Régiment Royal des Vaisseaux

The Régiment Royal des Vaisseaux was an infantry regiment of the Kingdom of France created in 1638.

Lineage

 * March 13, 1638 : creation of Régiment des Vaisseaux
 * February 3, 1640 : Régiment des Vaisseaux-Richelieu
 * March 10, 1644: Régiment des Vaisseaux-Mazarin
 * June 25, 1650 : Régiment des Vaisseaux-Candale
 * April 11, 1658: Régiment des Vaisseaux-Mazarin
 * March 15, 1661: Régiment des Vaisseaux-Provence
 * September 20, 1669 : designated again as Régiment Royal des Vaisseaux (alias Royal-Vaisseaux)
 * January 1, 1791 : designated as 43rd Line Infantry Regiment
 * April 16, 1794 : the 1st battalion was reformed by incorporation to the 85th Battle Demi-Brigade (85e demi-brigade de bataille) during the formation of the demi-brigade.
 * 1794 : reformation, the 2nd battalion being incorporated to the 86th Battle Demi-Brigade (86e demi-brigade de bataille) during the formation of the demi-brigade.

Equipment
9 regimental colors out of which 1 "white" Colonel and 8 of Ordinance «, yellow, green, red and black by opposition, & white cross filled with golden Fleur-de-lis and a golden ship in the middle of each cross ».

Colonels & mestres de camp

 * March 13, 1638 : Henri d’Escoubleau de Sourdis, † 18 juin 1645
 * February 3, 1640 : Armand-Jean du Plessis, cardinal de Richelieu, † 4 décembre 1642
 * March 10, 1644 : Jules, cardinal de Mazarin, † 9 mars 1661
 * June 25, 1650 : Louis-Charles de Nogaret de Foix, duc de Candale, † 1658
 * March 15, 1661 : Louis de Vendôme, duc de Mercœur then duc de Vendôme en 1665, commandant of the Army of Provence (Armée de Provence) on April 8, 1652, commandant of the Army of Lombardie (armée de Lombardie) on April 26, 1656, † August 6, 1669
 * September 20, 1667 : Alexandre Le Bret
 * March 29, 1679 : Louis Potier de Gesvres, marquis de Gandelus, born November 19, 1660, brigadier on August 27, 1688, † April 18, 1689
 * April 24, 1689 : Louis, comte de Mailly, brigadier on 25 avril 1691, mestre de camp général of dragons on April 29, 1692, maréchal de camp on March 30, 1693, † April 6, 1699 (aged 37 years 5 months)
 * April 29, 1692 : René, marquis de Nevet
 * June 16, 1699 : Hyacinthe de Montvalat, chevalier d’Entragues
 * March 1, 1702 : Isaac Charles de La Rochefoucaud, count de Montendre, brigadier on January 29, 1702, † August 15, 1702
 * August 27, 1702 : Louis de Régnier, marquis de Guerchy, baptized on May 18, 1663, brigadier on January 29, 1702, maréchal de camp on October 26, 1704, Lieutenant général of the Armies of the King (lieutenant général des armées du roi) on March 29, 1710, † February 13, 1748
 * June 14, 1705 : Thomas Le Gendre de Collandre, brigadier on March 29, 1710, maréchal de camp on February 1, 1719, † May 1, 1738 (65 years of age)
 * March 6, 1719 : Pierre Aimé de Guiffrey, chevalier then comte de Marcieu, brigadier of infantry on April 3, 1721, maréchal de camp on August 1, 1734, Lieutenant général of the Armies of the King (lieutenant général des armées du roi) on February 20, 1743
 * November 25, 1734 : Claude Louis François de Régnier, comte de Guerchy, born August 1, 1715, brigadier on February 20, 1743, maréchal de camp on June 1, 1745, Lieutenant général of the Armies of the King (lieutenant général des armées du roi) on March 10, 1748
 * May 26, 1745 : Jean-Baptiste Charles Hubert d’Esparbès de Lussan, chevalier d’Aubeterre
 * February 21, 1746 : Louis Henri d’Esparbès de Lussan, comte d’Aubeterre-La-Serre
 * August 7, 1747 : François Emery de Durfort, comte de Civrac, brigadier on May 1758, declared maréchal de camp on November 1761 while brevetted on February 20
 * November 30, 1761 : Anne Pierre, marquis de Montesquiou, born October 17, 1739, † December 30, 1798
 * July 28, 1773 : Charles Pierre Hyacinthe, comte d’Ossun
 * March 10, 1788 : Frédéric Séraphin de La Tour du Pin-Paulin, marquis de Gouvernet
 * October 21, 1791 : Joseph Marie Rogon de Kerkaradec
 * May 16, 1792 : Anselme de Sicard
 * September 4, 1792 : François Vergès

Campaign and battles
The 1st battalion participated to the campaigns from 1792 to 1794 with the Army of the North (France) (armée du Nord), the 2nd battalion within the same years with the Army of the Ardennes (armée des Ardennes).
 * 1638 : baptize of fire on August 22 during the naval battle of Gattari, then during the siege of the battle of Fontarrabie (Bataille de Fontarrabie).
 * June 8, 1640 : naval combat against the fleet of Philip IV of Spain.
 * 1641 : apprehension of Elne
 * 1701 : War of the Spanish Succession (Guerre de Succession d'Espagne) : campaign in Italy : Battle of Chiari (Bataille de Chiari), Battle of Cremona (1702) (Bataille de Crémone (1702))
 * 1710 to 1712 : War of the Spanish Succession in Flandre : Battle of Denain (bataille de Denain), siege of Le Quesnoy
 * 1713 : War of the Spanish Succession in Germany : battle of Landau in der Pfalz
 * 43rd Line Infantry Regiment

Sources and bibliographies

 * Chronologie historique-militaire, par M. Pinard, tomes 1, 4, 5, 6, 7 et 8, Paris 1760, 1761, 1762, 1763, 1764 et 1768
 * Oscar de Poli, Un Régiment d'autrefois, Royal-Vaisseaux (1638-1792), Conseil héraldique de France (Paris), year 1885, total pages 234