Greek Army Uniforms - Early 19th Century - Greek War of Independence

Greek War of Independence

The army that fought the Greek Revolution was composed primarily of irregulars, who followed their own military leaders or "captains", and had no uniform code of dress. The first uniformed Greek unit however was the short-lived Sacred Band formed by Alexander Ypsilantis in the Danubian Principalities. Its uniform was black, inspired by Russian models and the uniforms of Brunswick, including the death's head emblem on the men's visorless shakos.

In Greece itself, uniforms of West European cut and black colour arrived in 1822, and were meant to be used by the newly established "Regular Corps". The Greeks however largely preferred their native garb, and only in 1825, when French Colonel Charles Fabvier assumed command of the regular forces, did a uniform, imported from Britain, begin to be used. It consisted of a blue coat, grey trousers (identical to those of the British Army), white leather equipment and a black leather, classically-looking helmet. In 1828, Governor Ioannis Kapodistrias supplied the reorganised army with French-style uniforms, and issued a standardised version of the traditional dress for the irregular forces. His reforms however faltered after his assassination, and by 1832, for all intents and purposes, the regular Greek Army was non-existent.