43-646: The term " fédérés " (sometimes translated to English as " federates ") most commonly refers to the troops who volunteered for the French National Guard in the summer of 1792 during the French Revolution . The fédérés of 1792 effected a transformation of the Guard from a constitutional monarchist force into a republican revolutionary force. "Fédérés" has several other closely related meanings, also discussed in this article. The term "fédérés" derives from
86-698: A legion . Districts might also provide companies of veterans and young citizens, respectively drawn from volunteers over 60 or under 18. Where possible, there was provision for mounted detachments and artillery batteries under the Guard. On 2 July 1792, the Assembly authorized the National Guard's attendance as part of the Festival of Federation on 14 July, thus circumventing a royal veto. Section assemblies were permitting "passive" citizens to join their National Guard companies without seeking formal permission. On 11 July,
129-538: A storm of protest from all quarters. In the ensuing political struggle, the king dismissed the entire Girondin ministry. With the government in disarray, radical agitators seized the issue and it rapidly became the source of massive citywide unrest. Eventually thousands of the provincial volunteers arrived regardless of the king's disapproval, and they were given a warm welcome by members of the Legislative Assembly . Robespierre himself, now fully supportive, greeted
172-511: Is a French military, gendarmerie , and police reserve force , active in its current form since 2016 but originally founded in 1789 during the French Revolution . For most of its history the National Guard, particularly its officers, has been widely viewed as loyal to middle-class interests. It was founded as separate from the French Army and existed both for policing and as a military reserve . However, in its original stages from 1792 to 1795,
215-590: The Fête de la Fédération , the annual celebration during the revolutionary era, celebrated at the Champ de Mars in Paris the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789. However, the term "fédérés" as used by historians today almost always refers to the volunteer troops of 1792. The third fête of 1792 was of a far more radical nature than that of 1790, and prefigured
258-481: The Battle of 13 Vendémiaire . The Paris National Guard thereafter ceased to play a significant political role. Napoleon did not believe that the middle-class National Guard would be able to maintain order and suppress riots. Therefore, he created a Municipal Guard of Paris , a full-time gendarmerie which was strongly militarized. However, he did not abolish the National Guard but was content to partially disarm it. He kept
301-831: The French Guards mutinied and were disbanded during the same month, the majority of this former royal regiment's rank and file became the full-time cadre of the Paris National Guard. Similar bodies of National Guards were spontaneously created in the towns and rural districts of France in response to widespread fears of chaos or counter-revolution. "Bourgeois Militia" changed its name to National Guard, like in Limoges in November 1789, where no other military bodies were allowed. Initially, each city, town and village maintained National Guard units operated by their respective local governments in
344-716: The July Revolution . A new National Guard was established in 1831 following the July Revolution in 1830. It played a major role in suppressing the Paris June Rebellion of 1832 against the government of King Louis-Phillipe . However, the same National Guard fought in the Revolution of 1848 in favour of the republicans. This change in allegiance reflected a general erosion in the popularity of Louis-Phillipe and his "Bourgeois Monarchy", rather than any fundamental change in
387-572: The National Gendarmerie and the National Police in securing major events nationwide while it would perform its historical responsibility as a national military and police reserve service. It was expected that the new Guard would grow to a 72,500-member force in 2017 and grow to an 86,000-member national reserve in 2018. The formation of the revived Guard would be assisted with a dedicated 311-million euro budget and its personnel come from
430-551: The insurrection of 10 August placed a radical revolutionary at the head of the Guard. After the abolition of the monarchy (21 September 1792), the National Guard fought for the Revolution and it had an important role in forcing the wishes of the capital on the French National Assembly which was obliged to give way in front of the force of the "patriotic" bayonets. The Insurrection of 31 May started after François Henriot
