95-741: The French Legion may refer to: French Foreign Legion Legion of Honour of France Legion of French Volunteers Against Bolshevism Czechoslovak Legion in France French Armenian Legion Legion of France , see Boer foreign volunteers See also [ edit ] French Foreign Legion (disambiguation) 2nd Foreign Legion (France) List of military legions List of Roman legions American Legion (disambiguation) British Legion (disambiguation) German Legion (disambiguation) Legion (disambiguation) [REDACTED] Index of articles associated with
190-624: A bayonet assault was launched in which three of the six were killed. The remaining three wounded men were brought before the Mexican commander Colonel Milán , who allowed them to return to the French lines as an honor guard for the body of Danjou. The captain had a wooden hand, which was later returned to the Legion and is now kept in a case in the Legion Museum at Aubagne and paraded annually on Camerone Day. It
285-655: A distant cousin who claimed descent from Louis XIII . The French Revolution of 1848 brought an end to the monarchy again, instituting a brief Second Republic that lasted four years, before its President declared himself Emperor Napoleon III , who was deposed and replaced by the Third Republic , and ending monarchic rule in France for good. The Bourbon Restoration came to an end with the July Revolution of 1830 which deposed Charles X and replaced him with Louis Philippe I ,
380-455: A distant cousin with more liberal politics. Charles X's son Louis signed a document renouncing his own right to the throne only after a 20-minute argument with his father. Because he was never crowned he is disputed as a genuine king of France. Louis's nephew Henry was likewise considered by some to be Henry V, but the new regime did not recognise his claim and he never ruled. Charles X named Louis Philippe as Lieutenant général du royaume ,
475-567: A period known as Direct Capetian rule. Afterwards, it passed to the House of Valois , a cadet branch that descended from Philip III . The Valois claim was disputed by Edward III , the Plantagenet king of England who claimed himself as the rightful king of France through his French mother Isabella . The two houses fought the Hundred Years' War over the issue, and with Henry VI of England being for
570-611: A regent to the young Henry V, and charged him to announce his desire to have his grandson succeed him to the Chamber of Deputies , the lower house of the French Parliament at the time, the French equivalent at the time of the UK House of Commons. Louis Philippe did not do this, in order to increase his own chances of succession. As a consequence, and because the French parliamentarians were aware of his liberal policies and of his popularity at
665-874: A smaller role in World War II in mainland Europe than in World War I, though it saw involvement in many exterior theatres of operations, notably sea-transport protection through to the Norwegian , Syria-Lebanon , and North African campaigns . The 13th Demi-Brigade , formed for service in Norway, found itself in the UK at the time of the French Armistice (June 1940), was deployed to the British 8th Army in North Africa and distinguished itself in
760-598: A time partially recognized as King of France . The Valois line died out in the late 16th century, during the French Wars of Religion , to be replaced by the distantly related House of Bourbon , which descended through the Direct Capetian Louis IX . The Bourbons ruled France until deposed in the French Revolution , though they were restored to the throne after the fall of Napoleon. The last Capetian to rule
855-562: Is different from Wikidata All set index articles French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion ( French : Légion étrangère ) is an elite corps of the French Army that consists of several specialties: infantry , cavalry , engineers , and airborne troops . It was created in 1831 to allow foreign nationals into the French Army. It formed part of the Armée d’Afrique ,
950-475: Is often described as not only physically challenging, but also very stressful psychologically. Legionnaires may apply for French citizenship after three years' service, or immediately after being wounded during a battle for France under a provision known as " Français par le sang versé " ("French by spilled blood"). The Foreign Legion was created by Louis Philippe , the King of the French , on 10 March 1831 to allow
1045-581: Is the Foreign Legion's most precious relic. During the Mexican Campaign, 6,654 French died. Of these, 1,918 were from a single regiment of the Legion. According to French law, the Foreign Legion was not to be used within Metropolitan France except in the case of a national invasion, and was consequently not a part of Napoleon III's Imperial Army that capitulated at Sedan . With the defeat of
SECTION 10
