Osprey Men-at-Arms 98 : Dutch-Belgian Troops of the Napoleonic Wars

The Netherlands have for centuries been the arena in which European powers sought to achieve martial decisions, however remote this theatre of war may have been from their homelands. In 1806, the Batavian Republic was elevated to the status of the Kingdom of Holland, with Napoleon's brother Louis [called Ludwig by the Dutch] as its ruler. It was only to exist for four short years, however, before vanishing from the map of Europe. During this time Napoleon had been trying to destroy Great Britain by commercial means, as his navy had been unable to achieve anything at all against his arch-enemy. He instituted the Continental System, which involved a total embargo throughout mainland Europe on British goods, or any other trading contact with British subjects. This ruined the trade of all the European countries under his rule, France included, and all those lands having access to the open sea became hives of smuggling. By 1810 Napoleon was so desperate to stop this traffic that he absorbed Holland, parts of Westfalia, the Duchy of Oldenburg and the Hanseatic towns of Hamburg, Bremen and Lubeck into Metropolitan France, so that he might exercise effective control over their coastlines. The armies raised from the Kingdom of Holland fought as allies of the French [or as part of France itself] from 1795 to 1813. Otto von Pivka examines the history and uniforms of Dutch-Belgian troops of the Napoleonic Wars, accompanied by plenty of illustrations including eight full page colour plates by Chris Warner.

Contents

• Historical Synopsis
• The Batavian Republic 1795-1806
• Orders of Battle 1795-1806
• Uniforms Kingdom of Holland 1806-10
• Orders of Battle 1806-10
• Changes of Title 1795-1814
• The Uniforms of 1814-15
• The 1815 Campaign
• Colours and Standards
• The Plates