The Ministry of War (french: Ministère de la guerre) was the Government of France department responsible for the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed Force ...

, the

National Gendarmerie The National Gendarmerie (french: Gendarmerie nationale, ) is one of two national law enforcement forces of France, along with the National Police. The Gendarmerie is a branch of the French Armed Forces placed under the jurisdiction of the Mini ...

and until 1934, the French Air Force. It existed from 25 May 1791 to 31 October 1947, date to which it was merged with the Ministry of the Navy and the Ministry of Air into the Ministry of Armed Forces (then Ministry of National Defence). It was headed by the

Minister of War A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

, occasionally taking various titles.

History

The Ministry of War was the heir of the royal Department for War existing during the

Ancien Regime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for "ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word fo ...

. On 27 April 1791, the National Constituent Assembly issued a decree organizing the six ministries of Justice, Interior, Finances, War, Navy and Foreign Affairs. The decree was signed into law on 25 May 1791 by King

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...

. The Committee of Public Safety suspended all six ministries in April 1794 and implemented instead twelve Executive Commissions ; this act dismembered the department into numerous commissions. The ministry was reinstated with the formation of the

Directory Directory may refer to: * Directory (computing), or folder, a file system structure in which to store computer files * Directory (OpenVMS command) * Directory service, a software application for organizing information about a computer network's u ...

in November 1795. In 1915, during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, an Under Secretariat of State of the Military Aeronautics was created. It would eventually become independent in 1928 as the Ministry of Air. The ministry remained in place in all subsequent governments, with some temporary name changes, until its final merger with the Ministry of the Navy and the Ministry of Air into the Ministry of Defence on 31 October 1947.

Minister

Organisation

Napoleonic Wars

During the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

, the minister was organised as follows: Ministry of War Headquarters, at the Ministry of War Building in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Pawley, pp. 79–80 *

* Ministry of War Administration ** Intendant General of the Army ( Jean François Aimé Dejean, 1802–1810; Jean-Gérard Lacuée, ''Comte de'' Cessac 1810–13; and Pierre Antoine Noël Bruno 1813–14 & 1815) *** Director General for Supplies ( Augustin Louis Petiet, 1804–06;

Jacques-Pierre Orillard de Villemanzy Jacques-Pierre Orillard, comte de Villemanzy (5 January 1751 – 3 September 1830) was a French military commissary, responsible for arranging army supplies. Before the French Revolution he served in the French expedition that supported the Americ ...

, 1806; Pierre Antoine Noël Bruno , 1806–12;

Guillaume-Mathieu Dumas Mathieu, comte Dumas (23 November 1753 – 16 October 1837) was a French people, French general. Biography Born in Montpellier, France, Montpellier, France, of a nobility, noble family, he joined the French army in 1773 and entered upon active ...

, 1812–14; Jean-Pierre-Paulin-Hector Daure, 1815) *** Chief Organizing Commissioners **** Gendarmerie Department **** Hospitals Department **** Transport Department **** Supplies & Rations Department **** Support Department * Director General of Reviews of Conscription (Jean-Gérard Lacuée, ''Comte de'' Cessac, 1806–10;, Guillaume-Mathieu Dumas, 1810–12; and Étienne d'Hastrel de Rivedoux, 1812–14) * 6 x Inspectors in Chief of Reviews (Divisional Generals) * 30 x Inspectors of Reviews (Brigade Generals) * 100 x Sub-Inspectors of Reviews (Colonels) * Assistant Sub-Inspectors, 1st Class (''Chefs de Bataillons'') – posts created in 1811 * Assistant Sub-Inspectors, 2nd Class (Captains) * War Commissaires

Post-Napoleonic Wars

Footnotes

Notes

Citations

References

* {{authority control Military of France Government ministries of France Lists of political office-holders in France