#17328444715201140-671: The Armée d'Afrique , to protect and expand the French colonial empire during the 19th century, but it also fought in almost all French wars including the Franco-Prussian War , World War I and World War II. The Foreign Legion has remained an important part of the French Army, and sea transport protected by the French Navy survived three Republics, the Second French Empire , two World Wars,
1235-424: The 1st Foreign Infantry Regiment 1 REI – Algeria , Syria and Lebanon ; 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment 2 REI, 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment 3 REI, and 4th Foreign Infantry Regiment 4 REI – Morocco , Lebanon; 5th Foreign Infantry 5 REI – Indochina ; and 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment 1 REC – Lebanon, Tunisia and Morocco. In 1931, Général Paul-Frédéric Rollet assumed the role of 1st Inspector of
1330-481: The 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion (1 BEP) particularly distinguished itself, while being annihilated twice. It was renamed the 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment (1 REP) after its third reformation. The 1 BEP sailed to Indochina on 12 November and was then engaged in combat operations in Tonkin. On 17 November 1950 the battalion parachuted into That Khé and suffered heavy losses at Coc Xa. Reconstituted on 1 March 1951,
1425-417: The 25th Parachute Division (France) , 25 DP. While both the 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment (1 REP), and the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2 REP), were part of the operations of French parachute divisions (10 DP and 25 DP established in 1956), the Legion's 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment (1 REP), and the Legion's 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2 REP), are older than the French divisions. The 1 REP
1520-628: The 2nd Foreign Regiment lost Colonel Chabrière, its commanding officer. In gratitude, the city of Milan awarded, in 1909, the "commemorative medal of deliverance", which still adorns the regimental flags of the Second Regiment. The 38,000 strong French expeditionary force dispatched to Mexico via sea between 1862 and 1863 included two battalions of the Foreign Legion, increased to six battalions by 1866. Small cavalry and artillery units were raised from legionnaires serving in Mexico. The original intention
1615-624: The 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment 6 REI at Damascus . Nevertheless, many legionnaires of the 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment 6 (dissolved on 31 December 1941) integrated into the Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion R.M.L.E in 1942. Later, a thousand of the rank-and-file of the Vichy Legion unit joined the 13 D.B.L.E. of the Free French forces which were also part (as of September 1944) of Jean de Lattre de Tassigny 's successful amalgam of
1710-611: The Algerian War included the Battle of Algiers and the Bataille of the Frontiers, fought by 60,000 soldiers including French and Legion paratroopers . For paratroopers of the Legion, the 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment (1 REP) and 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2 REP), were the only known foreign active parachute regiments, exclusively commanded by Pierre Paul Jeanpierre for the 1 REP and
1805-507: The Army of Africa , the Foreign Legion contributed to the expansion of the French colonial empire in Sub-Saharan Africa . Simultaneously, the Legion took part to the pacification of Algeria , suppressing various tribal rebellions and razzias . In 1892, King Béhanzin ordered his soldiers to attack villages near Grand Popo and Porto-Novo (in modern-day Benin ) in an effort to reassert
1900-631: The Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The family consolidated its power in the 8th century, eventually making the offices of mayor of the palace and dux et princeps Francorum hereditary and becoming the real powers behind the Merovingian kings . The dynasty is named after one of these mayors of the palace, Charles Martel , whose son Pepin the Short dethroned the Merovingians in 751 and, with
1995-557: The Battle of Bir Hakeim (1942). Reflecting the divisions of the time, part of the Foreign Legion joined the Free French movement while another part served the Vichy government. Germany incorporated German legionnaires into the Wehrmacht 's 90th Light Infantry Division in North Africa. The Syria–Lebanon Campaign of June 1941 saw legionnaire fighting legionnaire as the 13 D.B.L.E clashed with
SECTION 20
#17328444715202090-973: The Chadian–Libyan conflict in 1969–1972 (the first time that the Legion was sent in operations after the Algerian War), 1978–1979, and 1983–1987; Kolwezi in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo in May 1978. In 1981, the 1st Foreign Regiment and Foreign Legion regiments took part in the Multinational Force in Lebanon . In 1990, Foreign Legion regiments were sent to the Persian Gulf and participated in Opération Daguet , part of Division Daguet . Following
