View source for Hanseatic Legion

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{no citations|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name= Hanseatic Legion<br/>''Hanseatische Legion''
|image= [[File:Knötel I, 10.jpg|200px|Image of military unit]]
|caption=''Hanseaten''. Hamburg contingent of the Hanseatic Legion and [[Hamburg Citizen Militia|Hamburger Bürgermilitär]]. 1813–14
|dates= {{start date|df=yes|1813}}–1815
|country= Bremen, Hamburg and Lübeck
|allegiance=
|type= 
|role= 
|size= 
|nickname=''Hanseaten''
|battles= [[Battle of the Göhrde]]<br/>in the [[Napoleonic Wars]]
|disbanded=
|notable_commanders=[[Karl August Friedrich von Witzleben]]<br/>[[Neil Campbell (British Army officer)|Sir Neil Campbell]]
}}
{{Campaignbox Sixth Coalition}}

The '''Hanseatic Legion''' was a military unit, first formed of a group of citizens from [[Hamburg]]. They had met in 1813 on the instigation of General [[Friedrich Karl von Tettenborn]], in order to fight in the [[War of the Sixth Coalition]]. This association of volunteers was joined immediately by volunteers from Hamburg's [[Hanseaten (class)|Hanseatic sister cities]] [[Bremen]] and [[Lübeck]].

The Legion should not be confused with the ''[[Hamburg Citizen Militia|Hamburger Bürgermilitär]]'' (Hamburg Citizen Militia). During their time of coexistence, the militia restricted itself to ejecting the French garrisons stationed in Hamburg and the other two [[Hanseatic League|Hanseatic cities]], whereas the ''Legion'' also participated in the rest of the campaign under Russian overall command.

== History ==
{{Main|History of Hamburg}}
The Legion defended the Hanseatic cities against [[Louis-Nicolas Davout|Davout]]'s and [[Dominique Vandamme|Vandamme]]'s troops until Tettenborn completed the raising of their sieges in the night of 29/30 May 1813. The Legion and the Hanseatischen Bürgergarden went with [[Friedrich Karl von Tettenborn|Count Tettenborn]] and in [[Mecklenburg]] joined the Allied northern army under [[Ludwig von Wallmoden-Gimborn|Wallmoden]]'s command, later taking part in the fighting in the area around Mecklenburg and in parts of the [[Duchy of Schleswig]].

The members of the Legion returned to Bremen, Hamburg and Lübeck on 30 June 1814, and all received the "Kriegsdenkmedaille der drei Hansestädte" (War-Medal of the three Hanseatic-League cities) in 1815.

== See also ==
* [[Bouches-de-l'Elbe]]

== Sources ==
{{commons}}
*Perthes: W. Perthes Leben. Bd. 1 Gotha (1892) 
*Heilwig Prosch: Die Hanseatische Legion 1815 nach Senatsakten und Familienbriefen. In: Der Wagen 1960, S. 66–77. 
*[http://www.napoleon-online.de/html/hanse.html Uniforms of the Legion]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Hanseatic Cities]]
[[Category:German military units and formations of the Napoleonic Wars]]
[[Category:19th century in Bremen]]
[[Category:19th century in Hamburg]]
[[Category:Military history of Lübeck]]
[[Category:Military of Hamburg]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1813]]
[[Category:1813 establishments in the Confederation of the Rhine]]
[[Category:Military history of Bremen (city)]]


{{Germany-mil-unit-stub}}
{{Germany-hist-stub}}