reinforced with a weak battalion of Västernorrland and Jämtland 3-männings. However, the high level of sickness meant that despite this reinforcement, the Livgarde only numbered 1,200 men. Another 30 or so recruits arrived from Stockholm in mid-November, but the loss of men due to illness continued so that the Livgarde only had an effective strength of 600 men at the Battle of Lund and 200 men were sick.

The Battle of Lund on 4 December was a great victory, but also a very bloody battle for both sides who saw their fortunes shift several times during the fighting. A Livgarde battalion lost all four of its colours, but these were recaptured. That battalion merged with another battalion during the battle, after which the merged battalion lost five of its eight colours, but this time they were also recaptured. The Livgarde's colonel was again wounded and the lieutenant colonel who led the Drabant Corps was killed. Another 2 officers were killed and 5 were wounded. Of the rank and file, 80 men were killed and 78 were wounded. 2 non-commissioned officers and 4 drummers were killed, and 5 non-commissioned officers were wounded. In total, the Livgarde lost 26% of its strength, which was lighter than for the army as a whole.

The last battle of 1676 was the recapture of Helsingborg on December 15, where 4 guardsmen were killed and 11 wounded.

The greatly reduced Livgarde was sent to Småland to be reorganised and recruitment took place throughout the kingdom. However, the recruitment did not bring the desired results and in addition, 98 recruits were captured by the Danes in May before they could join the Livgarde, which since the end of April was again in Scania (at Trollenäs). On June 26, 1677, the Livgarde counted only 1,275 men present and a week later it had dropped to about 1,200 men.

The 1677 campaign began for the Swedish side on 17 May and culminated in the Battle of Landskrona on 14 July. The Livgarde participated with 1,111 men and its casualties among the privates and musicians were 86 killed and 58 wounded, while a captain and a non-commissioned officer were killed and only one non-commissioned officer was wounded.

The recruitment during the winter of 1677-78 resulted in the Livgarde being almost at full strength at the muster in May-June with only 32 vacancies. The 1678 campaign was mainly devoted to a successful siege of Kristianstad and compared to the previous year, casualties were moderate (289 vacancies). The new recruitment during the winter of 1678-79 thus resulted in the Livgarde having a surplus of 12 men.

The 1679 campaign was uneventful. In mid-April, the Livgarde left their winter quarters in northern Halland and were stationed in Halmstad. However, the actual campaign did not begin until July, and the focus was once again on recapturing Helsingborg. Before that could happen, however, peace was concluded on 16 September, and the Livgarde began their march to Stockholm on 3 November, arriving on 30 December.

Great Northern War

For the Livgarde, the Great Northern War started on 25 April 1700 when they left Stockholm and began a march to Malmö where they arrived on 11 June. They then became a part of the main army and remained so until the Battle of Poltava in 1709 and distinguished themselves as an elite regiment. After the capitulation at Perevolotjna, however, its glory days were over and the great difficulties with restoring the Livgarde meant that for a long time it was not an unit fit for fight. Instead of campaigning against Sweden's enemies, it had to stay at home in Stockholm as a garrison unit until Charles XII's return to Sweden resulted in much more forceful recruitment. It was a very capable Livgarde, albeit poorly dressed, which then took part in Charles XII's Norwegian campaign in 1718. However, the retreat from Norway was another death blow for the Livgarde which had to be reconstructed again while it remained at home as a garrison in Stockholm.

The table below gives a detailed picture of the Livgarde's movements during the war and its losses in the various battles:

Recruitment of the Livgarde

When the Guard was overseas during the Great Northern War it was intended that the recruitment was to be managed in such a way that each provincial governor had a quota which they should recruit and send to the Livgarde. But the first contingent of the governors recruits was far from the desired size and not all of them met the requirement for service in the Livgarde. Of the 510 men which the governors were to recruit only 250 of them were actually added to the ranks in 1701 and not rejected at arrival. The recruitment was thereafter centralised and this task was given to lieutenant colonel Åke Rålamb. But the numbers did not increase and in 1702 only 285 recruits arrived, followed by 190 men in 1703, 118 men in 1704 and 156 men in 1705. The 1706 contingent (which arrived in 1707) consisted of 117 men and the 1707 contingent was 203 men strong. The 1708 contingent which arrived too late to Riga to join the main army consisted of 332 men which were called back to Sweden in 1709. Rålamb managed to recruit 79 men to the 1709 contingent before he lost this assignment to the interim commander of the restored Livgarde.

Since the recruits were not sufficient to fill the ranks of the growing Livgarde, the King arranged for soldiers to be transferred from other regiments. One company each from Tyska, Svenska and Drottningens livregemente were ordered by the King in October 1701 to be transferred to the Livgarde (these regiments garrisoned fortresses in Scania and the Swedish west coast). In 1703 one battalion each from Uppland and Östgöta-Södermanland 3-männing regiments were merged with the Livgarde (the former also included soldiers from the provinces of Dalarna and Västmanland. An additional company each from Svenska and Drottningens livregemente were added the same year and in the next year 150 men from Jämtland's Regiment was added to the Livgarde. Finally during the Russian campaign in 1708 the rest of these 3-männing regiments together with Småland and Närke-Värmlands 3-männing regiments were merged with the Livgarde (altogether approx. 1,000 men). Småland's 3-männing regiment had contributed 72 men to the Livgarde as early as September 1700, when a sharp increase in the number of officers through promotions within the Livgarde had resulted in vacancies.

Strength of the Livgarde during the Great Northern War. Nominal strength in blue and effective strength in red.
The period 1707-09 is missing because the source material was lost in the capitulation at Perevolochna. The lines are
broken for the year 1718 because the company that was left in Stockholm is not included in the second half of that year.

When the remnants of the Livgarde field regiment capitulated in at Perevolochna 1709 there were, counting the palace guard (120 men strong since 1702) and the existing recruits, a force of about 600 guardsmen in Stockholm. These were organised into new companies and the work to restore the Livgarde began. However, the recruitment progressed at a slow pace and the organisation consisted of just twelve companies for a long time. An important reason why things went slowly in the beginning was a lack of initiative on the part of the elderly governor of Stockholm, Knut Posse, who was most responsible for the Livgarde's recruitment. It certainly did not help either that the plague in 1710 killed 60 % of the then 1,000 men strong Guard. Only 419 men remained at the muster in June 1711, and among them there were several palace guards who had been to old for field service already in 1700 (these men included a 90-year old man who was discharged the following year). Conscription of men from the mining region of Bergslagen (previously exempt from recruitment) helped to recover the Livgarde's strength but then for a long period the strength stood still at 1,000 men.

Some of the difficulties with the recruitment can be explained by the fact the lega (the amount of money the recruit was given directly when he signed the contract) was only 20 daler of silver, which made the Livgarde less attractive compared to other regiments. The men who recruited for the Livgarde had to compete with all the rotebönder (farmers tasked with recruiting one infantry soldier) and rusthållare (men tasked with recruiting one cavalryman and horse) who at the same time were searching for recruits to restore the provincial regiments. The conditions in the soldiers market thus required (according the regimental commander Ribbing) a lega of at least 33.33 daler in silver. This request of raising the lega was however rejected by the royal council on the ground of the poor financial state of the Crown. The troubling economy also meant that salary payments were very irregular and that the guardsmen often lived in misery. This, of course, made it even more difficult to attract recruits to the Livgarde.

All this changed when Charles XII returned to Sweden in December 1715 and could now personally deal with the restoration of his Livgarde. The Livgarde's recruiters had already made themselves known for their hard-line persuasion methods before then. But now a determined hunt began for men who lacked employment, students who did not study diligently, and occupational categories that were considered non-essential in time of war. The notion that recruits were supposed to be volunteers was set aside and, without sacrificing quality, the Livgarde's manpower increased so rapidly that it was 2,200 strong when the Norwegian campaign began in 1718. But even this work came to naught as a result of external circumstances. The king's death led to an unplanned retreat to Sweden in the middle of winter. The Livgarde also had the misfortune of marching last, so that those food storages that did exist along the march route were empty when the Livgarde got there. The result was a disaster and of the only 795 remaining guardsmen who were mustered in Stockholm in 1719, half had to be discarded as unfit for continued service.

By disbanding temporary regiments and transferring the men to the Livgarde, its strength was able to recover so that in October 1720 it numbered 1,644 men. But even though the nominal strength of the Livgarde was reduced to 1,800 men in 1722, it would take until 1728 before that was achieved.