2185-762: The First Carlist War in 1835, the Crimean War in 1854, the Second Italian War of Independence in 1859, the French intervention in Mexico in 1863, the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, the Tonkin Campaign and Sino-French War in 1883, supporting growth of the French colonial empire in Sub-Saharan Africa , the Second Franco-Dahomean War in 1892, the Second Madagascar expedition in 1895 and
2280-536: The First Indochina War (1946–54) the Foreign Legion saw its numbers swell due to the incorporation of World War II veterans. Although the Foreign Legion distinguished itself in a territory where it had served since the 1880s, it also suffered a heavy toll during this war. Some of the legionnaires, such as Stefan Kubiak , deserted and began fighting for the Việt Minh upon witnessing torture of Vietnamese peasants at
2375-713: The Gulf War in the 1990s, the Foreign Legion helped with the evacuation of French citizens and foreigners in Rwanda , Gabon and Zaire . The Foreign Legion was also deployed to Cambodia , Somalia , Sarajevo , Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the mid-to late 1990s, the Foreign Legion was deployed to the Central African Republic , Congo-Brazzaville and in Kosovo . The French Foreign Legion also took part in operations in Rwanda in 1990–1994; and
2470-506: The Hundred Years War to enforce their claims. The Valois were ultimately successful, and French historiography counts their leaders as rightful kings. One Plantagenet, Henry VI of England , enjoyed de jure control of the French throne following the Treaty of Troyes , which formed the basis for continued English claims to the throne of France until 1801. The Valois line ruled France until
2565-577: The III/1 R.C.P . With the start of the War in Algeria on 1 November 1954, the two foreign participating parachute battalions back from Indochina , the 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion (1 BEP, III Formation) and the 2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion (2 BEP), were not part of any French parachute divisions yet and were not designated as regiments until September and 1 December 1955 respectively. Main operations during
2660-795: The Ivory Coast from 2002 to the present. In the 2000s, the Foreign Legion was deployed to Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, Opération Licorne in Ivory Coast, the EUFOR Tchad/RCA in Chad, and Operation Serval in the Northern Mali conflict . As discussed below , other countries have attempted to emulate the French Foreign Legion model. The Foreign Legion was primarily used, as part of
2755-518: The Mandingo Wars in 1894. In World War I , the Foreign Legion fought in many critical battles on the Western Front . It played a smaller role in World War II than in World War I, however, participated in the Norwegian , Syrian and North African campaigns. During the First Indochina War (1946–1954), the Foreign Legion saw its numbers swell. In Vietnam, the Legion lost a large number of men in
2850-623: The Médaille militaire for its service in Indochina. The 1 BEP became the 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment (1 REP) in Algeria on 1 September 1955. Dien Bien Phu fell on 7 May 1954 at 17:30. The couple of hectares that were the battlefield today are corn fields surrounding a stele which commemorates the sacrifices of those who died there. While the garrison of Dien Bien Phu included French regular, North African, and locally recruited (Indochinese) units,
2945-479: The National Liberation Front and the Armée de Libération Nationale (ALN) . The main activity during the period 1954–1962 was as part of the operations of the 10th Parachute Division and 25th Parachute Division . The 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment , 1 REP, was under the command of the 10th Parachute Division (France) , 10 DP, and the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment , 2 REP, was under the command of
French Legion - Misplaced Pages Continue
3040-458: The Republic of Congo , Ivory Coast , Afghanistan , Mali , as well as others. The Legion was primarily used to help protect and expand the French colonial empire during the 19th century. The Foreign Legion was initially stationed only in Algeria , where it took part in the pacification and development of the colony. Subsequently, the Foreign Legion was deployed in a number of conflicts, including
3135-614: The Siege of Paris by breaking through the German lines. It succeeded in retaking Orléans , but failed to break the siege. In January 1871, France capitulated but civil war soon broke out, which led to revolution and the short-lived Paris Commune . The Foreign Legion participated in the suppression of the Commune, which was crushed with great bloodshed. The Foreign Legion's First Battalion (Lieutenant-Colonel Donnier) sailed to Tonkin in late 1883, during
