In a broad sense lancers and dragoons are horse regiments which were equipped with peaks, guns and sabers. Each kind of soldiers had the features. The fact that lancers and dragoons are a cavalry unites these two concepts.
Who such lancers
The uniform of lancers very much resembles all known the hussar superficially. The main distinctive feature is the headdress – a high quadrangular peak-cap. This form was borrowed from national attribute of Tatars – a cap with a square top part.
Lancers are representatives of a cavalry. It should be noted that it is possible to distinguish the hussar from the lancer even on appearance of a horse. In Hussars animal more harmonious and graceful, and in ulansky – hardy and strong.
The first ulansky regiments appeared in mongolo-tatar troops. Then such cavalries began to form in Poland. However took in ranks of lancers only immigrants, mainly Tatar origin.
Who such dragoons
Dragoons represent a kind of infantry which could conduct fight, sitting on horses or to protect the homeland in a pedestrian system. For the first time in the history such regiments appeared in the 1560th years. The marshal Brissak became a peculiar pioneer. The new type of infantry had to conduct mainly fast attacks, and only the best soldiers were its part. For all lifetime the dragoon these shelves were repeatedly equated to hussars, reformed in infantry and again were returned to types of a cavalry. In Russia the dragoons were formed only of children of boyars and noblemen. Was considered that this regiment the most prestigious. Quite often in it even invited foreign citizens. For example, in the ranks of dragoons, British, Swedes and Dutches were quite often observed, however such practice was applied not for long. Soldiers with different mentalities and living positions often could not find among themselves a common language. Gradually ranks of dragoons were joined also by lancers. The system of formation of regiments was considerably simplified and practically all representatives of a cavalry had identical training. The main exception were several Guards troops to which the former principles of selection of candidates and their training were applied.
Differences of lancers from dragoons
The main difference of lancers from dragoons is not so much the appearance of a military uniform, how many extent of preparation and training. Lancers are a light cavalry, and dragoons – universal regiments which owned technology of fight, as with application of riding, and the pedestrian attack. Dragoons took an intermediate position between a heavy cavalry and lancers. These regiments combined in themselves the main features of cavalries and infantrymen. It is remarkable that the regimentals of lancers and dragoons not too differed. It was possible to determine the soldier's belonging to a number of lancers, for example, by the crossed peaks on the badge located on a front part of a headdress.