The Loyal Lusitanian Legion (LLL) was a foreign volunteer corps of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

, organized with Portuguese

émigré An ''émigré'' () is a person who has emigrated, often with a connotation of political or social exile or self-exile. The word is the past participle of the French verb ''émigrer'' meaning "to emigrate". French Huguenots Many French Hugueno ...

s in England, that fought in the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

. The LLL was created by the initiative of

Portuguese Army The Portuguese Army () is the land component of the Portuguese Armed Forces, Armed Forces of Portugal and is also its largest branch. It is charged with the defence of Portugal, in co-operation with other branches of the Armed Forces. With its ...

Colonels José Maria Moura and

Carlos Frederico Lecor Carlos Frederico LecorHis last name is sometimes written as Lecór or Le Cor. (October 6, 1764 – August 2, 1836) was a Portuguese-born Brazilian general and politician. He was the first Baron of Laguna, in Portugal, and later ascended to V ...

– exiled in England after the occupation of

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

by the Napoleonic Army – and the Portuguese Ambassador in London Chevalier de Sousa, with the support of the

British government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

. The LLL received the title "Loyal" to distinguish itself from the much larger Portuguese Legion, mobilized at the same time with the best units and officers of the disbanded

by direct order of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

and which would fight for him in the several European campaigns. The LLL included not only Portuguese, but also British (including its commanding officer, Colonel Robert Wilson) and Germans. The Legion was organized in

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

, in July 1808 and landed in

Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...

, Portugal in September of the same year. Between 1808 and 1811, as part of the

Anglo-Portuguese Army The Anglo-Portuguese Army was the combined British and Portuguese army that participated in the Peninsular War, under the command of Arthur Wellesley. The Army is also referred to as the British-Portuguese Army and, in Portuguese, as the ''E ...

, the LLL fought against the Napoleonic Imperial Armies in the

. It was present at the battles of Busaco (Portugal, 27.9.1810; ca 2,000 men; commander: Baron Eben, German,* 1773; source: O. Pusch, 1986) and

Talavera de la Reina Talavera de la Reina () is a city and municipalities of Spain, municipality of Spain, part of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha. Its population of 83,303 makes it the second most populated municipalit ...

, but was especially used to conduct raids and other irregular operations in the rear of the French Army, as part of Portuguese and Spanish militia forces. The LLL was disbanded on 4 May 1811, after being transferred to the Portuguese Army, with its units being transformed into the 7th, 8th and 9th battalions of ''

caçadores The Caçadores (hunters) were the elite light infantry troops of the Portuguese Army, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Units of ''Caçadores'' – with features somewhat different from the original ones – continued to exist in the P ...

''.

Organization

The Loyal Lusitanian Legion was organized as a regiment of

light infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...

, with an attached artillery battery. It included: # Regimental staff, LLL; # 1st Battalion, LLL; # 2nd Battalion, LLL; # Artillery corps, LLL. Each battalion included 1,000 men in 10 companies. The artillery corps was a battery with six field guns and 80 men. When the LLL was disbanded, the 1st battalion became the 7th ''Caçadores'' and the 2nd battalion the 8th ''Caçadores''. The 9th ''Caçadores'' was organized with the rest of the Legion's men.

Uniforms

As a light infantry unit, the Loyal Lusitanian Legion received green

uniform A uniform is a variety of costume worn by members of an organization while usually participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency serv ...

s similar to those of the British rifles regiments. Furthermore, green was the

livery A livery is an identifying design, such as a uniform, ornament, symbol, or insignia that designates ownership or affiliation, often found on an individual or vehicle. Livery often includes elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or ...

colour of the Portuguese Royal House of Braganza, to whom the Legion remained loyal.

References

*
''1º Batalhão da LLL'', Arqnet
*RODRIGUES, Manuel A. Ribeiro, ''Leal Legião Lusitana'' *CHARTRAND, René, YOUNGHUSBAND, Bill, ''The Portuguese Army of the Napoleonic Wars (2)'', Osprey, 2000 {{Authority control Military units and formations established in 1808 Military units and formations disestablished in 1811 Military units and formations of the Peninsular War British light infantry Portuguese Army