Livgarde Uniforms

Charles X Gustav's War

Scanian War

Great Northern War

Seven Years' War

During the first half of the 17th century, the Livgarde and its predecessors wore yellow uniforms with black decorations. These were the colours of the house of Vasa, and when the house Palatine-Zweibrücken ascended the throne in 1654, they were replaced by the blue and yellow colours of the Swedish flag and coat of arms. Initially, the blue colour was light blue, but it was replaced by dark blue during the reign of Charles XI. Exactly when this change took place is unknown, and we cannot therefore be completely sure what shade of blue the Livgarde fought in during the Scanian War.

Another detail that distinguished the Livgarde uniforms was that they had more elaborate decorations than the rest of the army. These decorations consisted in the early Carolean Age of a rich amount of blue and yellow ribbons which were gradually replaced by a more limited amount of ”gold and silver in silk" lace, which had previously appeared on the uniforms of men of higher rank (drabants & pikemen). During the Liberty Age (1719-1771), the gold disappeared but instead yellow lapels and plumes on the hat were added as a characteristic of the Livgarde.

Although the appearance of the ribbons and the lace is also unclear. Both ribbons and buttons were blue-yellow during the reign of Charles X Gustav, but during the reign of Charles XI the ribbons are described as yellow while the colour of the buttons is at one point described as blue. Possibly the colours of the decorations had been simplified, or it was only the description of them that had been simplified. After the Scanian War, the Livgarde received identical uniforms for all privates and then the ribbons disappeared as decorations and metal buttons were introduced for all. But lace made of ”gold and silver in silk" were retained. The colour of the silk is not mentioned, but preserved court costumes from the 1670s have lace of gold and silver thread mixed with yellow and grey-white silk. On these, each lace consists of three stripes with gold/yellow on the outer sides and silver/white in the middle (with the proportions 2:3:2). Simplified descriptions from eyewitnesses mention that the drabants had gold lace in 1671 (the Danish envoy Corfitz Braem) and silver lace in 1674 (the Italian Lorenzo Magolotti), and in the 1695 muster rolls the lace was stated to be made of silver. However, judging from the photographs of the preserved court costumes, the same lace can be perceived as either golden or silver depending on the lighting conditions. In the 1720s, the lace was changed to consist only of silver thread and white silk.

Oldest Uniforms 1618-1688

1632

1655

1658

1674

1680

After the Hovregemente was created in 1618, it and its successors were long split into two parts that did not necessarily have the same uniforms. On the one hand, there was the actual Livgarde, which was a newer name for the Drabant Corps that had been the king's bodyguard since the time of Gustav Vasa. Then there was a larger part that constituted a regular infantry regiment, albeit with elite status. The drabants usually received more expensive uniforms than the rest of the regiment, and the colours between different personnel categories could also differ. The uniforms of the rest of the regiment are not as well described in the sources, but they seem to have had colours that matched those of the drabants. But to prevent this page from becoming too long, the drabant uniforms are described on a separate page.

The Hovregemente/Yellow Regiment

When the Hovregemente was created, the drabants had switched to yellow clothes and one of the regular companies of the regiment was also issued yellow broadcloth in 1620. According to the Livgarde' regimental history work, at least some officers received yellow broadcloth in 1622 (Höglund mentions 3000 ells of yellow broadcloth and plain pewter buttons). In 1624, the musketeers received broadcloth of an unknown colour while the non-commissioned officers received blue broadcloth and the officers had different colours (red, blue and white). In the following years, unfortunately, we have hardly any information at all about the Hovregemente’s uniforms because these were purchased locally by the colonel and are therefore not mentioned in the records.

However, we have clues from eyewitness accounts. In 1626 we encounter the term "Yellow Regiment" for the first time, and it should refer to the uniforms since the colours (= flags) had until then been mostly black. In January 1627 the soldiers of the regiment are also called "yellow coats" by Hoppe who repeats the term in August 1629 for a regiment that is most likely the Hovregemente. In the Battle of Breitenfeld in 1631 yellow cassocks are mentioned. New clothes of an unknown colour are said to have been ready for delivery in Nuremberg shortly before the Battle of Lützen in 1632 and may have been worn in this battle. In any case, the soldiers of the Hovregemente were again called yellow coats ("gelbröckeln") by the imperial side during the battle. We are completely lacking information about the uniforms of the Hovregemente during the period after the devastating losses in Lützen until September 1635 when the regiment went into French service. But after 1632, the name "Yellow Regiment" continued to appear and from the second half of 1634 onwards it became an increasingly common name for the regiment.

The Livgarde

A new field regiment was raised during the Torstensson War of 1643-1645, but its uniforms are completely unknown during Kristina's reign. If they were not dressed in grey for cost reasons, they probably had the same colours as Christina's drabants, who were dressed in yellow with black and yellow trim and black lining.

A new field regiment was raised during the Torstensson War of 1643-1645 with unknown uniforms. But unless they were dressed in grey for cost reasons, they probably had the same colours as Christina's drabants, who were dressed in yellow with black and yellow trim and black lining. The parade uniform that was issued to the Livgarde for Kristina's coronation in 1650 also had those colours (see table below).

When Charles X Gustav became king in 1654, the colours of the drabant uniform were immediately changed to blue and yellow. The new blue colour, however, was a sky blue/pale blue shade called bleumerant. The Livgarde also received these colours, but they probably were not changed to black as happened in 1656 for the part of the drabant corps that was in the field. The first piece of information about the Livgarde' uniform colours during Charles X Gustav's reign colours is from the summer of 1655 when they received new uniforms in Stralsund which consisted of blue broadcloth, yellow “varp”, blue “packlakan” and yellow baize. The coat was apparently blue and the breeches yellow while the cloak was blue with yellow lining.

For the company that was left behind in Stockholm, it is mentioned in 1658 that its uniform consisted of a jacket, breeches and stockings of bleumerant (pale blue) broadcloth with blue-yellow buttons, trims and ribbons, etc.

The condition of the Livgarde' uniforms was, however, a recurring problem during Charles X Gustav's wars. In Thorn it was reported in the autumn of 1656 that the Livgarde lacked clothing and the king therefore ordered that each guardsman should receive 6 ells of blue broadcloth and for the lining a sufficient amount of yellow baize. Also, in 1658 in Frederiksodde it was reported that the Livgarde needed clothing "because they from top to bottom walk completely naked and barefoot". Similar complaints also came from other places where the Livgarde had men such as Thorn in December 1658 and Pomerania in 1659. The poor clothing of the Livgarde was seen as a reason why recruitment was so slow at home in Sweden during the autumn of 1658 because the Livgarde suffered “great cold through their nakedness".

During the reign of Charles XI, there was a transition from light blue to dark blue uniform colour. However, the timing is unclear because it is not possible to determine which shade is meant when the clothes are "blue". However, a dark blue shade was introduced for the entire infantry in 1687, so this must be considered the absolute latest time when the Livgarde' uniform colour was changed. Clothes issued to the Livgarde during this time were referred to alternately as bleumerant or blue. According to Folke Wernstedt, the word "blue" normally referred to a medium blue shade during the 17th century, and he seems to believe that the two words describe two different shades for the Livgarde' uniforms, although he cannot rule out that they are used as synonyms. In 1661, the Livgarde' clothes were stated to be sky blue, but when the Italian diplomat Lorenzo Magalotti visited Sweden in 1674, he described the uniform colour as "turchino", which was then a word used for darker shades of blue than sky blue. But this clashes with Höglund who for the same year has information that the musketeers had bleumerant coats. In addition, Bellander (page 142) has information from 1670 about bleumerant broadcloth for the drabants. Magalotti's description, however, contains several inaccuracies (see the quote with comments on the right).

Various eyewitnesses (Corfitz Braem and Lorenzo Magalotti) mentioned that the Livgarde' uniforms had gold and silver lace, respectively. However, the clothing accounts show that the uniforms during this period were not only adorned with gold and silver, but also with yellow along the seams and edges, and that the buttonholes were trimmed with yellow silk. Furthermore, the gold was not pure gold but gilded silver.

After the death of Charles X Gustav, there was also a transition from the old short jackets to knee-length coats of the French model ("justaucorps"). The term jacket (and “tröja”) remained for a long time, however. In 1661, the musketeers received long jackets and in 1663, the pikemen received “tröjor” with a skirt ("large skirt" in 1664).

