page_title: King's German Legion
section_title: Legacy
hierarchical_section_title: King's German Legion / Legacy
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Einzug der King´s German Legion in Hannover 1816 (Mittelteil)
context_page_description: The King's German Legion was a British Army unit of mostly expatriated German personnel during the period 1803–16. The Legion achieved the distinction of being the only German force to fight without interruption against the French during the Napoleonic Wars.
  The Legion was formed within months of the dissolution of the Electorate of Hanover in 1803 and constituted as a mixed corps by the end of 1803. Although The Legion never fought autonomously and remained a part of the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars, it played a vital role in several campaigns, most notably the Walcheren Campaign, the Peninsular War, and the Hundred Days.
  The Legion was disbanded in 1816. Several of the units were incorporated into the army of the Kingdom of Hanover, and became later a part of the Imperial German Army after unification in 1871.
  The British German Legion, recruited for the Crimean War, is sometimes erroneously referred to as the "King's German Legion".
context_section_description: The Legion was known for its excellent discipline and fighting ability. The cavalry was reputed to be among the best in the British army. According to the historian Alessandro Barbero, the King's German Legion "had such a high degree of professionalism that it was considered equal in every way to the best British units."  After the victory at Waterloo, the Electorate of Hanover was re-founded as the Kingdom of Hanover. However, the army of Hanover had been reconstituted even before the final battle, so that there were two Hanoverian armies in existence. In 1816 the Legion was dissolved and some officers and men were integrated into the new Hanoverian army.
caption: Return of the KGL to Hanover by Ernst Hildebrand
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