Everything about Gardes Fran Aises totally explained
The Gardes Françaises (
English: French Guards) was one of the two non-ceremonial infantry regiments in the "Maison du Roi" (Household troops) of the
French Army under the
Ancien Régime. The other regiment was the
Gardes Suisses, which made the Gardes Françaises the only one recruited from
France.
History
The regiment was created in
1563 by
Charles IX. It counted 30
companies in
1635 with 300
fusiliers per company. They were armed with a form of musket (
"fusils") or steel-handled
pikes, and were allowed to conduct a normal
civilian life in times of peace. In practice this meant that they could undertake civilian employment when not required on duty.
At
Catherine de' Medici's insistence, they were at first spread over several garrisons, but after the attempted kidnapping of King Charles IX near
Meaux by
Huguenots, the Gardes were brought back together specifically to protect the
monarch.
Privileges
In times of war the Gardes Françaises had the choice of choosing their own battle positions (usually in the centre of the first line of infantry). Other privileges included being that of leading the assault when a wall was breached during a
siege, the first choice of
barracks, and special rights of
trial. When on parade the Gardes Francaises took precedence over all other regiments in the Royal Army
Image and recruitment basis
The subsequent image of the Gardes Françaises as a socially elite palace unit led solely by courtier officers may not be entirely true. In his history of Royal Guards "Pillars of Monarchy", Philip Mansell notes that the majority of the regimental officers were from outside Paris and that some, such as the future Maréchal Fabert didn't have even the status of provincial aristocrats. The rank and file were recruited from all over France but through marriages and off duty employment quickly established local ties in Paris - a consideration which was to influence their behaviour at the outbreak of the French Revolution.
Role in the French Revolution
The sympathy shown by the Gardes Françaises for the French Revolution at its outbreak was crucial to the initial success of the rising. During weeks of disturbances from June to early July 1789 leading up to the fall of the
Bastille the regiment initially obeyed orders and on several occasions acted against the increasingly unruly crowds. However in addition to local ties with the Parisians, the regiment was resentful of the harsh Prussian style discipline introduced by its colonel the Duc du Châtelet, who had taken up his appointment the year before. The officers of the regiment had negligently left day-to-day control in the hands of the non-commissioned officers, and had limited interaction with their men. These considerations led to mass desertions from 27 June on and the final defection of virtually all the rank and file on 14 July. Reportedly only one sergeant stood by the officers when they tried to reassemble their men. After playing a key role in the attack on the Bastille the regiment was formally disbanded on 31 August
1789.
The Gardes Françaises subsequently provided the professional core of the new
Garde Nationale. As such they acted under the command of the
Marquis de Lafayette to restore order when a mob from Paris invaded the Palace of
Versailles at dawn on 6 October 1789, and escorted the Royal Family to Paris in the afternoon of the same day. In October 1792 the former French Guards were distributed amongst the newly raised volunteer units being mobilised for war. In their final role the erstwhile royal guardsmen provided cadres (officers and senior NCOs) for the revolutionary armies of 1792-1802.
Battles
Notable Members of the Gardes Françaises
Nicolas Catinat
Abraham de Fabert
Louis Friant
Lazare Hoche
François Joseph Lefebvre
Further Information
Get more info on 'Gardes Fran Aises'.
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