Musketeers and pikemen had different uniforms and also completely different outerwear, at least during the time of Charles XI. On top of their jacket/coat, the pikemen wore a cloak, while the musketeers instead wore a “flax” (= tabard) until 1688. The flax corresponded to the drabants' cassock and was a sleeveless outerwear that had buttons along the sides with openings for the arms. The difference was that the cassock at this time was buttoned at the front. The pikemen also had more lavish decorations. While the musketeers' flax and jacket had 20-25 ells of lace, the pikemen's cloak and jacket had 50 ells of silk ribbon, which in 1665 was replaced by "gold and silver" lace.

Detail from Johan Philip Lemke's painting of the Battle of Halmstad in 1676 (painted around 1684).
Two Livgarde battalions in front of a battalion of Dal men. The Dal regiment’s colours (= flags) were supposed to be bleumerant.

The non-commissioned officers wore grey cloaks, breeches and stockings which became blue in 1679. They wore buff coats until 1695. Their uniforms also had gold and silver embroidery which disappeared in 1679. A blue coat with a blue collar, cuffs and lining and yellow buttonholes was included in the uniform in 1680 when the blue cloak was to have a yellow collar and lining.

In 1675, the oboists and drummers wore hats, grey coats with grey linings, gilded buttons, silver and silk lace. Breeches and stockings were grey. In 1680, their uniforms would consist of a blue coat with blue collar, yellow cuffs, buttonholes and lining, as well as a blue waistcoat, blue breeches and yellow stockings. They would also wear a blue piecoat with yellow lining.

In October 1676, the Livgarde were reinforced with a weak 3-männing battalion from Västernorrland and Jämtland. These soldiers were called "white coats" because they wore white wadmal coats. Shortly before, the Livgarde had also been allocated 300 pairs of stockings and shoes. A new set of uniforms was delivered in batches during the first half of 1677 (431 in February, a couple of hundred in March, 135 in April and the remaining 874 at the end of June). 1200 hats were sent from Stockholm in mid-April. New uniforms were also issued during 1678, but the number is not mentioned. For the next campaign season, 1000 uniforms were ready before the end of the year and the rest were to be ready in January 1679. The broadcloth in these uniforms was judged by the colonel to be better than in 1677 but not as good as before. However, the hats delivered in February 1679 were completely unusable. It was decided to make karpuses instead from the broadcloth from the older uniforms. However, Charles XI considered the karpus model that was demonstrated to him to be too soft and needed to be made stiffer to keep its shape. The regiment also received new sword belts prematurely in 1679 because the old ones were worn out.

The differences between the pikemen's and musketeers' coats disappeared completely in 1680 when all privates received plain blue coats with brass buttons and a yellow collar, cuffs and lining. The breeches were still blue, but the stockings became yellow. Previous decorations such as edges, ribbons and laces were now gone from the coat, but the buttonholes were still decorated with yellow silk. From 1688 the coat had pewter buttons and then the musketeers' tabards ("flaxar") were also replaced with cloaks, thus eliminating the last difference between musketeers and pikemen. The cloak had lace of "gold and silver in silk". The yellow stockings were of broadcloth in 1680 but were replaced by knitted wool in 1688.

The German Guard

The part of the Livgarde that had been stationed in Riga since 1660 had in practice become a separate regiment already during the reign of Charles Gustav X, although it was nt formally separated until after the Scanian War. The Livgarde's regimental history work therefore does not deal with its uniforms. However, according to Höglund, they were made up of blue coats in 1673. They lacked uniforms in 1677 and in 1678/79 had grey coats with pewter buttons, which in 1679 were replaced by a blue coat with yellow cuffs.

The Livgarde in mourning clothes (no lace) at the Queen's funeral in 1693. The number of buttons on the pocket flaps indicates rank.
On the left: a non-commissioned officer with 7 buttons (and a neckcloth tied into a cravat) and a private with 3 buttons.
On the right: officers with 9 buttons (and large cuffs) and corporals with 5 buttons.

Carolean Uniforms 1688-1718

When the Livgarde marched to war in April 1700 they wore uniforms that had been issued in 1695. Although Charles XII had decreed a new uniform for his Guard in 1699 it would not be until 1704 before the first model 1699 uniforms were issued to the Livgarde. Then at last could the 3-männing soldiers, who had been added to the Guard in 1703, receive new proper Livgarde uniforms instead of the red Saxon coats (captured in the battle of Kliszow) which they had been forced to wear because of a shortage of uniforms. As a part of the preparations for the Russian campaign a second set of model 1699 uniforms were made in Saxony and issued in April 1707.

But when the Livgarde was to be restored after the battle of Poltava, the War College decided for a less expensive uniform. The model 1709 uniform was then worn by the Livgarde for the remainder of the war. Charles XII did however decree a new uniform model in 1716, similar to the one from 1699. But due to delays it could not be delivered to the Livgarde in time for the Norwegian campaign in 1718. During this campaign the Livgarde was therefore among the worst dressed units. The lucky ones had old worn uniforms from 1713, which was the last time the regiment had been issued new uniforms. But since then the Livgarde's strength had more than doubled, so roughly half of the guardsmen had not received any proper uniforms at all. As an emergency solution, the Livgarde had been given 5,000 ells of wadmal (coarse wool) at the beginning of 1718 to remedy the worst deficiencies. This should have been enough for coats, but the soldiers complained in September 1718 especially about insufficient shoes and stockings.

Since 1684 the Swedish army had grenadiers, but the Livgarde grenadiers did not have any special grenadier caps, they had instead the same hats as the rest of the guardsmen with the typical "gold and silver in silk" lace of the Livgarde. After Poltava, the gold and silver in the Livgarde uniforms may have disappeared for cost reasons. Only "silk lace" on the cloak are mentioned. I have made a guess that the gold and silver were replaced with yellow and white thread, but it is also possible that they were completely white.

