Military Tradition - in Europe

In Europe

In Europe, military tradition was a principle of the military that evolved out of the Middle Ages' concept of chivalry.

Within Europe, various military traditions developed. In England, military tradition was carried on in regimental lines, with each regiment tracing its own history back. Today with reforms in the British Army many believe that British military traditions are destroyed.

In Prussia and the German Empire, states relied on their own history as a state rather than as a regiment, while some specific regiments within elite formations did maintaining unit histories. For example, one regiment, the Potsdam Grenadiers, consisted of extremely tall men.

The French created the concept of Esprit de Corps, or pride in ones unit, within most elite or unique French units. North African units like the Zouaves, the Turcos, the French Foreign Legion, or even the Mamelukes which served in Napoleon Bonaparte's Imperial Guard developed distinctive styles of dress which developed this. Many of these distinctive styles were later adopted by the French Metropolitan Army during the nineteenth century.