The Consular Guard, also known as the Guard of the Consuls, was a French military unit responsible for the protection of the members of the Consulate, the executive government of France during the late First Republic. It was created by First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799, after the Coup of 18 Brumaire, and renamed the Imperial Guard in 1804, when Bonaparte was proclaimed Emperor of the French.
Marine, musician of the grenadiers and grenadier of the Consular Guard
Officer of the Guard of the Convention and cavalryman of the Guard of the Directory
Eugène de Beauharnais in the uniform of colonel of the Consular Guard's Mounted Chasseurs, c. 1802
Charge of the Consular Guard cavalry at Marengo, 14 June 1800: the Mounted Grenadiers and Mounted Chasseurs led by Bessières (in the foreground) rush on the Austrian cavalry
Imperial Guard (Napoleon I)
The Imperial Guard was originally a group of elite soldiers of the French Army under the direct command of Napoleon I, but grew considerably over time. It acted as his bodyguard and tactical reserve, and he was careful of its use in battle. The Guard was divided into the staff, infantry, cavalry, and artillery regiments, as well as battalions of sappers and marines. The guard itself as a whole distinguished between the experienced veterans and less experienced members by being separated into three sections: the Old Guard, Middle Guard and Young Guard. The Young Guard was virtually annihilated in the Battle of Krasnoi during the French invasion of Russia.
Grenadier of the Old Guard in 1813
Memorial to the gunners of the Imperial Guard Artillery
Officer belt buckle
Grenadier of the 3e Régiment de Grenadiers-à-Pied de la Garde Imperiale