page_title: Military tradition
section_title: In Europe
hierarchical_section_title: Military tradition / In Europe
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Un zouave
context_page_description: Military tradition is the practices associated with the military or soldiers such as the styles of military uniform, drill, or the music of a military unit.
context_section_description: In Europe, tradition was a principle of military culture that had evolved out of the Middle Ages' concept of chivalry. 
  Within Europe a wide variety of separate military traditions developed until at least World War I. Subsequently major political and social changes have tended to break-down the historical continuity that had been a source of military tradition in many armies.
  In Britain, military traditions developed primarily along regimental lines, taking the form of  long-established regimental customs, insignia, badges and distinctive features of uniform. Since the late 1960s, a series of regimental mergers and disbandments have diluted British military tradition, although it still remains strong in the Guards Division.
  In Prussia and the German Empire, states relied on their own history to maintain military traditions, although some specific regiments within elite formations did maintain distinctive customs and items of dress.  For example, one regiment, the Potsdam Grenadiers, consisted of extremely tall men. 
  The French created the concept of Esprit de Corps, or pride in ones unit, within most elite or uniquely French units. North African units like the Zouaves, the Turcos, the French Foreign Legion, or even the Mamelukes which served in Napoleon Bonaparte's Imperial Guard developed distinctive styles of dress which. Many of these distinctive styles were later adopted by the French Metropolitan Army during the nineteenth century.
caption: A French zouave from 1888 in the distinctive campaign uniform worn in North Africa. His trousers would normally be red.
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