First appperance of Tricorns in military dress?

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The Rabblerouser
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First appperance of Tricorns in military dress?

Post by The Rabblerouser » Tue Dec 26, 2017 12:34 pm

It seems that in most models the hats serve as the main distinguishing feature in separating Augsburg era troops to Succession era troops. From what what I have seen in the Osprey panels by Francis Back, Tricorns seem to have been worn in the latter stages of the Nine Years war. Does this mean that all nations had adopted this headgear or did it happen properly in the 1700s?

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Re: First appperance of Tricorns in military dress?

Post by Gunfreak » Tue Dec 26, 2017 11:04 pm

The tricorne didn't exist until January 1. 1700. When Lord headovash (god of headgear) revealed himself to Louis XIV and presented the tricorne, by January 3rd every single soldier in Europe and North America used the tricorne.

However one flaw in this highly realistic and very true story is that at least the Saxons were known to use the round hat until at least 1705.
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Re: First appperance of Tricorns in military dress?

Post by barr7430 » Tue Dec 26, 2017 11:23 pm

Some plates show Bavarians in tricornes as early as 1685ish. This is an old chestnut question that haunts the halls of the period. The pinning is just that, brim pinned up. Not very robust and probably the fashion of one, two or three
sides was tried variously down the years. The formal tricornes would not have been a feature of most armies until well into the 1700s. It has caused a few fall outs over the years too :roll:
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Re: First appperance of Tricorns in military dress?

Post by Friedrich August I. » Wed Dec 27, 2017 6:21 am

This question seems to appear in our forum on an annual basis :D
The last time was in February this Year!

As I pointed out within the "last time" the Royal Courts of France dictated the fashion of Europe. The Elite Class looked towards the French for the latest fashion and started to invent dresses into their own courts. You can therefor assume that all notable changes in terms of head dress and clothes had first appeared in France.

A neat little book that sneaked into my library about 30 Years ago, called "Casques et Coiffures Militaires Francais" printed 1981 notes that the official entry in the French Army was in 1690 but several years earlier in the Royal Court of "la Roi Soleil".
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Re: First appperance of Tricorns in military dress?

Post by The Rabblerouser » Wed Dec 27, 2017 10:19 am

barr7430 wrote:Some plates show Bavarians in tricornes as early as 1685ish. This is an old chestnut question that haunts the halls of the period. The pinning is just that, brim pinned up. Not very robust and probably the fashion of one, two or three
sides was tried variously down
Interesting, I have often seen on some people's infantry units of brimmed hat Augsburg chaps, the occasional Tricorn wearing marlburian? Could be representing a pinned up hat as you say though.
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Re: First appperance of Tricorns in military dress?

Post by j1mwallace » Wed Dec 27, 2017 11:39 am

Everyone knows . 23.59 December 31st 1699. Floppy shapeless hats
0.01 January 1st 1700 . De rigeur , and everyone took the piss if you didnt have a fully formed tricorne !!
The intervening 2 minutes were spent folding up you hat !
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Re: First appperance of Tricorns in military dress?

Post by The Rabblerouser » Thu Dec 28, 2017 12:16 am

Looking at Barry's danish battalions in the gallery, it might not be out of place to have tricot not wearing troops in Ireland and elsewhere.
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Re: First appperance of Tricorns in military dress?

Post by TheRightfulKing2013 » Fri Jan 05, 2018 3:03 pm

In "Louis XIVs army" by Osprey there are engravings from the NYW period with soldiers wearing tricorne, The plates show soldiers in the 1690s wearing them. Army of the Blue King also mentions the introduction of tricornes in Bavaria I think in the 1683 regulations. However I saw a painting from the WSS of Bavarians wearing the broad brimmed hat. For the Spanish I think it was during the WSS but not immediately. Some Austrian unifirms in the Vinhuizen collection have tricornes in the 1690s. In "Danish army 1699-1720" by Torstein Snorrason it says that in the Masius engraving of1703 the Hestgarden wear tricorne hats.
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