Cadet Corps

Cadet Corps is a type of a military school for young boys. Although initially such military schools admitted only children of the nobles or gentry, with time many of them were also opened to other classes.

The original French Corps of Cadets was formed by king Louis XIII for younger sons of gentry from the region of Gascony (dubbed cadets, hence the name). The idea of a school for young boys who would later serve in the army soon spread around Europe and similar schools were soon formed in other countries.

Among the notable schools of the cadet corps type were those created by Frederick William I, Elector of Brandenburg in Kolberg, Liegnitz (1730), Berlin and Magdeburg. Similar school was established in 1725 in Dresden, Saxony, in Russian Empire (Cadet Corps (Russia); 1732) and in Poland (Corps of Cadets (Warsaw); 1765).