Rank and File
1688 –  1704		m/1699 (issued in January 1704 and April 1707)	m/1709 (issued until October 1713)	m/1716 (was not issued in time for the Norwegian campaign in 1718)
Hat:	Black, decorated with hat band and lace of gold and silver in silk. The drabants received tricornes in 1695.	Lace and hat band of gold and silver in silk.	Decoration not mentioned.	Lace of silver and gold in silk. Hat band of "yellow and white thread".
Neckcloth:	White, tied at the front with a blue ribbon until 1697. The drabants then received blue neckcloths, and this may have also been the case for the rest of the Livgarde.	Partly of yellow and black crepe, and partly of white ticking. Made of black fabric in 1706.		One made of black and yellow crepe, one made of white ticking.
Coat:	Blue broadcloth lined with yellow baize. Pewter buttons. In 1693, corporals had five buttons on each pocket flap and privates had three buttons.	Blue regular broadcloth "with yellow baize for lining and fine [yellow] baize for cuffs and collar". Corporals: "Button holes with leaf work [likely acanthus leaves] and double silk holes [yellow silk lace]". One row of buttonholes was false. 31 large "flat" pewter buttons and 6 smaller ones, the latter on the sleeves.  Privates: Single lace along the button holes (¾ lot yellow silk instead of the corporals' 2 ½ lot). 26 large flat pewter buttons and 6 smaller on the sleeves. Corporals had five buttons on each pocket flap while privates only had three. In 1707 the total amount of buttons for privates were 19 or 20 large buttons (depending on the length of the soldier) and 6 small buttons.	Blue broadcloth with collar and cuffs of "friserad" (= surface made uneven) yellow baize, lined with baize of lesser quality. Along the button holes, yellow lace of camel hair yarn (2 lots). 19  "three-stamped pewter buttons".	Blue broadcloth with collar and cuffs of yellow broadcloth. Lined with  "friserad" (= surface made uneven) yellow baize. 24 large buttons "of three-stamped pewter and lathed with edge"" and 6 smaller ones on the sleeves. Corporals: "Double button holes [lace] of twisted yellow camel hair yarn" with "leaf work of yellow silk [2 lots]". Privates: had no lace or leaf work along the button holes.
Cartridge Box:	Had in the mid-1690s lids covered with yellow broadcloth, from 1699 with yellow and blue broadcloth.		Lid made of yellow broadcloth "with palm branches around the name [the royal cipher] sewn and a small crown in all four corners". Cartridge box model 1716 interpreted by Göte Göransson Grenadier lids "with grenades and other ornaments", they do not seem to have had palm branches and crowns like the musketeers.
Waistcoat:	Not mentioned.	Not mentioned. Yellow broadcloth in 1707.	Yellow broadcloth. 18 smaller buttons like the coat.	Yellow broadcloth lined with fabric ("väv"). 17 smaller buttons like the coat.
Waist belt:	Waist belts replaced shoulder belts in 1699.	Made of ox leather with brass buckle.	Made of ox leather with brass buckle.	Made of ox leather with brass buckle.
Breeches:	Blue broadcloth.	Blue broadcloth in 1704 Yellow broadcloth in 1707.	Yellow broadcloth.	Yellow broadcloth.
Stockings:	Yellow knitted stockings.	Yellow knitted stockings.	Yellow.	Yellow.
Cloak:	Blue broadcloth lined with yellow baize.	Blue broadcloth with "collar of fine [yellow] English baize, lined with lesser yellow baize; around the collar lace of gold and silver in silk" (2 ells). Brass buckles with crowned royal name cipher.	Blue broadcloth with a collar of  "friserad" (= surface made uneven) yellow baize and decorated with 2 ells "silk lace". Lined with lesser yellow baize.	Blue broadcloth with collar of yellow broadcloth, decorated with 2 ⅛ ells "lace of silver and gold in silk". Lined with  "friserad" (= surface made uneven) yellow baize.
Gloves:		Elkskin collars and buckskin grips.	Collars made of ox leather.	Collars made of ox leather.
Sword knot:			Leather ("smorläder").	Leather ("smorläder").
Officers The officers had to procure their own uniforms, and therefore information about officer uniforms is rare. The information below comes from a regulation from 1695, but it should have been valid for the rest of the Carolean Age. Probably both the amount and the width of the gold lace varied between the different officer ranks.
Hat:	Made of camel hair felt. Hat band and wide lace of gold (gold lace = gilded silver).
Coat:	Of finest blue broadcloth, cuffs of blue velvet, pocket flaps decorated with the same; lining of blue "rask" (= fabric with a thin shiny surface). "Framed" (edged) with narrow gold lace and otherwise richly decorated with wide lace and buttonhole lace in gold. "Gold thread buttons", after 1709 possibly gilded brass buttons. Nine buttons on each pocket flap in 1693.
Waistcoat:	Of broadcloth like the coat and decorated in the same manners.
Waist belt:	Covered with gold lace, lined with blue ticking. Gilded buckle.
Breeches:	Blue broadcloth.
Stockings:	Made of blue yarn. Gilded buckles on the knee straps.
Cloak:	Blue broadcloth with gold lace on the collar, front and back at the slit. Gilded buckles with crowned royal name cipher.
Gloves:	Reindeer skin. the collars decorated with the gold lace. The regimental officers probably also had gold fringes.
Sword knot:	Made of gold.
Non-Commissioned Officers
1688 –  1704		m/1699 (issued in January 1704 and April 1707)	m/1709 (issued until October 1713)	m/1716 (was not issued in time for the Norwegian campaign in 1718)
Hat:	Black, decorated with hat band and lace of silver.	Lace and hat band of silver. Silver plated button.	Silver lace, one inch wide. Hat band of white thread.	"With silver lace"
Coat:	Decorated with silver lace on the cuffs and pocket flaps. Blue cuffs, collar and lining. Yellow buttonholes. Seven buttons on each pocket flap in 1693.	Blue of fine broadcloth, 5 ½ ells "of which is also taken for collar and cuffs. Lined with blue "rask" (= fabric with a thin shiny surface). Edged with 11 ¾ ells narrow lace and otherwise decorated on collar, cuffs and pocket flaps" with 8 ¾ ells wide lace and 14 ells button hole lace, all of genuine silver. 40 large "round" (lumpy) buttons of fine English pewter.	Blue broadcloth lined with blue "friserad" (= surface made uneven) baize. Decorated with one inch wide silver lace (on the cloak collar and coat, all together 8 ¼ ells). The button holes "edged with blue broadcloth". 22 silver plated brass buttons.	Blue broadcloth lined with fine blue  "friserad" (= surface made uneven) baize. Decorated with silver lace (on the cloak and coat, all together 14 ells) Button hole lace of blue silk. 26 large "double silver plated brass buttons and 6 smaller ones on the sleeves.
Waistcoat:	Leather with lace of the same kind as the coat. Buff coat before 1695.	Made of buckskin (4 hides), lined with yellow "dwelck" (coarse ticking). Edges (8 ells) and wide lace (5 ⅞ ells) of silver. 5 ½ dozen smaller pewter buttons.	"Camisole of buckskin with yellow ticking lining and English pewter buttons".	Made of chamois-coloured broadcloth, lined with fabric (above the waist "väv"" and below with chamois-coloured ticking). 24 smaller buttons like the coat.
Waist belt:		Decorated with wide silver lace and lined with blue ticking. Silver plated buckle.	Plain made of elkskin with two sockets and silver plated buckles.	Made of ox leather, decorated with 4 ½ ells silver lace and silver plated buckle.
Breeches:	Blue broadcloth.	Blue broadcloth.	Blue broadcloth.	Blue broadcloth.
Stockings:	Blue.	Blue yarn ("redgarn")	Blue-coloured "wool knit stockings"	Blue yarn ("redgarn")
Cloak:	Blue broadcloth, lined with yellow baize, and decorated with "silver in gold lace" (lace of silver thread with interwoven threads of gilded silver).	Blue broadcloth with fine yellow baize on the collar and lesser baize for lining. Decorated with gold, silver in silk lace (8 ells) on the front and and back on the slit as well as the collar. Silver plated buckles with crowned royal name cipher.	Blue broadcloth lined with blue "friserad" (= surface made uneven) baize. One inch wide silver lace on the collar. "1 pair of silver plated brass cloak buckles, 1 pair of small plain ones on the back of the skirt".	Blue broadcloth lined with fine blue  "friserad" (= surface made uneven) baize, decorated with silver lace. "Silver plated brass buckles, large and small, with Carolus".
Gloves:		Reindeer skin "with decorated small collars".	Elkskin collars and buckskin grips.	Elkskin collars and buckskin grips.
Sword knot:		Of blue silk with touches of silver.
Drummers and Pipers The Livgarde drums were blue in 1699 but otherwise had the same appearance as the colours. Even in this case, the drums of the Colonel’s Company differed in having the greater national coat of arms instead of the king's monogram. It is unclear what is meant by the "flaxar" mentioned on the m/1699 coat. It may be a question of so-called "bjärmar" which consisted of a strip of broadcloth decorated with yellow rask that hung down from each shoulder. It is also possible that they consisted of one or more loosely hanging back skirts. The flaxar may also have been decorated with buttons since the m/1699 coat was supposed to have 48 buttons while the m/1709 only had 18.
1688 –  1704		m/1699 (issued in January 1704 and April 1707)	m/1709 (issued until October 1713)	m/1716 (was not issued in time for the Norwegian campaign in 1718)
Hat:	Black, decorated with hatband and lace, for the hautboists and the regimental piper made of "gold" (gilt silver).	Lace and hat band of gold and silver in silk.	"With sweatband and set together with a hat band twice around the hill with white and yellow thread, and silk lace along the edge."	Lace of "silver and gold in silk. Hat band of yellow and white thread".
Coat:	Blue coat with blue collar, yellow cuffs and yellow lining. The regimental piper's coat was decorated with "gold in silver lace", the hautboists of such lace and velvet on the cuffs, drummers' and pipers' coats had "lace".	"Coats of fine blue broadcloth, lined on the cuffs and the "flaxor" [fabric hanging on the shoulders] with yellow "rask" [= fabric with a thin shiny surface] and underneath with lesser yellow baize, with [48] gold, silver in silk buttons, decorated with gold and silver i silk lace" (on the coat and waistcoat, 54 ells in total). Blue collar and yellow cuffs.	Coat of blue broadcloth with collar and cuffs covered with "friserad" (= surface made uneven) yellow baize, lined with baize of lesser quality. On the coat and waistcoat, 53 ells "lace of gold, silver in silk" in total and "2 lots yellow twisted camel hair yarn for the button holes". 18 "three-stamped pewter buttons with stripe".	Coat of blue broadcloth with collar and cuffs of yellow broadcloth, lined with "friserad" (= surface made uneven) yellow baize.. On the coat and waistcoat, 30 ells "silver and  gold in silk lace" in total, 17 ½ ells edging lace of the same kind and 2 lots camel hair yarn for button hole lace. 27 large and 6 smaller buttons "of three-stamped pewter and lathed with edge".
Waistcoat:	Blue broadcloth, decorated like the coat.	Blue broadcloth, decorated like the coat. 36 smaller buttons like the coat.	Blue broadcloth, lined under the waist with yellow baize; regular lace and button hole lace (see the coat). 18 smaller buttons like the coat.	Blue broadcloth lined under the waist with "friserad" (= surface made uneven) yellow baize. Decorated like the coat. 23 smaller buttons like the coat.
Waist belt:		Decorated with 7 ½ ells gold and silver in silk lace. Drum strap decorated with wider lace of the same (5 ¼ ells).	Made of ox leather with two sockets and a brass buckle. Drum strap of ox leather.	Made of ox leather with two sockets and a brass buckle.
Breeches:	Blue broadcloth.	Blue broadcloth.	Blue broadcloth.	Blue broadcloth.
Stockings:	Yellow.	Yellow.	Yellow.	Yellow.
Hair bag:			Made of black "dwelck" (coarse ticking) with lace.
Piecoat:	Blue piecoat with yellow lining from 1690.	Piecoat of blue broadcloth. "The cuffs and collar of fine yellow baize and lined with yellow lining baize. Decorated with "1 ½ dozen camel hair "litser" (lace made of blue and yellow camel hair yarn). 18 pewter buttons.	Piecoat of blue broadcloth and lined with yellow baize. 18 pewter buttons like the coat.	Piecoat of blue broadcloth and lined with "friserad" (= surface made uneven) yellow baize. 18 pewter buttons like the coat.
Gloves:			Collars of ox leather and buckskin grips.	Collars of ox leather and buckskin grips.
Sources: black text = Tor Schreber von Schreeb, purple text = Folke Wernstedt (Livgardets historia, volume IV).