473-500: The Jacobins won an emergency vote in the wavering Assembly, declaring the nation in danger and drafting all Parisians with pikes or pistols into the National Guard. On 17 July the municipality of Paris accepted all citizens armed with a pike for enlistment as part of the capital's own National Guard unit. The citizens kept their weapons and their uniforms at home and set forth with them when required. The initially multi-coloured uniforms of
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#1733094244370516-588: The Minister of the Armed Forces. Reine Audu Louise-Renée Leduc (died 1793), known as Louise Reine Audu , was a French fruit seller, known for her participation in the French Revolution . She was counted as one of the Heroines of the revolution. On 5 October 1789 she, alongside Theroigne de Mericourt , led The Women's March on Versailles . At Versailles, she belonged to the delegation allowed an audience with
559-452: The National Guard took over this role. In fact, the last commander of the Guet royal ( Chevalier du Guet ), de La Rothière, was elected to head the National Guard in 1791. In the summer of 1792, the fundamental character of the guard changed. The fédérés were admitted to the guard and the subsequent takeover of the guard by Antoine Joseph Santerre when Mandat was murdered in the first hours of
602-511: The National Guard was expanded to 35,000 men and became the primary force for maintaining order within the city. Under the Restoration in 1814, the National Guard was maintained by Louis XVIII of France. Initially, the Guard, purged of its Napoleonic leadership, maintained good relations with the restored monarchy. The future Charles X served as its Colonel-General, reviewed the force regularly and intervened to veto its proposed disbandment on
645-509: The National Guard was perceived as revolutionary and the lower ranks were identified with sans-culottes . It experienced a period of official dissolution from 1827 to 1830 but was reestablished. Soon after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the National Guard in Paris again became viewed as dangerously revolutionary, which contributed to its dissolution in 1871. In 2016, France announced
688-409: The National Guard. Clothing and equipment were often in short supply and even the Paris National Guard was obliged to provide pikes as substitute weapons for some of its new recruits. These field and regional units were disbanded in 1814 after the abdication of Napoleon I. Six thousand national guardsmen took part in the Battle of Paris in 1814. Following the occupation of Paris by the allied armies,
731-462: The National Guard. Their role was the maintenance of law and order and, if necessary, territorial defense in wartime. Following a nationwide scheme decided on in September 1791, the National Guard was organised on the basis of district or canton companies. Five of these neighbourhood units (designated as fusiliers or grenadiers) made up a National Guard infantry battalion. Eight to ten battalions comprised
774-484: The Paris units of the National Guard in the uprising of the Paris Commune led to a great degree of hostility towards the National Guard, especially from the army. Perceived as an embodiment of the revolutionary republican "nation in arms" at the time of the Revolution of 1789, the National Guard was formally disbanded on 14 March 1872 as a threat to the security and order of the new Third Republic . The National Guard
817-503: The Parliament recruited 400,000 National volunteers from the entire French National Guard. On 17 July 1791 Champ de Mars massacre took place. At the end of September a law passed to reorganize the National Guard formations in cantons and districts; each year officers and non-commissioned officers could be elected on 14 July . Under the law of 14 October 1791, all active citizens and their children over 18 years were obliged to enlist in
860-572: The armed forces. Despite its major role in the Franco-Prussian War, the National Guard was disbanded soon after the establishment of the Third Republic. Having been converted from a volunteer reserve into a much larger force composed mainly of conscripts, the National Guard had lost its identity and raison d'être . It also faced opposition from the regular army which was opposed to such a large armed force outside its direct control. The role of
903-573: The assault on the Tuileries Palace on 10 August . The fédérés themselves played a large part in the Tuileries assault, and afterwards they contributed further to the climate of republican solidarity by adopting an uncommonly grateful public posture towards the female participants of the Revolution . In a post-victory ceremony, leaders of the fédérés honored their female colleagues and awarded civic crowns to three who displayed outstanding conduct in
