Ancien Régime
Timoléon de Sercourt d’Esclainvilliers inherited his fathers company of Light horse in 1635. The same year in May, Cardinal Richelieu decided to reorganize the French cavalry, Esclainvilliers' company became part of the Cardinal Duc regiment. It fought in the Battle of Rocroi as a part of that unit. In 1645, the regiment became the Esclainvilliers Cavalry, formed from three old Cavalry Companies and three new ones.

The regiment distinguished itself fighting in Flanders in 1650. In 1652, under the command of Turenne, it fought against the fronders in Paris and was present at Stenay. The unit was renamed as the Commissaire General Regiment in April 1656.

The regiment provided up six companies in 1665 for the reconquest of Flanders. The regiment took part in the siege of Maastricht in 1673, and then served as a garrison for a time in Franche-Comté before it returned to Flanders. It stayed in Flanders during both the Nine Years' War and the War of Spanish Succession.

The regiment joined the Army of the Rhine at Landan in 1742 and distinguished itself at Ratisbon. It was sent to the Army of the Alps in 1746, but the war ended the next year with the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle. During the Seven Years' War it was sent to Saint-Lô in 1762 to defend the French coastline. In 1791, the regiment was renamed as the 3rd Régiment de Cavalrie. In 1802/03 the Regiment was retitled the 3rd Cuirassiers.

The Revolutionary Wars
 In 1791, the Regiment became the 3e Regiment de Cavalerie and in 1802 the name changed to the 3e Regiment de Cavalerie-Cuirassiers, finally becoming the 3e Regiment de Cuirassiers in 1803.

Colonels and Chefs-de-Brigade

1791: De Montcanisy, (Alexandre-Guillaume-Morin) - Colonel

1792: De la Mothe-Flers, (Louis-Charles-Anglo) - Colonel

1792: De Bellefonds, (Francois-Leger) - Colonel

1794: Lefbvre, (Jean-Baptiste) - Chef-de-Brigade

1794: Mollard, (Nicolas-Sigisbert) - Chef-de-Brigade

1798: Meunier, (Jean-Baptiste) - Chef-de-Brigade

1801: Preval, (Claude-Antoine-Hippolyte) - Chef-de-Brigade, later Colonel in 1803

1806: Richter, (Jean-Louis) - Colonel

1811: D'Audenarde, (Charles-Eugene-Lalaing) - Colonel

1813: Lacroix, (Jean-Guillaume) - Colonel

Three of the above Officers reached General-de-Brigade.

Preval, (Claude-Antoine-Hippolyte)

Born: 6 November 1776

Chef-de-Brigade: 5 March 1801

Colonel: 1803

General-de-Brigade: 31 December 1806

Baron of the Empire: 7 June 1808

Died: 19 February 1857

Richter, (Jean-Louis)

Born: 24 October 1769

Colonel: 31 Decmber 1806

General-de-Brigade: 6 August 1811

Baron of the Empire: 19 March 1809

Died: 23 December 1840

D'Audenarde, (Charles-Louis-Lalaing)

Born: 13th November 1779

Colonel: 7 September 1811

General-de-Brigade: 5 December 1812

Baron of the Empire: 15 October 1809

Died: 4 March 1859

Colonels killed and wounded while commanding the 3e Regiment de Cuirassier.

Colonel Richter: Wounded 21/22 May 1809

Colonel Lacroix: Wounded 16/18 October 1813, 18 June 1815 died of wounds 30th June 1815

Officers killed and wounded while serving with the 3e Cuirassiers during the years 1805 - 1815

Officers killed: Sixteen

Officers died of wound: Three

Officers wounded: Sixty

Regimental War Record (Battles and Combats)

1805: Austerlitz

1806: Jena

1807:  Eylau, Friedland

1809: Eckmuhl, Essling, and Wagram

Battle Honours 

Marengo 1800, Austerlitz 1805, La Moskowa 1812, and Champaubert 1814.

During the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars, the regiment fought in the battles of Valmy, Marengo.

Napoleonic Wars

It took part in the battles of Austerlitz, Jena, Eylau, Heilsberg and Friedland.

In 1807 a detachment was sent to Spain where it was combined with detachments from the 1st and 2nd Cuirassiers and the 1st and 2nd Carabiniers to form the 1st Provisional Heavy Cavalry (designated as the 13th Cuirassiers at the end of 1808).

From 1809 on the regiment served in the battles of Eckmühl, Essling, Wagram, Ostrowono, Smolensk, Borodino, Dresden, Liebertwolkwitz, Leipzig, Champaubert, Fère-Champenoise.

During the First Restoration (1814), the regiment was given the designation of the Régiment de Cuirassiers du Dauphin. With the return of Napoleon I in 1815, the regiment was renamed the 3eme Régiment de Cuirassiers. It fought at Ligny and Waterloo. It was disbanded with the Second Restoration on 25 November. Type your paragraph here.