page_title: National Cavalry
hierarchical_section_title: National Cavalry
context_page_description: The National cavalry was a branch of Polish–Lithuanian cavalry in the Polish-Lithuanian armed forces in the last quarter of the 18th century. Formed as a merger of previously-existing units of Polish Hussars and pancerni that were still in service after the Confederation of Bar. In 1777 the Sejm new regulations converted all units of heavy cavalry and medium cavalry and reformed them into a line cavalry, roughly similar to later uhlans popular in Europe in the 19th century. Existing dragoon and Front or Vanguard Regiments were outside this reform The National Cavalry had a very short history of 20 years, and some units stationed in the eastern Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth were forcibly incorporated into the Russian cavalry following the Second Partition of Poland, and the remainder was disbanded together with the rest of Polish–Lithuanian armed forces after the final partition in 1795. The Sejm's 1777 decision was a rather late effort to modernize Polish–Lithuanian cavalry, along with the much earlier trend of evolution of European cavalry towards the more modern organization of the cavalry regiments into more mobile formations.
context_section_description: The National cavalry (Polish: Kawaleria narodowa) was a branch of Polish–Lithuanian cavalry in the Polish-Lithuanian armed forces in the last quarter of the 18th century. Formed as a merger of previously-existing units of Polish Hussars and pancerni that were still in service after the Confederation of Bar. In 1777 the Sejm new regulations converted all units of heavy cavalry and medium cavalry and reformed them into a line cavalry, roughly similar to later uhlans popular in Europe in the 19th century. Existing dragoon and Front or Vanguard Regiments were outside this reform The National Cavalry had a very short history of 20 years, and some units stationed in the eastern Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth were forcibly incorporated into the Russian cavalry following the Second Partition of Poland, and the remainder was disbanded together with the rest of Polish–Lithuanian armed forces after the final partition in 1795. The Sejm's 1777 decision was a rather late effort to modernize Polish–Lithuanian cavalry, along with the much earlier trend of evolution of European cavalry towards the more modern organization of the cavalry regiments into more mobile formations. The most modern part of the reform was the establishment of some very modern battle dress uniforms for these cavalrymen, and in turn, this uniform of the National Cavalry inspired numerous similar uniforms and employment of 'Polish lance' in the rest of  Europe, notably the Austrian, Prussian, Russian cavalry, and later of the  French cavalry of the Napoleonic Wars.
caption: Companion of the 1st, Greater Poland, Brigade of National Cavalry in the uniform introduced in 1790
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