His Majesty's Life Guards Hussar Regiment (until 1855 – the Hussar Life Guards Regiment) was a Guards Hussar regiment of the Army of the Russian Empire.
Regimental St.George flag (later version that was granted in 1875; on February 19, 1875 Order St. Andrew’s ribbon with inscriptions was additionally granted).
At the end of 1774, Empress Catherine II ordered Prince Grigory Potemkin to form a hussar squadron of 130 people and two Cossack escort teams for service under Her Majesty; the squadron was named Leib Gusarsky, and the Cossack teams: one – Donskoy, the other – Chuguevskaya, and ordered to be at the highest court. In April 1775, the squadron was made up of Black (64 people), Yellow (25 people), Serbian (20 people), Moldavian (25 people), Wallachian (11 people) and Hungarian (two people) hussar regiments and was replenished with volunteers from the nobles, the best men of the army regiments and foreigners of beautiful appearance and tall stature. The contingent had to be made up of the best appearance and "living creatures", as well as honest and sober people. Throughout the reign of Catherine II, the squadron and escort teams carried the protection of Her Majesty.
On November 18, 1796, from the Life Hussar Squadron, the Cossack escort teams and the Hussar regiment and the Cossack squadron that were part of the Gatchina troops, a Consolidated Life Hussar Cossack Regiment was formed with the rights and advantages of the old guard. The regiment had 2 hussars and 2 cossack squadrons. On April 15, 1797, the 3rd Hussar Squadron was formed. On January 24, 1798, the Life Hussar Cossack Regiment was divided into 2 regiments: the hussar squadrons made up the Life Guards Hussar Regiment, and the Cossack ones – the Life Guards Cossack Regiment. On September 9, 1798, the Life Guards Hussar Regiment was reorganized into 2 battalions of 5 squadrons.
Upon the accession to the throne of Emperor Alexander I, the regiment was reorganized on December 29, 1802 into 5 squadrons and occupied the barracks in Krasnoe Selo and Pavlovsk. On January 6, 1813, the regiment was reorganized into 6 active and 1 reserve squadrons. Upon returning to Russia from a foreign campaign in 1814, the Life Hussars settled in Tsarskoe Selo, and the reserve squadron was abolished. On April 22, 1818, Grand Duke Alexander Nikolaevich (later Emperor Alexander II) was appointed chief of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment.
On April 6, 1836, the 7th Reserve Squadron was formed from the indefinite vacation of the lower ranks, and on January 25, 1842, it was ordered to have a frame for the 8th Reserve Squadron. In 1848, the 7th Reserve Squadron was named and the 8th Reserve Squadron was formed.
On February 19, 1855, on the occasion of the accession to the throne of Emperor Alexander II, who had been the chief of the regiment since 1818, the regiment was ordered to be called His Majesty's Life Guards Hussar Regiment. In 1856, His Majesty's Life Guards Hussar Regiment was assigned to 4 active and 1 reserve squadrons. On July 27, 1875, the reserve squadron was renamed.
During the reign of Emperor Alexander III, on August 6, 1883, the regiment was transferred to the 6–squadron, and the reserve squadron was reorganized into the Cadre Department of the Guards Cavalry Reserve.
On March 4, 1917, the regiment was renamed the Life Guards Hussar Regiment, and on May 8, 1918 it was disbanded.
During the Civil War, the regiment was revived in the Armed Forces of the South of Russia. Initially, the squadron of the regiment was part of the Consolidated Mountain Division. From December 30, 1919, the platoon and squadron of the regiment was included in the Consolidated Cavalry Brigade, from the beginning of January 1920 – in the Consolidated Guards Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Cavalry Division, and upon arrival in the Crimea from April 16, 1920, the Life Hussars formed a platoon of the Guards Cavalry Brigade. In the White movement, the regiment lost 10 officers (two were shot, 7 killed and one died of disease).
In emigration, in France, a regimental association was created, which was part of the Russian General Military Union not directly, but only as a member of the Guards Association. In 1949–1951, the association numbered 26 people (including 18 in Paris and two in the United States), in 1958 – 21 people (including 13 in Paris), by 1962 – less than 10 people. Major General Dmitry Levshin and Major General Georgy Shevich were the chairmen of the association of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment.
