The 2nd Cuirassier Regiment (''French: 2e régiment de cuirassiers'' or ''2e RC'') was an armoured unit of the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

, which originated as a

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

and then a

cuirassier A cuirassier ( ; ; ) was a cavalryman equipped with a cuirass, sword, and pistols. Cuirassiers first appeared in mid-to-late 16th century Europe as a result of armoured cavalry, such as man-at-arms, men-at-arms and demi-lancers discarding their ...

regiment. It was descended from the ''régiment Cardinal-Duc'', which is at the top of the list of twelve cavalry regiments created by the same royal ordnance of 16 May 1635 - this made the 2nd Cuirassier Regiment the oldest surviving cavalry regiment in the French Army, until its disbandment in 1991.

References

External links

2emecuirassiers.com
at http://www.napoleon-series.org/ {{France-mil-stub Cuirassier regiments of France Regiments of France in World War I Regiments of France in World War II Military units and formations disestablished in 1991