3230-477: The Siege of Tuyên Quang in 1884. The relics from the Legion's history museum, including the wooden hand of Captain Jean Danjou , subsequently accompanied the Legion to France. Also removed from Sidi Bel Abbès were the symbolic Legion remains of General Paul-Frédéric Rollet ( The Father of the Legion ), Legion officer Prince Count Aage of Rosenborg , and Legionnaire Heinz Zimmermann (last fatal casualty in Algeria). List of French monarchs France
3325-417: The paratrooper commanders of the 2 REP . The remainder of French paratrooper units of the French Armed Forces were commanded by Jacques Massu , Buchond , Marcel Bigeard , Paul Aussaresses . Other Legion offensives in the mountains in 1959 included operations Jumelles , Cigales , and Ariège in the Aures and the last in Kabylie. The image of the Legion as a professional and non-political force
3420-448: The Allied expeditionary force. Nevertheless, the "leather bellies" (the nickname given to the legionnaires by the Russians because of the large cartridge pouches that they wore attached to their waist-belts), performed well. On 21 June 1855, the Third Battalion, left Corsica for Crimea. On 8 September the final assault was launched on Sevastopol . Two days later, the Second Foreign Regiment with flags and band playing ahead, marched through
3515-442: The Foreign Legion , a post created at his initiative. While serving as colonel of the 1st Foreign Infantry Regiment (1925–1931), Rollet was responsible for planning the centennial celebrations of the Legion's foundation; scheduling this event for Camarón Day 30 April 1931. He was subsequently credited with creating much of the modern mystique of the Legion by restoring or creating many of its traditions. The Foreign Legion played
3610-406: The Foreign Legion to pursue a military career, an option no longer possible in Germany, including French German soldiers of Malgré-nous . It would have been considered problematic if the men from Alsace-Lorraine had not spoken French. These French-speaking former German soldiers made up as much as 60 percent of the Legion during the war in Indochina. Contrary to popular belief however, French policy
3705-517: The French Army's units associated with France's colonial project in North Africa , until the end of the Algerian War in 1962. Legionnaires are highly trained soldiers and the French Foreign Legion is unique in that it is open to foreign recruits willing to serve in the French Armed Forces . The Legion is known today as a unit whose training focuses on traditional military skills and on its strong esprit de corps , as its men come from different countries with different cultures. Consequently, training
3800-402: The French Liberation Army ( French : Armée française de la Libération ), the (400,000 men) amalgam consisted of the Armistice Army , the Free French Forces and the French Forces of the Interior which formed Army B and later became part of the French 1st Army with forces also issued from the French Resistance . Following World War II, many French-speaking former German soldiers joined
3895-400: The French colonial army, defeating them on several occasions, including a notable victory at Woyowayanko (2 April 1882), in the face of French heavy artillery . Nonetheless, Samori was forced to sign several treaties ceding territory to the French between 1886 and 1889. Samori began a steady retreat, but the fall of other resistance armies, particularly Babemba Traoré at Sikasso , permitted
French Legion - Misplaced Pages Continue
3990-476: The French throne. The Valois claimed the right to the succession by male-only primogeniture through the ancient Salic Law , having the closest all-male line of descent from a recent French king. They were descended from the third son of Philip III , Charles, Count of Valois. The Plantagenets based their claim on being closer to a more recent French king, Edward III of England being a grandson of Philip IV through his mother, Isabella . The two houses fought
4085-401: The Imperial Army, the Second French Empire fell and the Third Republic was created. The new Third Republic was desperately short of trained soldiers following Sedan, so the Foreign Legion was ordered to provide a contingent. On 11 October 1870 two provisional battalions disembarked via sea at Toulon , the first time the Foreign Legion had been deployed in France itself. It attempted to lift
4180-418: The Western front, including Belloy-en-Santerre during the Battle of the Somme , where the poet Alan Seeger , after being mortally wounded by machine-gun fire, cheered on the rest of his advancing battalion. While suffering heavy casualties on the Western Front the Legion had emerged from World War I with an enhanced reputation and as one of the most highly decorated units in the French Army . In 1919,
4275-432: The backbone of the column launched on Antananarivo , the capital of Madagascar. After a few skirmishes, Queen Ranavalona III promptly surrendered. The Foreign Legion lost 226 men, only a tenth of whom died during actual combat. Others, like much of the expeditionary force, died from tropical diseases. Despite the success of the expedition, the quelling of sporadic rebellions would take another eight years until 1905, when
