A “1815” Empire flag of the 10th Regiment of cuirassiers, circa 1815

Osenat, Fontainebleau, Collection Napoléonienne du Palais princier de Monaco, 15 November 2004, Lot 208

P. Charrie, Drapeaux et étendards de la Révolution et de l'Empire, Paris, 1982, p. 218

Related literature :

J. Regnault, Les aigles impériales 1804-1815, Lagrave, 1967

Our flag stands at the intersection of two traditions: the first, from the Ancien Régime, assigns an emblem to each military unit; the second marks the creation of the tricolor flag on February 15, 1795, under the guidance of Jacques-Louis David.

When Napoleon is proclaimed Emperor by the French Senate, the question arises of selecting emblems and symbols for the imperial regime. The Emperor personally chooses the eagle to adorn the top of his flags’ and standards’ staffs, designed by Jean-Baptiste Isabey. Unlike the Ancien Régime or the Revolution, the imperial eagle now holds as much significance as the flag’s silk.

The motif on the silk is standardized, distinguished only by gold cannetille and cabochon inscriptions. A first flag model appears in 1804, featuring a central white lozenge bordered by a laurel leaf frieze, with alternating red and blue corners. An example of this model is recently sold at Artcurial Paris, also from the Collections of the Napoleonic Museum of Monaco (Artcurial Paris, 1st April 2025, lot 88).

In 1811, during a review of his regiments in Holland, Napoleon issues new instructions for his army’s emblems: “[…] seront brodés, d’un côté, les noms de batailles où se sont trouvés les régiments, sur le revers sera écrit : l’Empereur Napoléon à tel régiment.”

The decree of December 25, 1811, confirms the retention of the national blue, white, and red colors, but the vertical arrangement is adopted on February 9, 1812, following a proposal by Commissary-Organizer Barnier.

The Russian campaign leads to the loss of many imperial army regiments, along with their eagles and standards. A new distribution of emblems takes place in June 1813, adhering to the 1812 model. A magnificent example from the Foot Grenadiers, its border adorned with imperial crowns, eagles, and wreaths of oak and laurel, is preserved at the Musée de l’Armée.

Following Napoleon’s first abdication, the provisional government orders the removal of imperial emblems on April 4, 1814, requiring regiments to send eagles, flags, and standards to Paris for destruction.

Yet the Hundred Days mark a final resurgence, and on April 9, the Emperor announces the distribution of new eagles and silks to his regiments. Due to the urgency, these new emblems, known as the 1815 model (including ours), are less ornate than the two previous designs: they retain the three vertical tricolor stripes but feature as their sole decoration a gold garland of laurel leaves and branches embroidered around the flag’s border, framed by a thin gold braid. On the reverse, the names of key battles in which the 10th Cuirassier Regiment distinguished itself are embroidered: Ulm (1805), Austerlitz (1805), Jena (1806), Eylau (1807), Eckmühl (1809), Essling (1809), and Wagram (1809). Its final act under the Empire occurs on June 18 during the Battle of Waterloo.

A similar 1815 model from the 5th Dragoon Regiment is preserved at the Musée de l’Armée.