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- The 13 Cuirassier regiments of Old Prussia (Kavallerieregimenter der altpreußischen Armee) were formed in the mid-17th to mid-18th centuries, and formed the basis of Frederick the Great's vaunted cavalry. The cavalry regiments were the largest organization units of the old Prussian mounted troops. Between 1644 and 1806, 35 cavalry regiments were gradually formed. Initially called Regiments of Horse (Regiment zu Pferde), eventually these regiments were also differentiated according to different types of troops: Cuirassier Regiment, Dragoon Regiment, Hussar Regiment. The first mounted (horse) troops were simply called cavalry, then the dragoons (mounted infantry), and the hussars only midway through the 18th century. The size of the regiments varied between the types of troops. In the course of time, the regiments also changed within a cavalry type. At the time of Frederick the Great, Cuirassier and Dragoon regiments usually consisted of five squadrons, hussar regiments of ten squadrons. In the early-modern period (up to about 1800), units bore the name of their colonels, also called the Proprietor (Inhaber). If the regiment belonged to the king or one of the princes, he had colonels who commanded the regiments for him, and the regiment bore the name of the king. After the Prussian military reorganization in 1806, the units were given numbers. (en)
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