4370-405: The battalion participated in combat operations at Cho Ben, on the Black River and in Annam. On 21 November 1953 the reconstituted 1 BEP was parachuted into Dien Bien Phu. In this battle, the unit lost 575 killed and missing . Reconstituted for the third time on 19 May 1954, the battalion left Indochina on 8 February 1955. The 1 BEP received five citations and the fourragère of the colors of
4465-415: The battle has become associated particularly with the paratroops of the Foreign Legion. During the Indochina War, the Legion operated several armoured trains which were an enduring Rolling Symbol during the chartered course duration of French Indochina . The Legion also operated various Passage Companies relative to the continental conflicts at hand. The legion was heavily engaged in fighting against
4560-444: The besieged city of Puebla when it was attacked and besieged by three thousand Mexican loyalists, organised in two battalions of infantry and cavalry, numbering 2,200 and 800 respectively. The Legion detachment under Danjou, Sous-Lieutenant Jean Vilain , and Sous-Lieutenant Clément Maudet made a stand in the Hacienda de la Trinidad – a farm near the village of Camarone. When only six survivors remained, out of ammunition,
4655-432: The catastrophic Battle of Dien Bien Phu against forces of the Viet Minh . Subsequent military campaigns included those during the Suez Crisis , the Battle of Algiers and various offensives in Algeria launched by General Maurice Challe including Operation Oranie and Operation Jumelles . During the Algerian War of Independence (1954–1962), the Foreign Legion came close to being disbanded after some officers, men, and
4750-406: The city, at the cost of repeated battles against the Dahomean warriors, especially the Amazons of the King . King Behanzin surrendered and was captured by the legionnaires in January 1894. In 1895, a battalion formed by the First and Second Foreign Regiments was sent to the Kingdom of Madagascar as part of an expeditionary force whose mission was to conquer the island. The foreign battalion formed
4845-418: The colonial army to launch a concentrated assault against his forces. A battalion of two companies from the 2nd Foreign Regiment was created in early 1894 to pacify the Niger . The Legionnaires' victory at the fortress of Ouilla and police patrols in the region accelerated the submission of the tribes. On 29 September 1898, Samori Ture was captured by the French Commandant Gouraud and exiled to Gabon , marking
SECTION 50
#17328444715204940-424: The consent of the Papacy and the aristocracy, was crowned King of the Franks . Under Charles the Great (r. 768–814), better known as " Charlemagne ", the Frankish kingdom expanded deep into Central Europe , conquering Italy and most of modern Germany . He was also crowned " Emperor of the Romans " by the Pope, a title that was eventually carried on by the German rulers of the Holy Roman Empire . Charlemagne
5035-424: The defence at the celebrated Siege of Tuyên Quang (24 November 1884 to 3 March 1885). In January 1885 the Foreign Legion's 4th Battalion ( chef de bataillon Vitalis) was deployed to the French bridgehead at Keelung (Jilong) in Formosa (Taiwan), where it took part in the later battles of the Keelung Campaign . The battalion played an important role in Colonel Jacques Duchesne 's offensive in March 1885 that captured
5130-414: The eastern and western parts of the land had already developed different languages and cultures. The Capetian dynasty is named for Hugh Capet, a Robertian who served as Duke of the Franks and was elected King in 987. Except for the Bonaparte-led Empires, every monarch of France was a male-line descendant of Hugh Capet. The kingship passed through patrilineally from father to son until the 14th century,
5225-439: The end of the Wassoulou Empire. The annexation of Alsace and Lorraine by Germany in 1871 led to numerous volunteers from the two regions enlisting in the Foreign Legion, which gave them the option of French citizenship at the end of their service. With the declaration of war on 29 July 1914, a call was made for foreigners residing in France to support their adopted country. While many would have preferred direct enlistment in
5320-424: The existing force to increase independence and flexibility. The Foreign Legion was dissolved on 8 December 1838, when it had dropped to only 500 men. The survivors returned to France, many reenlisting in the new Foreign Legion along with many of their former Carlist enemies. On 9 June 1854, the French ship Jean Bart embarked four battalions of the Foreign Legion for the Crimean Peninsula . A further battalion
5415-444: The first legionnaires landed in Algeria, the country that shaped its character and became the Foreign Legion's homeland for 130 years. The early years in Algeria were hard on the legion because it was often sent to the worst postings and received the worst assignments, and its members were generally uninterested in the new colony of the French. The Legion served alongside the Battalions of Light Infantry of Africa , formed in 1832, which
