History
The Austrian Knot evolved as an indicator of rank among officers of the Austro-Hungarian army in the 18th century. Epaulettes were widely perceived amongst the government in Vienna as a foreign influence (due to their French origin) and thus not acceptable for the Austrian armies. Ranks came to be denoted by braided gold cords on the sleeve, with the number of gold cords representing the rank of the officer. Austrian knots did not gain popularity among other European nations until the last decades of the nineteenth century, when many colonial officers began wearing them (including British infantry officers of the Anglo-Zulu Wars). Along with most other elaborate and conspicuous indicators of rank, Austrian knots fell into disuse during the First World War and were not revived in everyday wear. French officers of North African regiments such as the Zouaves and the Algerian Tirailleurs continued however to wear Austrian knots in gold braid on their colourful full dress uniforms until 1939.
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