Belgian Veterans in Galicia: Materials from the Muster Roll of the 30th Walloon Line Infantry Regiment 'De Ligne'

1801 traditionally marks the end of the Walloon troops in Austrian service. Signed in February that year, the Peace of Luneville forced the Habsburg Monarchy to finally accept the loss of the southern Netherlands to France. Within a few months the bulk of the former military establishment of the now lost provinces was moved to Galicia where they were allocated with new permanent conscription districts. Netherlandish officers continued to serve in the Habsburg army in disproportionately large numbers until the end of the Napoleonic Wars. However, we are told that the regiments themselves lost their connection to their homeland, and that while the Walloon designation was formally retained as late as 1816, the former Netherlandish régiments nationaux were no longer seen as such. Indeed, extant published histories of the Walloon units cut off in 1801.

The current dataset shows that the collective presence of Walloons in the Austrian Army was, in fact, far from over. Drawing on the entire papers of the annual muster of 1803 of the 30th Line Infantry Regiment ‘De Ligne’, 431 individual entries have been collated. These comprise all Walloon members of the regiment, from its proprietor, the Prince De Ligne, up to the last private soldier. This group comprised almost one fifth of the regimental strength. Half were veterans of the Old Walloon establishment and dominated the upper ranks of both officers and NCOs. More significantly, for each of these ‘Old’ Walloons there was at least one ‘New’ Walloon. The latter derived from three sources. 

Firstly, sons of serving and former Walloon officers formed a dominant group among the subalterns.

Secondly, sons of Walloon veterans mustered from the regimental boys' school were over-represented among the junior NCOs, some of whom rose to become officers.

Finally, enlistment of men from the former Austrian Netherlands and other traditional recruitment areas of the Walloon troops was maintained. In spite of the possibility of raising foreign mercenaries more closely and more cheaply, the New Walloons comprised the majority of foreigners taken by the ‘De Ligne’ regiment after it had moved to Galicia.  

The dataset shows clearly that the regiment favoured recruits from the former Habsburg Netherlands, supplemented by other foreign French and Dutch speakers. At least during the immediate aftermath of its re-classification as a Galician unit, the 30th Line Infantry Regiment was actively trying to maintain its original composition and regimental identity.