5510-538: The fragmentation of the Carolingian Empire in the 9th century. The kings used the title "King of the Franks" ( Latin : Rex Francorum ) until the late twelfth century; the first to adopt the title of "King of France" ( Latin : Rex Franciae ; French : roi de France ) was Philip II in 1190 (r. 1180–1223), after which the title "King of the Franks" gradually lost ground. However, Francorum Rex continued to be sometimes used, for example by Louis XII in 1499, by Francis I in 1515, and by Henry II in about 1550; it
5605-449: The generals' putsch, a crisis hit the legion putting its faith at the corps of the Army. For having rallied to the generals' putsch of April 1961, the 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment of the 10th Parachute Division was dissolved on 30 April 1961 at Zeralda . In 1961, at the issue of the putsch, the 1st Mounted Saharan Squadron of the Foreign Legion ( French : 1 Escadron Saharien Porté de la Légion Etrangère, 1 ESPLE ) received
5700-434: The government of Spain raised the Spanish Foreign Legion and modeled it after the French Foreign Legion. General Jean Mordacq intended to rebuild the Foreign Legion as a larger military formation, doing away with the legion's traditional role as a solely infantry formation. General Mordacq envisioned a Foreign Legion consisting not of regiments, but of divisions with cavalry, engineer, and artillery regiments in addition to
5795-480: The hands of French troops. Constantly being deployed in operations, units of the Legion suffered particularly heavy losses in the climactic Battle of Dien Bien Phu , before the fortified valley finally fell on 7 May 1954. No fewer than 72,833 served in Indochina during the eight-year war. The Legion suffered the loss of 10,283 of its own men in combat: 309 officers, 1082 sous-officiers and 9092 legionnaires. While only one of several Legion units involved in Indochina,
SECTION 60
#17328444715205890-440: The highly decorated 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment (1 REP) took part in the Generals' putsch . In the 1960s and 1970s, Legion regiments had additional roles in sending units as a rapid deployment force to preserve French interests – in its former African colonies and in other nations as well; it also returned to its roots of being a unit always ready to be sent to conflict zones around the world. Some notable operations include
5985-440: The incorporation of foreign nationals into the French Army from the foreign regiments of the Kingdom of France . Recruits included soldiers from the recently disbanded Swiss and German foreign regiments of the Bourbon monarchy. The Royal Ordinance for the establishment of the new regiment specified that the foreigners recruited could only serve outside France. The French expeditionary force that had occupied Algiers in 1830
6080-412: The island was completely pacified by the French under Joseph Gallieni . During that time, insurrections against the Malagasy Christians of the island, missionaries and foreigners were particularly terrible. Queen Ranavalona III was deposed in January 1897 and was exiled to Algiers in Algeria, where she died in 1917. From 1882 until his capture, Samori Ture , ruler of the Wassoulou Empire , fought
6175-476: The key Chinese positions of La Table and Fort Bamboo and disengaged Keelung. In December 1883, during a review of the Second Legion Battalion on the eve of its departure for Tonkin to take part in the Bắc Ninh Campaign , General François de Négrier pronounced a famous mot : Vous, légionnaires, vous êtes soldats pour mourir, et je vous envoie où l'on meurt! ('You, Legionnaires, you are soldiers in order to die, and I'm sending you to where one dies!') As part of
6270-462: The legion's infantry mainstay. In 1920, decrees ordained the establishment of regiments of cavalry and artillery. Immediately following the armistice the Foreign Legion experienced an increase of enlistments. The Foreign Legion began the process of reorganizing and redeploying to Algeria. The Legion played a major part in the Rif War of 1920–25. In 1932, the Foreign Legion consisted of 30,000 men, serving in six multi-battalion regiments including
6365-452: The line became extinct in 1589, in the backdrop of the French Wars of Religion . As Navarre did not have a tradition of male-only primogeniture, the Navarrese monarchy became distinct from the French with Joan II , a daughter of Louis X. The Valois line looked strong on the death of Henry II , who left four male heirs. His first son, Francis II , died in his minority. His second son, Charles IX , had no legitimate sons to inherit. Following
