I have a question regarding 18th Century European military uniforms: who the fuck decides the color of the uniform?
Like is it just dibs among the European countries? "HEY GUYS WE'RE WEARING RED. YOU GUYS FIND SOMETHING ELSE."
Like, the Brits are the only people in Europe who use red uniforms for their army.
Nicholas Barnes
>who the fuck decides the color of the uniform
I imagine that they would have a professional clothing designer come up with a few designs (or a contest involving multiple designers) and then the most senior general in the army would pick which design he likes best.
Jace Murphy
it usually had to do with the color's heraldric meanings. and the brittish were not the only ones to wear red, the swiss are a famous example that comes to mind.
Xavier Jenkins
Shitgland has been red since the middle ages Just like the French used to be blue until some faggot 17th century king changed for white (which was reverted back at the revolution)
Most countries had historical reasons for their colors
Ryder Mitchell
The 1800s Danes also wore red, 1700s Polish-Lithuanians also wore red, 1700s French and Austrian armies both wore white. Lots of countries prefered blue.
Typically the dyes were based on what was cheapest for each country. They might look like fancy uniforms today but for their time they were the cheaper option, at least cheaper that equipping everyone with armour. It was only much later that some countries became "set" on specific colours (Britain and France for example). Some elements of the French government refused to update the bright blue uniform colours at the onset of WW1 unil casualties started piling up, while the Brits learned Red was bad during the Boer War.
Ayden Phillips
Nope.jpg.
For most of Europe it was just a matter of acquiring dyes. But some had army
Jonathan Richardson
Everyone else pretty much explained it ITT so just post napoleonic era uniforms
Evan Morales
>mfw monarchist >mfw French revolutionary uniforms were sexy as fuck
William Kelly
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Christopher Murphy
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Juan Nelson
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David Rivera
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Nathan Green
Different regiments have different color, also uniforms match heraldic colors of the ruling dynasty.
Main question why green becomes the color of Russian army.
Justin Morgan
>he's using videogame screenshots as examples.
The absolute state.
England only began to use entirely red uniforms in the 1640s when it was brought as the cheapest dye by the New Model Army. Prior to that it had just been whatever clothes or equipment you turned up in or were given, with a red cross stitched on.
Jackson Collins
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Tyler Peterson
To match the field of battle, so when they're slaughtered and lying on the ground you don't notice the bodies as much.
Jason Russell
I'm sorry but 18th century British had objectively the bets uniforms.
Liam Nelson
Maybe, but the 19th century belongs to France!
Andrew Torres
Did the color of the uniforms have any psychological effect on the troops?
I might seem weird but I can speculate having dark blue uniforms (Prussian, American and to some extent French during the Revolution and Napoleon) might inspire a more martial and sober feel to them and express lack of emotion and coldness. Coincidentally these were extremely successful even against almost impossible odds.
British red uniform might express energy, excitement, aggression and "blood". Also quite successful.
The almost fully white uniform of the Habsburg Empire were probably the worst. White might express purity but doesn't seem that aggressive. Coincidentally Habsburg armies were defeated repeatably.
Matthew Howard
While it is true that colors are associated with emotions, dark being more disciplined, red meaning passion and white purity. But France also had white on their uniforms during their most dominant era, under the Sun King so your theory falls apart. Habsburgs are just average at war that's all.
Cameron Bennett
I suppose you're right.
Noah Morales
and 20th goes to Russia
Brayden Nelson
Absolutely agree
Jace Long
Actually King Richard the lionheart introduced this heraldic design for England and from then on until the end of the hundred years war, English knights wore it as surcoats
Anthony Barnes
>the American Revolution was won against impossible odds
Well memed
Easton Collins
And this is the dragon banner of Wessex, used by Wessex since the 7th century (see The Battle of Burford) and all of England from the 9th century until 1066.
Oliver Foster
This is actually more aesthetic
Jaxson Moore
Anglo-Saxon England was really aesthetic. They were basically civilised vikings
Aaron Young
Crommo's soldiers wore red and he was a loose cannon, not someone who could be reasoned with. He chose it because red dye is cheap. The Merry Monarch continued the military tradition because this army subjugated Scotland and Ireland, had the trappings of another great military "republic" with red uniforms of which he was now Caesar and was feared and respected cross Europe, it was also manned by a lot of nobles and aristocrats even before the restoration. So it was no problem for him to continue on with it.
So the bongs got red on the cusp of when national armies became a thing.
Noah Hughes
That statement is also genetically accurate as large swathes of England were Viking settlements, see: Danelaw The viking settlers were very peaceful and quickly adapted to Anglo-Saxon culture
Gabriel Bell
It's genetically accurate even before the Danelaw was established. The Saxons were Germanic, the Angles and Jutes were North Germanic, and they invaded the British Isles in the 5th century, genocided the Britons and converted to Christianity, becoming the Anglo-Saxons.
Jackson Peterson
And despite common belief, they came from Denmark mainly and not Germany. Where do Vikings come from? Anglos claiming they were vikings isn't even we wuzzing
Levi Miller
>Genocide the Britons
This is false, modern testing on the English shows that only about 30% of them are of Germanic origin. The Romans and Britons likely adopted Anglo-Saxon culture due to the way their society functioned. By adopting the culture they were accepted in to their society and their social position increased. You can see this in systems like Wergild, if the conquered people didn't want to be merely above slaves they needed to adopt their conquerors customs.