Liberty Age Uniforms 1719-1772

Charles XII’s m/1716 uniforms (described in the tables above) were finally completed and sent from Stockholm to the main army in two batches in early November and early December 1718. By then, however, the king was dead and the campaign was over. These thus became the Livgarde's first uniforms during the new era that began in 1719. However, just a few years later the Livgarde received uniforms that differed in several details from that worn during the reign of Charles XII.

The "gold and silver in silk" lace of the Carolean Age were replaced with lace that consisted only of silver thread and white silk. In addition, the stockings became white and the officers' and NCOs’ previous all-blue uniforms were replaced with blue coats that had cuffs and linings of light-yellow chamois. The most characteristic feature of the Livgarde' uniforms during the Liberty Age, however, were the lapels that were introduced for officers and NCOs in 1728, but not for the privates until the 1750s. This detail was exclusive to the Livgarde until the introduction of the m/1765 when more Swedish regiments received lapels on their uniforms.

Further distinguishing details for the Livgarde were that the hat would have a black cockade from 1724. However, in 1751 it seems to have been replaced by tassels, which, like the lapels, spread to several other regiments when the more decorative m/1765 uniform was introduced in the Swedish army.

The Livgarde' cartridge box also had extra decorations. The yellow broadcloth lid from the reign of Charles XII seems to have been retained, since one with silver and silk lace is mentioned in 1744. I have made a guess on my pictures that the lid was still decorated with the king's monogram as in the reign of Charles XII. But from 1763 the cartridge box was completely black and provided with a brass plate with a completely different motif. Uniforms Issued in 1729			NCOs
	Privates	Drummers
Hat:	Regular black hat with white lace with silver and round pewter button. Cockade of black taffeta and sweatband. Silver in silk lace.		Two finger wide silver lace, one silver-plated brass button for attachment and a cockade of double black taffeta with sewn-on brass thread. Silver lace and cockade as well as a black horse hair button.
Cloak, piecoat:	Cloak with silver in silk lace on the collar and large white metal buckles and a pair of smaller brass buckles.	Piecoat of blue broadcloth lined with yellow "friserad" (= surface made uneven) baize.
Coat:	Blue regular broadcloth lined with yellow "friserad" (= surface made uneven) baize both in the sleeves and under the waist.	Blue regular broadcloth with yellow collar and cuffs. Lace with silver edged silk (it is not clear if it is for the hat or the coat).	Blue with chamois collar and cuffs. Blue lined with chamois "friserad" (= surface made uneven) baize. Chamois cuffs and lapels and white buttons.
Waistcoat:	Yellow broadcloth lined with fabric ("väv").	Yellow regular broadcloth lined with fabric ("väv").	Chamois broadcloth underlined with "friserad" baize. Chamois broadcloth lined with "friserad" baize and fabric.
Breeches:	Yellow broadcloth lined with fabric ("väv").	Blue lined with fabric ("väv").	Chamois broadcloth lined with fabric. Chamois broadcloth lined with fabric and pewter button.
Stockings:	White wool stockings.	Drum from Fredrik I's reign (AM.000836)	White knitted yarn ("redgarn") stockings. White yarn ("redgarn") stockings.
Gloves:	Regular gloves. Two pair of grips made buck leather and reindeer leather respectively.		Large pointed elk skin collars with reindeer skin grips.
Source: Lars Ericson's article in Meddelanden från Armémuseum 45-46 (black text = m/1724, red text = m/1726, purple text = m/1728)

The information above comes from Lars Ericson's article which only mentions changes in the Livgarde uniform regulations and not when these items were actually issued. However, in the Livgarde's regimental history work (volume 5, page 835) it is stated that the yellow yarn stockings were replaced by white knitted wool stockings in 1729. However, it seems strange that an enlisted regiment that was constantly on duty had to wait five years for the decision to change the colour of the stockings to be implemented. It is reasonable to assume that worn-out stockings should have been replaced between 1724 and 1729, but perhaps the change was delayed until a complete set of new uniforms were issued.

Bellander states that both the non-commissioned officers and the musicians received lapels in 1728 (page 303). Ericson, however, does not explicitly mention that all musicians received lapels 1728, but only that hautboists received them in the autumn of 1728 after the non-commissioned officers had received them in July 1728. Hautboists were musicians who used to wear uniforms that were similar to the non-commissioned officers, while the regular drummers' uniforms were more similar to the privates.

Exactly when lapels were introduced on the privates' uniforms is also unclear. The War College noted in 1759 "that for some time the Livgarde coats had so-called lapels on the chest", which contradicted the Parliament's ban on "all kinds of excesses and haughtiness occurring in the army" and the King had also forbidden the Livgarde officers from using lapels the year before. Despite this, the War College suggested that all personnel should have lapels so that the Livgarde would distinguish itself from the other regiments.

The officer portraits below, show that around 1728 the lapels had 2x12 buttons, which were placed in groups of four buttons each. The number of buttons on the lapels then seems to have been halved around 1760, at least on the lapels, which then only had groups of two buttons. This is how the m/1765 uniform is depicted (with an additional 2x2 buttons under the lapels). The portrait of Lieutenant Colonel Wrangel from 1762 is not very clear, but his buttons seem to correspond to the m/1765 uniform and not the one from 1728.

Captain Knut Gustaf Sparre (died 1733)	Adolf Fredrik Colonel 1744-1751 and then king	Lieutenant Colonel Johan Reinhold Wrangel af Sauss (depicted in 1762)	Captain Fredrik Cederström (depicted in 1770)

Close-up of the hat, from Jacob Gillberg's drawing of the Livgarde's m/1765-uniform.

The hats also changed during the 1750s. In 1751, corporals received silver lace on their hats, like the non-commissioned officers. In addition, both corporals and privates were to have "tassels" on their hats (which were first introduced in 1773 on the non-commissioned officers' hats). In 1762, it was decided that the entire regiment would have silver lace around the brim. The appearance of the tassels should have corresponded to those found on Jacob Gillberg's model drawing of the m/1765 uniform. It was also noted in 1759 that the Livgarde' hats differed from the provincial regiments by having a lower and pointed crown.

Note that the officers have a gold cockade on their hats in at least portraits from 1762 and 1770. The latter officer, Fredrik Cederström, was one of only two Livgarde officers who refused to swear allegiance to Gustav III after his coup d'état in 1772.

In 1762 it was decided that the cartridge boxes should be decorated with a brass plate and such boxes were issued the following year. The plate depicted the small national coat of arms surrounded by the collar of the Order of the Seraphim and colours, and below it a drum, crossed cannon barrels and other weapons such as spontoons, bayonet muskets, cannonballs, etc. The non-commissioned officers were to have silver-plated plates of the same type and at the same time the non-commissioned officers of the Livgarde were the only regiment to have their gloves paid for by the crown.

After the Pomeranian War, a completely new uniform regulation was introduced for the Swedish army in 1765. The cut of the coat was changed and black gaiters that would cover the stockings became standard. For the Livgarde, the button colour was also changed from pewter to brass. The first m/1765 uniform was issued in 1768, but the black gaiters were not appreciated by the colonel. and in 1772 he also requested white gaiters for use in parades because it was "expected" that the Livgarde would be dressed in white ones. He got his way and in the same year a white armband was also introduced on the officer uniform as a symbol for supporters of Gustav III's coup d'état on 19 August 1772. With this coup d'état, the Liberty Age ended and the Gustavian Age began, which would result in dramatic changes in the appearance of the uniforms.

