Military History | First Carlist War
First Carlist War Painting Guide: Cristino Cavalry

Posted 21 Feb 2001

This is the painting guide for the Spanish government cavalry of the First Carlist War. It covers:

Line Cavalry

Both Line and Light Cavalry changed their uniform in 1835, including converting to lancers (Cairns,1994b).

Item 1824-34 1835-40
Weapon Sword and Carbine

Lance
Red over Yellow pennon
Helmet Body Black at bottom including visor.
Steal top.

Black visor and top.
Steal band at bottom.

Helmet Comb Brass
Helmet Cord Yellow
Helmet Horsehair Black
Helmet Plume Red -
Jacket Turquí * Yellow *
Jacket collar & cuffs Red Blue
Jacket facing & pipings Red Blue
Jacket shoulder adornments Brass shoulder plates
Overalls Turquí Grey
Gloves White -
Boots Black
Equipment White with Brass fittings
Other metal White
Cloak Grey
Horse furniture Turquí edge white Sky blue edged yellow
Sheepskin White
Trumpeters Wore red jackets

* Based on the illustrations below I have a suspicion that 1st Rey wore a red jacket throughout the period.

1824-34 Uniform
Cairns (1994b) Fig. 9

1824-34 Uniform
The original uniform was Turquí

1824-34 Uniform
3rd Principe

1835-40 Uniform
Cairns (1994b) Fig. 11. The 1835 change brought a new uniform and new helmet

1835-40 Uniform
It also brought a new weapon - the lance with Red over Yellow pennon

1835-40 Uniform
2nd Reina

1835-40 Uniform
This guy looks like he has light blue trousers, but the other illustrations show the trousers in grey, which agrees with Cairns (1994b)

NYPL says 1835-40 Uniform but actually 1841
The helmet looks more that of the Guard Cazadores, as the horsehair forms a crest rising over the top rather than falling away behind. Thanks to Nuno Pereiro for pointing out the correct date (1841).

These following pictures are all of the 1st (Rey) Line Cavalry regiment, but all from outside our period. There is something interesting about them though: 1. they are consistent, despite being both before and after our period; 2. The regiment is obviously a cuirassier unit; 3. the uniform is different to that worn by other line regiments, in that they are wearing a red jacket. I have a suspicion 1st Rey would have been the same during our period.

1st Rey 1815

1st Rey 1824-2

1st Rey 1844

Light Cavalry (except Husares de la Princesa)

Both Line and Light Cavalry changed their uniform in 1835, including converting to lancers (Cairns,1994b).

Item 1824-34 1835-40
Weapon Sword and Carbine

Lance
Red over Yellow pennon
Shako Black edged White with red plume Black edged White, with mid green pompom
Jacket Mid Blue Mid Green
Jacket collar & cuffs Red Mid green
Jacket facing & pipings Red Yellow
Jacket shoulder adornments Brass shoulder plates
Overalls Mid Blue Red
Equipment White with Brass fittings
Other metal White
Cloak Grey
Pennon - Red over yellow
Horse furniture Sky blue edged red Green edged yellow
Sheepskin Black edged red
Trumpeters Wore red jackets

1824-34 Uniform
Cairns (1994b) Fig. 8.

1824-34 Uniform
Regiment of Santiago
This regiment didn't last to the First Carlist War, but the uniform did. Cairns has the blue of uniform slightly brighter than the blue-grey shown here.

1824-34 Uniform
Cairns (1994b) has the jacket and overalls in the same shade (that of the jacket in this case), but this picture has the overalls in Turquí.

1835-40 Uniform
Cairns (1994b) Fig. 10. In 1835 the uniform changed completely, moving to a mid-green and red combination.

1835-40 Uniform

1835-40 Uniform
The Light Cavalry also converted to lancers at the same time

1835-40 Uniform
Given the Carbine this guy is obviously from the Tiradores company of the regiment rather than a lancer company

Princess Hussars (Húsares de la Princesa)

The Princess Hussars (Húsares de la Princesa) had a different uniform to the other Light Cavalry, and this also changed during the course of the war (Cairns, 1994b). The hussar uniform started out with a sky-blue jacket, was replaced in 1838 by red lancer coatees (ex-British?) and czapskas, then reverting to sky-blue jackets again in 1839. I'm guess the 1833 and 1839 uniforms were essentially the same.

Item 1833-34 1835-37 1838 1839-40
Weapon

Sword and Carbine

Lance
Red, yellow, red pennon

Lance
Red, yellow, red pennon

Lance
Red, yellow, red pennon
Head gear - style Shako Czapskas Wide-topped Shako
Head gear - colour White with blue plume Unknown, but probably black with a red stop like the Guard Lancers Unknown, but probably white like the first Shako
Jacket

Sky blue dolman edged white

White pelisse with black fur, yellow lace,

A red and yellow barrel sash

 Red lancer coatees faced white Sky-blue jackets, faced white

The White pelisse was still in use in 1859, so was probably readopted in this period.

