Reserve Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée)
| Reserve Cavalry Corps | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1805–1807 |
| Country | First French Empire |
| Branch | French Imperial Army |
| Type | Shock cavalry |
| Size | Corps |
| Engagements | War of the Third Coalition War of the Fourth Coalition |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Jean-Baptiste Bessières Joachim Murat |
The Reserve Cavalry Corps or Cavalry Reserve of the Grande Armée was a French military unit that existed during the Napoleonic Wars. In 1805, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte appointed Marshal Joachim Murat to command all the cavalry divisions that were not directly attached to the army corps. During the Ulm campaign, Murat led his horsemen in successfully hunting down many Austrian units that escaped the capitulation of Ulm, before fighting at Austerlitz in December 1805. Under Murat, the Cavalry Reserve played a prominent role in the destruction of the Prussian armies after the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt in 1806. In 1812, the Reserve Cavalry Corps was split up into the I, II, III, and IV Cavalry Corps for the French invasion of Russia.