The yellow plume on the hat in the picture on the right was introduced in the 1770s as a distinguishing feature of the Swedish army. The white gaiters in the same picture were intended for parade, while black gaiters were to be used in regular service.

Gustavian Uniforms 1772-1814

Officer and private soldier with uniform m/1779 (drawn by Carl Gustaf Roos 1783)

As an enlisted regiment, the Livgarde were to receive new uniforms every three years, and the first new uniforms during the Gustavian era were issued in 1774. Their appearance still followed m/1765, but an order to purchase boots in September 1778 indicates that the Livgarde may have already had their uniforms changed to Gustav III's personally designed national costume even though it did not become official for the entire army until 1779. However, in that case, the new uniforms would have been re-sewn m/1765 uniforms, and it was not until 1780 that the first newly manufactured m/1779 uniforms were issued.

The Russian War of 1788-1790 took a heavy toll on the Livgarde' uniforms and a new set was issued in 1789. This had loose lapels that could be buttoned over the chest and thus an extra number of buttons compared to m/1779. A battalion stationed in Gothenburg also had its worn-out charivades replaced with stockings that same year. Further changes to the Livgarde' uniform were made after the war and its uniform became the prototype for the new uniform model that was introduced for the entire army in 1792.

Svea Livgarde m/1792 uniforms. From left: grenadier officer, regular officer, grenadier and musketeer.

With m/1792, the charivades and the boots were replaced with the gaiters and shoes that had been worn before m/1779. In addition, the jacket was made longer. In 1794, the Livgarde were given the right to be the only regiment to have cords. The officers thus exchanged silver lace for silk cords, while the non-commissioned officers and privates were to have cords made of thread. In 1798, the colour of the breeches was changed from yellow to white, and in 1800, a command to Strömsholm became the first to receive trousers.

When the m/1802 uniform was introduced, the last remnants of the Gustav III’s m/1779 uniform disappeared from the Swedish army. The only exception was the hat, but for the Livgarde this detail was also replaced and instead they received a so-called tricorne hat that followed the fashion of the time, that is, it was high with a flattened front (more like a bicorne). Officers and non-commissioned officers had silver lace on their hats while the men had yarn ribbons (the corporals received silver lace in 1803). In addition, the hat was to be decorated with a cord, plume and straw cockade or company badge. The non-commissioned officers were also to have silver lace at the buttonholes, lapels and cuffs. Further decorations introduced in 1803 were that non-commissioned officers and corporals received tassels in the hat corners and the waist belt plate was decorated with the lesser national coat of arms in a blue enamel globe. The privates also then received yarn epaulettes, and buttonholes on the collar. The Jäger Battalion, which was formed in 1802, received a special green uniform established in 1803.

Model drawings of the Livgarde' m/1802 uniforms depicted by Carl Gustaf Gillberg. From left: officer in parade uniform, officer in daily uniform, non-commissioned officer and private soldier. However, the trousers are stated to have been white by both Bellander (page 407) and "Kungl. Svea Livgardes historia" (volume 5, page 837). All personnel also seem to have worn white plumes on their hats since the king ordered that these be replaced with yellow ones when the Livgarde were demoted in 1808. The picture below on the right shows what a private Livgarde m/1802 uniform looked like from the back. In regular regiments, only officers wore a tailcoat with a skirt that went down to the knees, while ordinary soldiers would have jackets that ended at the crotch. In addition, regular regiments had all-black cartridge boxes without brass plates.
The green m/1803 uniforms of the Livgarde' jäger battalion depicted by Carl Gustaf Gillberg. The battalion existed from 1802-1806 and the picture shows from left: an officer, a non-commissioned officer and a private hunter.	The back of a private Livgarde uniform m/1802. Drawing from a contemporary work by Wilhelm von Runge.

In 1804, the privates were given shirts and trousers for use at work and off duty. In the same year, the men's yellow waistcoats were replaced with blue ones with sleeves and a yellow stand-up collar.

A new, radical change to the Livgarde uniform took place in 1807 when non-commissioned officers and privates exchanged the bicorne hat for a “kask” with horsehair girdle and brass plates. This would have a white feather plume on parade but a horsehair plume on other duty. In addition, blue trousers made of broadcloth with white cords along the thigh were introduced, which were to be worn in parallel with the old white trousers made of broadcloth or leather. The initiative for the new trousers came from the company commanders, who also paid for them until 1815-16 when they became part of the regular clothing establishment.

When the Svea Livgarde were demoted to a regular enlisted regiment on 15 October 1808, this also had consequences for the uniforms. The officers were to exchange their white plumes for yellow. The uniform buttons were to be replaced with smooth, curved white buttons. The non-commissioned officers and privates were to likewise exchange their white plumes for yellow and the plates on their hats were to be removed. After the deposition of Gustav IV Adolf on 29 March 1809, however, the uniform was restored to its previous appearance with one exception. The white armband that the officers had worn since the coup d'état in 1772 was removed.

Drawing of an officer with private soldiers in the background. The image is a detail from a plate published in Berlin around 1808. However, the high-cut tailcoat that does not cover the stomach seems to have only been issued in 1812.	Model of a trumpeter with a tailcoat from 1812 and a m/1807 hat. The hat has a small national coat of arms on the brass plate.	Drawing of a guardsman from 22 February 1814. The hat is from m/1807, the jacket from m/1803 and the blue trousers of the type that since 1807 were used in parallel with the white trousers.

The Svea Livgarde received a new uniform in 1812, the tailcoat having a very high slanting cut that left the stomach only covered by the waistcoat and shirt. Such a high cut proved to be unsuitable in the field, and to protect the soldiers' health. A new uniform model was established in 1816, where the tailcoat would have a straight cut at the waist. However, this m/1816 uniform was not issued to the Svea Livgarde until 1819.

It is not entirely clear to me what type of jacket/tailcoat the Livgarde wore during the Finnish War of 1808-09 or the Napoleonic Wars of 1812-1814, as we have a plate from around 1808 showing a high-cut tailcoat, but both Bellander and the Livgarde's regimental history work date that tailcoat to 1812. Then we have a drawing from 1814 showing a guardsman wearing a jacket that the regimental history work states is m/1803. I assume that it was the latter that was in use until 1812 and was reused shortly thereafter when the new tailcoat proved unsuitable. The tailcoat from 1812 may have been established earlier in a uniform regulation and therefore been depicted before it was issued.

For regular guardsmen, the last remnant of the Gustavian uniforms disappeared when the m/1807 hat was replaced as headgear by a shako in 1839. However, the grenadiers' caps would be all the more durable.

Grenadier Caps

The very first evidence of grenadier caps at the Livgarde is from 1774 when such were issued. However, the Livgarde had probably had grenadier caps since the 1750s. In any case, bearskin caps were issued in 1774 to 15 non-commissioned officers and 318 grenadiers. 10 officers also received grenadier caps, but their caps were made of "Guenott Skinn", which ought to have been black cat skin. The officers' caps were decorated with a plume of yellow feathers while the non-commissioned officers had blue feathers. The caps were considered worn out in 1781 when the king ordered that 300 new ones be purchased. These were delivered in 1783 and became more expensive than the previous caps because they were larger and had more decorations. After the Russian War of 1788-1790, the eight-year-old grenadier caps were in poor condition and some of them were replaced in 1791 by 200 new caps. A new set of grenadier caps was issued in 1797, but already in 1804 it was reported that the leather brims on these had been badly damaged by moths. A new and considerably more durable set of grenadier caps was therefore issued in 1805. This consisted of 8 officers', 11 non-commissioned officers' and 222 soldiers' caps. This set would be reduced over the years due to wear and tear, but thanks to repairs in 1841, all officers' caps and 140 soldiers' caps would be in use until 1874.

The caps issued in 1805 appear to have had the same appearance as those issued in 1791 and 1797. The caps are said to have been leather-brimmed and fitted with gold cords for officers, silver for non-commissioned officers & the regimental drummer and yarn for the men. Drummers and pipers also had yarn but they stopped using grenadier caps in 1797. The privates' cords were red until the 1840s when they became white. The old caps from 1783 lacked cords but instead had a plate along the lower part of the cap. Both types of caps had a plume with feathers.