6460-418: The missions to assure surveillance and policing . The independence of Algeria from the French in 1962 was traumatising since it ended with the enforced abandonment of the barracks command center at Sidi Bel Abbès established in 1842. Upon being notified that the elite regiment was to be disbanded and that they were to be reassigned, legionnaires of the 1 REP burned the Chinese pavilion acquired following
6555-404: The older boundaries of Dahomey. King Béhanzin rejected complaints by the French, who proceeded to declare war A battalion, led by commandant Faurax Montier, was formed from two companies of the First Foreign Regiment and two others from the second regiment. From Cotonou , the legionnaires marched to seize Abomey , the capital of the Kingdom of Dahomey . Two and a half months were needed to reach
6650-450: The period of undeclared hostilities that preceded the Sino-French War (August 1884 to April 1885), and formed part of the attack column that stormed the western gate of Sơn Tây on 16 December. The Second and Third Infantry Battalions ( chef de bataillon Diguet and Lieutenant-Colonel Schoeffer) were also deployed to Tonkin shortly afterwards, and were present in all the major campaigns of the Sino-French War. Two Foreign Legion companies led
6745-415: The possession of the territory of France. With the House of Bonaparte , the title " Emperor of the French " ( Empereur des Français ) was used in 19th-century France , during the first and second French Empires, between 1804 and 1814, again in 1815, and between 1852 and 1870. From the 14th century down to 1801, the English (and later British) monarch claimed the throne of France , though such claim
6840-457: The premature death of his fourth son Hercule François and the assassination of his third son, the childless Henry III , France was plunged into a succession crisis over which distant cousin of the king would inherit the throne. The best claimant, King Henry III of Navarre , was a Protestant, and thus unacceptable to much of the French nobility. Ultimately, after winning numerous battles in defence of his claim, Henry converted to Catholicism and
6935-540: The regular French Army, the only option immediately available was that of the Foreign Legion. On 3 August 1914 a reported 8,000 volunteers applied to enlist in the Paris recruiting office of the Legion. In World War I, the Foreign Legion fought in many critical battles on the Western Front, including Artois , Champagne , Somme , Aisne , and Verdun (in 1917), and also suffered heavy casualties during 1918. The Foreign Legion
7030-617: The rest of the " Army of Africa ", the Foreign Legion provided detachments in the campaign of Italy. Two foreign regiments, grouped with the 2nd Regiment of Zouaves , were part of the Second Brigade of the Second Division of Mac Mahon 's Corps . The Foreign Legion acquitted itself particularly well against the Austrians at the battle of Magenta (4 June 1859) and at the Battle of Solferino (24 June). Legion losses were significant and
7125-684: The rise and fall of mass conscript armies , the dismantling of the French colonial empire, and the loss of the Foreign Legion's base, Algeria. Created to fight "outside mainland France ", the Foreign Legion was stationed in Algeria , where it took part in the pacification and development of the colony, notably by drying the marshes in the region of Algiers . The Foreign Legion was initially divided into six "national battalions" (Swiss, Poles, Germans, Italians, Spanish, and Dutch-Belgian). Smaller national groups, such as ten Englishmen recorded in December 1832, appear to have been placed randomly. In late 1831,
7220-469: The same name This set index article includes a list of related items that share the same name (or similar names). If an internal link incorrectly led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=French_Legion&oldid=864740623 " Category : Set index articles Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description
7315-600: The streets of Sevastopol. Although initial reservations had been expressed about whether the Legion should be used outside Africa, the Crimean experience established its suitability for service in European warfare, as well as making a cohesive single entity of what had previously been two separate foreign regiments. Legion casualties in the Crimea were 1,703 killed and wounded out of total French losses by battle and disease of 95,615. Like
7410-428: The time with the French population, they proclaimed Louis Philippe as the new French king, displacing the senior branch of the House of Bourbon. The French Second Republic lasted from 1848 to 1852, when its president, Charles-Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte , was declared Emperor of the French under the regnal name of Napoleon III . He would later be overthrown during the events of the Franco-Prussian War , becoming
7505-527: The unit was handed over to the Spanish government. The Foreign Legion landed via sea at Tarragona on 17 August with around 1,400 who were quickly dubbed Los Argelinos (the Algerians) by locals because of their previous posting. The Foreign Legion's commander immediately dissolved the national battalions to improve the esprit de corps . Later, he also created three squadrons of lancers and an artillery battery from
