The Imperial Guard: Napoleon's Elite Soldiers

The Imperial Guard was an army within an army. The elite of the elite. Arguably the most loyal, devoted, and disciplined soldiers of their age, they had followed their Emperor from the pyramids of Egypt to the domes of the Kremlin, and far beyond. In this video, I discuss the origins, organization, purpose, and privileges of the French Imperial Guard, along with its eventual demise.

The movie footage used in the video are from the films, Waterloo (1970) and Monsieur N. (2003). Quick disclaimer, while "Waterloo" is a fabulous historical film that maintains a standard of historical accuracy and authenticity, "Monsieur N." on the other hand is based on a conspiracy theory, and, therefore, should not be taken very seriously.

0:00 - Cinematic Intro
1:05 - Introduction
1:28 - The History and Origin of the French Imperial Guard
3:26 - The Organization of the Guard
5:14 - The Many Roles of the Guard
7:49 - Special Privileges of the Imperial Guard
8:22 - Farewell To the Guard

References:
Fosten, Bryan, and Philip Haythornthwaite. Napoleon's Guard Infantry 1. London: Osprey, 1992.

Napoleon's Old and Young Guard Infantry : Uniforms : Organization : Weapons. Accessed May 9, 2021. http://napoleonistyka.atspace.com/IMP....

Nafziger, George. "Napoleon's Use of His Imperial Guard". https://www.napoleon-series.org/milit...