Livgarde Colours

Reconstruction of m/1686 colonel's colour (no model drawing is preserved and the motto is likely incorrect)

Olof Hoffman's model drawing of m/1686 company colour

The Livgarde has traditionally carried white colours with the king's monogram in gold as a motif. However, this is a tradition that only began in 1672. During the reign of Charles IX and Charles X Gustav, they appear to have had the Swedish blue-yellow colours, while during the reign of Gustav II Adolf and Kristina they had the black-yellow colours of the House of Vasa.

The Livgarde originate from the 16th century Drabant Corps, whose oldest known colour ("fänika") from 1563 had a yellow cross in the style of the Swedish flag and the other fields were coloured red, green and violet. It is unknown what pattern the latter colours formed. During the reign of Johan III, the Drabant Corps seems to have had no colour at all, and it was only when the drabants was reorganised into the Drabant fänika in 1600 that it again received an ensign (= colour bearer). But it is only from 1604 that we have evidence that a colour was issued. This consisted of blue, yellow and red silk and was possibly designed with a cross. For the occasion of Charles IX’s coronation in 1607, the drabants received a new colour that consisted of 90 ells of yellow silk. This colour possibly had decorations in blue since the drabants' uniforms were yellow with blue details at the same time.

Black and Yellow Colours until 1654

Yellow colour ("fänika") that was 330 cm high and at least 390 cm wide. From 1620 onwards, the size of colours was considerably smaller, which means that this should be from the 1610s.

The colour that could be the oldest surviving colour of the Livgarde is a yellow "fänika" from the 1610s with Gustav II Adolf's monogram in black. It is precisely the colour combination and the motif that suggest it could have belonged to the predecessor of the Livgarde. Today only fragments of this colour remain, but the picture on the right shows how it looked during the period 1690-1709 when it was depicted by Olof Hoffman.

From the written sources we know that the drabants (which in 1618 became the colonel’s company of the Hovregemente) were issued a colour in the years 1612, 1616, 1617 and 1618. The first had silk fringes and the last was made of yellow silk. Otherwise, we do not know any more details except that these colours were still very large. The colour from 1618 consisted of 42 ells of “kartek”, while in 1620 only 11 ells of taffeta were needed for a colour and then reduced further. Both kartek and taffeta are silk, but the former is thinner, which makes the colour less heavy. When the size of the colour was reduced, the thicker and more wear-resistant taffeta could be used instead.

The colour issued in 1620 consisted of 9 ells of black taffeta and 2 ells of yellow taffeta and 2 lots of silk. The following year it consisted of only 4 ½ ells of black silk and 1 ell of yellow silk "for distribution" and 1 lot of silk.

The first time the motif on the colours is mentioned is at the conquest of Riga on 16 September 1621, when the eight colours of the Hovregemente were described as black with lions and crowns in gold.

In May 1624, black and yellow taffeta was issued to the eight companies of the Hovregemente, each of which received just over 6 ells of taffeta and a load of silk. The Colonel’s Company was also given "14 books of fine gold" to paint its colour with. The Colonel’s Company, which after the death of Gustav II Adolf was simply called the Livgarde, received seven ells of black taffeta in 1628, 1631 and 1635 to make a colour. On the latter occasion, 7 ½ lots of silk lace are also mentioned to adorn the colour.

In the mid-1620s, the Hovregemente began to be called the "Yellow Regiment" and later there are notices of yellow colours in the sources. In July 1627, two companies received yellow colours, and two more companies received such colours in May 1630. In addition, an eyewitness description of a regiment that in September 1631 carried "old white colours" has been identified with the Hovregemente. These are believed to have originally been yellow colours that had faded. Finally, there are contemporary depictions in the form of Reginbaldus Möhner's watercolours of Swedish colours belonging to regiments in Augsburg in 1632-1635. According to these, the Livgarde Company had a black colour with the national coat of arms as a motif, while the other companies were represented by two pale yellow colours that together with white had different patterns.

Modern depictions (Nordenfalk & Göransson) of Möhner's watercolours from 1632-1635 of the colonel’s colour and two company colours respectively

In 1642, the Livgarde once again received a new colour and for the sake of rarity, the motif on it has been described. It consisted of the Swedish national coat of arms in the middle and around it there were decorations in silver and gold. However, the colour of this colour is unknown. Shortly after, the Livgarde was expanded to a 20-company strong regiment and these apparently received colours because its colonel complained in 1648 that they were completely worn out. For Kristina's coronation in 1650, the Livgarde received three new yellow colours with embroidered decorations.

Charles X Gustav's Blue and Yellow Colours

When Charles X Gustav became king in 1654, the Livgarde's colonel’s company in Stockholm received a new colour. The original idea was that it would be made of white taffeta and have a motif that its commander would decide. However, the taffeta used in the production was blue. The colour's decoration consisted of yellow taffeta ribbons and painting by Jakob Elbfas. Two Livgarde companies stationed in Bremen also received blue flags with yellow taffeta ribbons in 1654. The blue shade should have been light blue if it was to match the colour of the uniforms. Later, however, the colonel’s company colour may have become white because Gabriel Kurck, who was its captain from 1656, described in his memoirs that the Colonel’s Company’s colour was distinguished by being white and adorned with gold and silver embroidery. In advance of Charles X Gustav's funeral in 1660, this company received a temporary black mourning colour. Two regular colours of unknown appearance were issued in 1659 and it was not until 1672 before the Stockholm part of the Livgarde received any colours.

The part of the Livgarde that was stationed in Riga in 1660 ("German Guard") received eight colours when it was to participate in the Bremen War of 1665-1666. These colours have an unknown appearance, so it is unclear when the change from blue-yellow to white colours took place. When the German Guard was transferred to Germany in 1672, they again received eight new colours, and these seem to have been white. However, the German Guard lived its own life and after the end of the Scanian War it was not even formally part of the Livgarde and instead became its own regiment called the “Tyska livregementet till fot” (German Life Regiment on Foot).

White Colours from 1672

Ever since 1672, when the Livgarde Battalion in Stockholm received four colours of white silk, the Livgarde' colours have always been white. When the Livgarde in Stockholm was expanded to 12 companies in 1675, they received a new set of 12 white colours with gold decorations. These colours were worn out after the end of the Scanian War and were therefore replaced in 1680 by another set of 12 colours.

The motif is not mentioned at any time for these white colours. However, we can indirectly figure out what the colours looked like based on the colours and standards of other regiments. According to the regulation from 1673, the Livregemente till häst (Life Regiment on Horse) was to have colours that matched the colours of the Livgarde. The colours that were made in 1674 and that the Livregemente lost to the Danes are said to have had the king's monogram and a Latin motto above them. The German Guard, which was still considered part of the Livgarde, also received eight new colours in 1672 and three colours that were taken by the Danes in 1678 are believed to belong to this set. The motif on all three colours consists of the king's monogram in a laurel wreath and crowns in the corners, all in gold. The colonel’s colour also had two lions holding up the crown in the monogram. The colours were attached to white staffs.

Possibly a colonel’s and company colour (and finial) that belonged to the German Guard 1672-1678. Both colours are white with gold decoration, although the company colour appears dark in this black and white photo. The company colour still has a crown left in one corner.

In 1682, the former German Guard received colours like those that the Livgarde had received in 1680. According to the description, all colours were white with crowns scattered across the colour. The colonel’s colour had the national coat of arms as a motif and the company colours various "emblemata". The high price of the colours also indicates that they had all the decorations that the Livgarde m/1686 colours were supposed to have. The design determined by the 1686 regulation for the Livgarde' colours was therefore probably not a change but merely a confirmation of the prevailing conditions.

According to the regulation from 1686, the Livgarde colours were white. The motif of the company colours consisted of the king's crowned mirrored monogram carried by two crowned lions in a white field strewn with crowns. At the top was a motto written in Latin. The colonel's colour was the same except that the royal monogram in the middle was replaced by Sweden's greater coat of arms. The intent was probably that each individual colour would have its own motto at the top, and that was also the case with the colours manufactured at the end 17^th century. But in the set manufactured in 1710, all company colours had the same motto as in Olof Hoffman's the model drawing (see picture further up). The today fragmented colonel's colour, however, appear to have had a separate motto, which is probably due to Olof Hoffman's unpreserved model drawing of the colonel's colour likely did not have the same motto as the company colour.

The first m/1686 set of twelve colours was issued in 1690 and the old colours were then donated to the regimental commander Bernhard von Liewen. But in September 1700 the Livgarde was reorganised from twelve to eighteen companies and the new companies needed their own colours. Charles XII therefore asked von Liewen to return the six older colours that were in the best condition. These older colours were likely not delivered to the Livgarde in time for the Battle of Narva on 20 November, but should have been used during the Battle of Düna on 9 July 1701. It is written in Captain Olof Stiernhöök's diary that his company received a colour on 26 December 1700.