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#1733094244370946-676: The assault – Louise Reine Audu , Claire Lacombe , and Théroigne de Méricourt . The term "Fédérations" was revived during the Cent-Jours . It was an anti-royalist movement intended to repress local revival of monarchists after the flight of the Bourbons. The term "fédérés" was revived during the Paris Commune . The Communards' Wall is known in French as the Mur de Fédérés . National Guard (France) The National Guard (French: Garde nationale )
989-512: The campaigns in Germany in 1813 and the invasion of north-east France by Coalition forces in 1814. Existing National Guard units, such as those of Paris, were deployed as defence corps in their areas of recruitment. Mass conscription was extended to age groups previously exempt from military service, to provide more manpower for the expanded National Guard. Students and volunteers from gamekeepers and other professional groups formed separate units within
1032-579: The districts for not more than a year. They were united on 14 July 1790 under Lafayette, who was appointed "Commandant General of all the National Guards of the Kingdom" and was responsible to the King as commander-in-chief of the armed forces. On 5 December 1790 Robespierre held a speech on the urgent topic of the National Guard; envisaging an evolution from semi-organised militia to citizen-soldiers independent from
1075-565: The establishment of a new third National Guard. By his words, the Guard would be formed using military reserve forces. On 12 October 2016, during a weekly meeting of the Cabinet, the National Guard was officially reconstituted after 145 years, as the fifth service branch of the French Armed Forces under the Ministry of the Armed Forces . The revitalized Guard would also reinforce elements of
1118-406: The force in reserve and mobilised it for the defence of French territory in 1809 and 1814. In Paris during this period the National Guard comprised twelve thousand bourgeois property owners, serving part-time and equipped at their own expense, whose prime function was to guard public buildings on a roster basis. Between 1811 and 1812 the National Guard was organized in "cohorts" to distinguish it from
1161-524: The formation of a "Bourgeois Militia" ( "milice bourgeoise" ) on 13 July. In the early morning of the next day, the search for weapons for this new militia led to the storming of the town hall, the Hotel des Invalides and then the storming of the Bastille . Lafayette was elected to the post of commander in chief of the Bourgeois Militia on 14 July, and it was renamed the " National Guard of Paris ". When
1204-473: The grounds of economy by the Conseil . However, by 1827, the middle-class men who still composed the Guard had come to feel a degree of hostility towards the reactionary monarchy. Following hostile cries, at a review on 29 April Charles X dissolved the Guard the following day, on the grounds of offensive behaviour towards the crown. He neglected to disarm the disbanded force, and its muskets resurfaced in 1830 during
1247-506: The make-up of the National Guard, which remained a middle-class body. Napoleon III confined the National Guard during the Second Empire to subordinate tasks to reduce its liberal and republican influence. During the Franco-Prussian War the Government of National Defense of 1870 called on the Guard to undertake a major role in defending Paris against the invading Prussian army. During
1290-498: The militant insurrections later in the year. At the first fête de la Fédération in 1790, Talleyrand said Mass , Lafayette addressed the crowd, and King Louis XVI gave a secular sermon. The attendees, known as fédérés , came from all over France and brought the spirit of the revolution back to the provinces. In early May, 1792, the Girondin Minister of War Joseph Servan made the proposal to bring armed volunteers from
1333-520: The monarch to put forward their complaints. She led the march back to Paris with the royal court in triumph. Afterwards, however, she was imprisoned in Grand Châtelet and Conciergerie . She was freed 15 September 1791 by the efforts of the Cordeliers and Louis-Barthélemy Chenaux . On 10 August 1792, she participated in the storming of the Tuileries Palace . She fought personally with the soldiers of
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1376-463: The night when volunteers from Marseille led by Charles Barbaroux moved into the Cordeliers Convent . On 7 August, Pétion proposed that Robespierre assist in facilitating the departure of Fédérés to pacify the capital, suggesting their more effective service at the front lines. The fédérés issue helped lead to a series of Parisian insurrections throughout the spring and summer, culminating in
1419-489: The provinces to Paris. The citizen-soldiers were to be invited to the city for the third fête , but they were also intended to become an effective supplement to the regular army. They were to receive military training in Paris and eventually take their place at the frontlines in the French Revolutionary War . The prospect of thousands of new militiamen descending upon the capital for an indeterminate length of time
