Great Prince's Own Royal Thračician Foot Guard

Great Prince's Own Royal Thračician Foot Guard
Peletons d'Elite Tharchicien della Gran Prince
Thračicians on Parade under the review of Teniente Propietare Đureković
Founded	1623
Country	Burgundie
Type	Royal guard, light infantry
Size	1,254
Part of	Army of Burgundie
Colors	red and black sang et suie blood and soot
Commanders
Propietare (COL) (Honorary)	Pasqual I
Teniente Propietare (LT COL) (Operational commander)	Dalibor Đureković
Insignia
Guidon of the Great Prince's Own Royal Thračician Foot Guard	Guidon Great Prince's Own Royal Thrachician Foot Guard.png

The Great Prince's Own Royal Thračician‎ Foot Guard is an ethnic Thračician‎ Guard demi-regiment in the direct service of the Great Prince of Burgundie. The Guard is a non-mechanized infantry demi-regiment tasked with the protection of the Great Prince, his family and possessions. It is one of the only permanent and active military unit in the Burgoignesc Metropole.

History

Origin

The Guard originates from 1623 when Terentius, Archduke of the Sydonas pledged an honor regiment of 1,000 men to Fransois I, Duke of Bourgondi, as a dowery for his daughter's hand in marriage. This regiment was named "The Sydonian Band of Royal Footmen" (Burg: la Bande Sydonaise Peleton Real). For the first 60 years, these men were originally uniformed, trained, and used as standard Pike and shot infantry. In 1684 a new commander came from Sydona, Ljubomir Ivanišević, who wanted to make the unit more Thračician in its uniform and traditions. Under his command the unit adopted the uniform and tactics of the Thračicians of Sydona once again and they began to distinquish themselves. In a brilliant publicity move, he recommended to Duke Louis I that la Bande Sydonaise Peleton Real travel around the Holy Levantine Empire to showcase not only their skill about also their foreignness, as a demonstration of the Duchy of Bourgondi's global reach. This was a sensation at court and the Levantine use of Thračician mercenaries increased, though none proved to be as professional and effective as la Bande Sydonaise Peleton Real.

Heyday

In time, the regiment grew due to the increased use of Thračician‎s in Bourgondi's colonial ambitions and the regiment became a symbol of the good Sydonan-Burgoignesc relations. It took an active role in most Burgoignesc conflicts, both internal and external. Even after Sydona became a possession of Kiravia, a sworn enemy of Burgundie, the regiment remained though ties with Burgundie had been severed.

In the 1720s the band was deployed to the Colony of Santasi to try to stave off the encroachment of the Duchy of Marialanus in the Kandoori-Fana wars in modern day Kandara but were unable to stop the takeover of the colony, despite many heroic acts and heavy losses. They returned to the Duchy of Bourgondi and were reformed as two independent companies of palace guards. In the 1790s, back up at regimental strength, they were deployed back to Audonia to fight in the Great Rebellion of Slavery Bay, first in Pukhgundi colony 1797-1811, then Kandahari-Pukhtun colony 1811-1833, and finally Istroya Oriental colony 1833-1842. By the time they returned to the Duchy of Bourgondi permanently, two generations of soldiers had never been to the Ile Burgundie.

The Modern Guard

Modern Guardsman in an exercise in 2018.

Due to decreased demand for full time soldiers in the Burgoignesc military, the number of soldiers being replaced in the Foot Guard has dwindled. At is peak in the 1840s the Foot Guard was 6,500 strong, but its current roster is merely 1,254. Since the Second Great War, in 1937, the unit was reorganized to also include Chrobonskians who serve in the unit until today. To honor the original agreement with the Thračician‎s the unit will retain its regimental designation, but currently operates at demi-regiment status.