However, after a year of campaigning, the colours from the 17th century were deemed to be worn out. In April 1701, a new set of 18 colours was therefore ordered, painted by Olof Hoffman on canvases of "grein de Neapole croisse". In this set, which was completed in October 1701, three colours were decorated with grenades in the corners. These were intended for the three grenadier companies that had been formed in September 1700, but they did not come into use until November 1702 when the Livgarde was expanded with three regular companies. Apparently the king had decided that grenadier companies should not have colours. This was already the case when the colours were completed since Charles XII wrote to the War College on 29 October 1701 and mentioned that "in grenadier companies no colours are used", and this did not change when three more grenadier companies were created in August 1703. Olof Hoffman's set was lost to the Russians at Poltava and Perevolochna in 1709. Their descriptions mention that the finials were engraved and made of gilded copper. All colours were taken to Moscow and destroyed in 1737 when the Kremlin burned down.

In the Battle of Poltava, however, the Guard battalions did not only carry the Livgarde colours. During the Russian campaign, men from disbanded 3-männing regiments had been used to fill vacancies in the Livgarde companies. Their old 3-männing colours were carried alongside the 18 Livgarde colours. The exact number of 3-männing colours during this battle is not known, but they were generally red with various central Swedish provincial coat of arms in the upper inner corner. The only exception was the Småland 3-männing regiment that had yellow colours (and at least two of these had Jönköping's coat of arms in the upper inner corner).

After the disaster in Ukraine, the Livgarde was to be restored to its former strength. But recruitment was slow and the organisation stayed for a long time at twelve companies and it was also this number of colours that were produced in 1709-1710 (see picture above and below). All company colours had the same motto as in the model drawing, but one deviation was that the gold text had a silver background. The staffs were painted dark brown. However, the quality of these colours may not have been the best as the colonel ordered 19 colours made of Persian damask in 1716 (the nineteenth colour should have been intended for the company guarding the palace). But it doesn't seem like any new colours were delivered. In 1719 the new colonel complained that the colours from 1710 were worn out, and while waiting for new colours to be delivered, he requested as a provisional solution the colours that had been used at Ulrika Eleonora's coronation. That did happen, but only after Fredrik I's coronation the following year.

These twelve "coronation colours" had been ordered from France as early as 1679 and were intended for the Livgarde, but the delivery took so long that other colours were made instead. By 1703 at the latest, however, they must have been stored in Stockholm. Fragments of one of these colours are preserved in the Swedish Army Museum. They were never returned when a new set of colours was issued and were probably used as so-called "sentry colours". This type of colour was used in daily service to avoid wear and tear on the ordinary colours and they were usually made of cheaper materials.

Company symbol (?) on a drum from Fredrik I's reign.

The Livgarde had to wait until 1726 to receive brand new colours (12 plus two sentry colours). However, the appearance of these did not follow m/1686 but had been greatly simplified. Only the king's crowned monogram remained. The lions and the scattered crowns were gone. New instead were three closed crowns in the corners and a company symbol in the fourth corner. The company symbol is said to have been in one of the upper corners. The appearance of the company symbols is unknown, but Leif Törnquist has suggested that the zodiac signs may have been used as symbols. A preserved Livgarde drum from the reign of Fredric I, however, has an S-shaped arrow as a symbol and it does not appear to have been a zodiac sign.

With this set from 1726, the manufacturing technique had also changed so that the colours were henceforth embroidered and not painted. No colours in this set have survived. The sentry colours were quickly worn out and three new ones were issued in 1732-33 and another three in 1737.

Company colour from 1748, modified in 1751

Company colour from 1762 or 1763

The 1726 set was replaced in 1748 with fifteen new colours (no sentry colours were issued so probably the old regular colours were used instead). This set had no company symbols and instead there were crowns in all the corners. In addition, the crowns were now open and not closed. In their original state, they had Fredrik I's mirrored monogram as a motif, but after Adolf Fredrik became king in 1751, the colours were modified so that an A was embroidered over the mirrored F's.

In 1762, six new colours were embroidered (one of which was a colonel's colour) and in addition two sentry colours. These were supplemented in 1763 with nine more company colours. The difference to the previous set was that the crowns in the corners were now closed again.

After Gustav III's accession to the throne, a new set of fourteen colours was issued at the turn of the year 1771-72. The only difference from the previous set was that Adolf Fredrik's monogram was replaced with Gustav III's. New sentry colours had to wait until 1778-79 when two of them were paid for by the colonel himself and in 1784 when the crown paid for two sentry colours. A new set of only eight Livgarde colours was issued in 1787 and it supposedly had the same appearance as the previous set.

Colonel’s and company colours from the reign of Gustav IV Adolf. It is not possible to determine whether these belonged to the Svea Livgarde because all Guard and Household troops received identical colours at this time.

The first and only set during the reign of Gustav IV Adolf was issued in 1798 (1 colonel’s colour, 9 company colours and 2 sentry colours). The two sentry colours were discarded after two years but were not replaced until 1806. When the Livgarde were demoted in the autumn of 1808, it was intended that they would lose their white colours and instead receive colours in the same style as the regular enlisted regiments. A model drawing for this purpose was also made. However, the Livgarde managed to regain its guard status in the spring of 1809 before such colours were manufactured. The old colours were therefore retained until March 1810, when a set of 1 colonel’s colour, 9 company colours and 2 sentry colours was issued. The War College was in such a hurry to have the new colours with Charles XIII's monogram delivered that the production was divided between three people. In 1815, however, only one company colour of this set was deemed to be in usable condition. The other eight company colours were to be repaired while the colonel’s colour and the sentry colours were to be replaced. The repair and manufacture of new sentry colours took place the following year while the new colonel’s colour was delivered in 1817. The repaired company colours had their monograms adjusted when Charles XIV Johan became king so that "XIII" was changed to "XIV". But in 1820 they were replaced together with the sentry colours by completely new colours. The colonel’s colour remained until 1832 when the embroidery was transferred to a new colour. This last remnant of the time before the House of Bernadotte then disappeared when a completely new set was issued in 1850.

Links to Preserved Colours

Colour sheets

The following images are free-to-use m/1686 colour sheets for those who want to paint miniature figure to represent the Livgarde. The company colour below is identical with Olof Hoffman's model drawing while the two to the right are my reconstructions of the colonel's colour and the colours intended for the grenadier.

Other Equipment

In addition to the clothes themselves, the pikemen also wore cuirass and a helmet while the musketeers only had a helmet. These were initially made of blackened steel, but in 1645 Queen Kristina chose to replace it with polished steel as was customary in foreign courts (the Nobility Drabants were allowed to continue to wear blackened armour). After the death of Charles X Gustav, helmets and cuirasses were mostly used in parades and when the Scanian War began they fell out of use completely.

During the Scanian War, the Livgarde musketeers initially had matchlock muskets, but they were in 1678 issued with 400 muskets with "Spanish flintlocks" (i.e. "snaplocks"). A further 200 flintlock muskets were recieved in 1679 from a dragoon regiment that could not use them because they were too long. At the same time, 112 matchlock muskets were also issued. During the following peace period, the Livgarde musketeers continued to be armed with both matchlock and snaplock muskets. The former constituted more than half of the muskets in 1696. All were replaced with new flintlock muskets at the outbreak of war in 1700. However, the grenadiers received special flintlock muskets that were adapted to have bayonets. The grenadiers' bayonets proved so effective during the landing at Humlebæk that Charles XII ordered that the musketeers should also have bayonets. At the end of October, the Livgarde therefore replaced their muskets in Reval and were thus able to fight with bayonets in the Battle of Narva a month later.

When the Great Northern War began, the officers were supposed to be armed with 5 ells (= almost 3 metre) long half-pikes with brown shafts. The non-commissioned officers were armed with spontoons with unpainted shafts. There is no information about the colour of the privates' pikes during the Great Northern War, although a source from 1667 state the colour as yellow. However, taking into account the above, and the fact that the staffs of the colours from 1710 were painted dark brown, the pikes were most likely brown, either because they were painted brown or unpainted wood.

Drabanten och kaptenen vid Lifgardet Olof Stiernhööks journal 1700-1703. published by Samuel E. Bring (KFÅ 1912)
Lorenzo Magalotti – Sverige under år 1674. published by Carl Magnus Stenbock. Stockholm (1912)

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