Overalls Sky blue with yellow stripe Unknown Sky blue with yellow stripe
Equipment White with Brass fittings Unknown White with Brass fittings
Other metal White Unknown White
Cloak White Unknown White
Horse furniture Sky blue edged yellow Unknown Sky blue edged yellow
Sheepskin None Unknown None
Trumpeters

Reversed colours. Dolman = White. Pelisse = Sky Blue. Red lace.

Sky blue shakos

Unknown

Reversed colours. Dolman = White. Pelisse = Sky Blue. Red lace.

Sky blue shakos

Note

  • The dolman was a jacket worn tight to the body.
  • The fur-edged pelisse was worn either slung over the left shoulder (historically to protect the bridle arm) in full dress, or worn over, or instead of, the dolman on campaign

1833-37 Uniform
He is wearing the white pelisse as a jacket

1833-37 Uniform
He is wearing the sky blue dolman, with the white pelisse hanging loose at the shoulder

1833-37 Uniform
Also showing dolman and pelisse

1833-37 Uniform
Trumpeter
Notice that the colours of the dolman and pelisse are reversed, and he has a blue shako

Guard Cavalry

Cairns (1994b) says the Guard uniforms were quite complicated and doesn't describe them in much detail.

Item Coraceros Granaderos Lanceros Cazadores
Weapon Sword Sword Lance
Red over White pennon 		Carbine
Head gear - style

Cairns (1994b) says Helmet as pre-1835 Line Cavalry, i.e. black at bottom including visor. Steal Top. Brass Comb. Yellow Cord. Black horsehair falling away. Red Plume.

The illustration had the horsehair rising over the top and a white plume.

Black Bearskin

Illustrations add a white plume.

Czapska

Red top with White metal (??)

To 1834: Tall iron helmet with brass fittings and a high brass comb carrying a horsehair tail

From 1835: Black Shako with a white top band and plume, yellow cords and white cap-lines.

Jacket Turquí
Jacket collar & cuffs Red with white lace Red
Jacket facing & pipings Red
Jacket shoulder adornments White epaulettes
Overalls

Cairns (1994b) says Deep Red (Garance) for all.
Illustrations show red, white, Turquí and light blue but these colours may not have been used on campaign. Cairns, for example, gives the Grenadier foot guards white trousers for the dress uniform but red on campaign.

Boots Black
Equipment White with Brass fittings
Other metal White
Cloak Turquí, lined red with red collar
Horse furniture Turquí edged white
Sheepskin Black edged red White edged red Black edged red White edged red
Trumpeters I know know, but probably had the Turquí and red of the jacket reversed.

The illustrations look like Dress Uniforms, but in the absence of something else they are indicative:

Coraceros, 1824
Cairns (1994b) says the overalls were Deep Red (Garance) but as you can see this guy has white

Granaderos a Caballo, 1824
Same issue about white overalls

Granaderos a Caballo, 1831
Same white overalls. Also this guy doesn't appear to have a sheepskin saddle cover

Cazadores, 1830
1824-34 Uniform
NYPL says he's a guardsman of 1830. The uniform matches the description of Cazadores in the early period, although the trousers are Turqui here rather than Deep Red (Garance) as Cairns (1994b) suggests. Also no sheepskin saddle cover

Cazadores, 1824
1824-34 Uniform
Ditto, although 1824. He is in Full Dress.

Cazadores, 1824
1824-34 Uniform
Ditto. He is in walking out dress

Cazadores, 1834
1835-40 Uniform
NYPL describes this guy as Light Cavalry (Caballo Ligero) of the Guard. He is almost certainly a Cazador, now in the later uniform. He differs from Cairns (1994b) in having light blue overalls and plume, and no sheepskin saddle cover

Cazadores, 1824 ??
1835-40 Uniform
NYPLA calls him a Cazador of 1824, but this guy actually exactly matches the 1835 uniform (Cairns, 1994b), including correct overalls, sheepskin, shako and plume

Lanceros, 1824
Unusually this guy matches Cairns (1994b) exactly - even has the red overalls. . Notice the Red over White pennon, which differed from that of the line

References

Cairns, C. (1994b, November). A Savage and Romantic War: Spain 1833-1840. Part II: The Cristino forces. Wargames Illustrated, 86, 36-46.

New York Public Library (NYPL): The Vinkhuijzen collection of military uniforms