1462-441: The provincial “defenders of liberty” as the "last hope of the country." (Meanwhile, 20,000 Fédérés entered the city for the celebration of 14 July; Pétion was reinstalled.) At the end of July more than 3,000 Fédérés had entered Paris useful in provoking various measures, notably the overthrow of the king. They were allowed to join the National Guard, and would focus on the "enemy within". A significant maneuver took place during
1505-622: The reestablishment of the National Guard for the second time, in response to a series of terrorist attacks in the country . The raising of a " Bourgeois Guard " ( "garde bourgeoise" ) for Paris was discussed by the National Assembly on 11 July 1789 in response to the King's sudden and alarming replacement of minister for finance and state, Jacques Necker , with the Baron de Breteuil on that day. The replacement caused rapidly spread anger and violence throughout Paris. The National Assembly declared
1548-565: The regular army, and for home defence only . By a skilful appeal to patriotism, and judicious pressure applied through the prefects , it became a useful reservoir of half-trained men for new battalions of the active army. After the disastrous campaign in Russia in 1812, dozens of National Guard cohorts were called up for field duty the next year; four cohorts being combined to form one line infantry regiment. The 135ème to 156ème Régiments d'Infanterie de Ligne were thus formed. Many of these fought in
1591-458: The regular army. He repeated his ideas in the following year. On 18 December it was decreed to supply the National Guard with 50,000 fusils. In January 1791 Robespierre promoted the idea not only the National Guard but also the people had to be armed if necessary with pikes. On 27 April 1791, Robespierre again opposed the plans for reorganizing the National Guard and restricting its membership to active citizens . On 22 April and 15 June 1791,
1634-700: The reserves, members from the private sector and active personnel seconded to the service. Unlike the Guard of the Revolutionary Wars, its officers are now seconded from both the Army and the National Gendarmerie and are graduates of their respective academies. As of 2024, Division General François-Xavier Poisbeau serves as the Secretary-General for the National Guard, who reports to the Chief of Defence Staff and
1677-618: The uprising of the Paris Commune , from March to May 1871, the National Guard in Paris was expanded to include all able-bodied citizens capable of carrying weapons. Following the Commune's defeat by the regular French Army, the National Guard was officially abolished and its units disbanded. Also disbanded was the Mobile National Guard ( Garde Nationale Mobile ) raised in 1866 to provide personnel and officers for rapid deployment operations nationwide, as well as to provide reserve personnel for
1720-452: The various provincial National Guard units were standardised in 1791, using as a model the dark blue coats with red collars, white lapels and cuffs worn by the Paris National Guard since its creation. This combination of colours matched those of the then young revolutionary tricolour flag. The uniform headdress was the tricorne. The former Guet royal had held responsibility for the maintenance of law and order in Paris from 1254 to 1791, when
1763-405: Was a highly contentious one. Some, like the king, saw it as a plot to stack Paris full with anti-monarchists, while others, like Maximilien Robespierre , feared the outsiders might be used as a provincial counterweight to the radical Parisian sans-culottes . King Louis employed his constitutional prerogative to quash the proposal, and this use of the greatly unpopular royal veto was met with
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1806-605: Was chosen by the Commune to lead the Paris Guards. After 9 Thermidor , year II (27 July 1794), the new government of the Thermidorian Reaction placed the National Guard under the control of more conservative leadership. Part of the National Guard then attempted to overthrow the Directory during the royalist insurrection on the 13 Vendémiaire, year IV (5 October 1795), but was defeated by forces led by Napoleon Bonaparte in
1849-474: Was superseded by the creation of territorial regiments, made up of older men who had completed their period of full-time military service. These reserve units were embodied only in times of general mobilisation but remained an integral part of the regular army, distinguished only by details of insignia. After several terror attacks in France, which intensified in 2014–15 , French President François Hollande declared
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