7600-460: Was Louis Philippe I , king of the July Monarchy (1830–1848), a member of the cadet House of Bourbon-Orléans . The House of Capet are also commonly known as the "Direct Capetians". The death of Charles IV started the Hundred Years' War between the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet , whose claim was taken up by the cadet branch known as the House of Lancaster , over control of
7695-415: Was a penal military unit made up of men with prison records who still had to do their military service or soldiers with serious disciplinary problems. The Foreign Legion's first service in Algeria came to an end after only four years, as it was needed elsewhere. The French government sent the Foreign Legion to Spain to support Isabella II ’s claim to the Spanish throne against her uncle. On 28 June 1835,
7790-506: Was a tumultuous time in French politics. The period is generally considered to have begun with the French Revolution , which deposed and then executed Louis XVI . Royalists continued to recognize his son, the putative king Louis XVII , as ruler of France. Louis was under arrest by the government of the Revolution and died in captivity having never ruled. The republican government went through several changes in form and constitution until France
7885-478: Was also in the Dardanelles and Macedonian front , and was highly decorated for its efforts. Many young foreigners volunteered for the Foreign Legion when the war broke out in 1914. There were marked differences between the idealistic volunteers of 1914 and the hardened men of the old Legion, making assimilation difficult. Nevertheless, the old and the new men of the Foreign Legion fought and died in vicious battles on
7980-490: Was also used on coins up to the eighteenth century. During the brief period when the French Constitution of 1791 was in effect (1791–1792) and after the July Revolution in 1830, the style " King of the French " ( roi des Français ) was used instead of " King of France (and Navarre )". It was a constitutional innovation known as popular monarchy which linked the monarch's title to the French people rather than to
8075-534: Was crowned as King Henry IV, founding the House of Bourbon. This marked the second time the thrones of Navarre and France were united under one monarch, as different inheritance laws had caused them to become separated during the events of the Hundred Years Wars. The House of Bourbon was overthrown during the French Revolution and replaced by a short-lived republic . The period known as the "long nineteenth century"
8170-665: Was declared an empire, following the ascension of the First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte as Emperor Napoleon I. Napoleon was overthrown twice following military defeats during the Napoleonic Wars . After the Napoleonic period followed two different royal governments, the Bourbon Restoration , which was ruled successively by two younger brothers of Louis XVI, and the July Monarchy , ruled by Louis Philippe I ,
8265-605: Was in need of reinforcements, and the Legion was accordingly transferred by sea in detachments from Toulon to Algeria. Since its establishment in 1831, the Legion has consisted of hundreds of thousands in active service at its peak, and suffered the aggregated loss of nearly 40,000 men in France , Algeria , Morocco , Tunisia , Madagascar , West Africa , Mexico , Italy , Crimea , Spain , Indo-China , Norway , Syria , Chad , Zaïre , Lebanon , Central Africa , Gabon , Kuwait , Rwanda , Djibouti , former Yugoslavia , Somalia ,
8360-490: Was purely nominal excepting a short period during the Hundred Years' War when Henry VI of England had control over most of Northern France, including Paris. By 1453, the English had been mostly expelled from France and Henry's claim has since been considered illegitimate; French historiography commonly does not recognize Henry VI of England among the kings of France. The Carolingians were a Frankish noble family with origins in
8455-473: Was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I , king of the Franks ( r. 507–511 ), as the first king of France. However, historians today consider that such a kingdom did not begin until the establishment of West Francia , after
8550-413: Was stationed at Gallipoli as brigade depot. Eight companies drawn from both regiments of the Foreign Legion took part in the Battle of Alma (20 September 1854). Reinforcements by sea brought the Legion contingent up to brigade strength. As the "Foreign Brigade", it served in the Siege of Sevastopol , during the winter of 1854–1855. The lack of equipment was particularly challenging and cholera hit
8645-546: Was succeeded by his son Louis the Pious (r. 814–840), who eventually divided the kingdom between his sons. His death, however, was followed by a three-year-long civil war that ended with the Treaty of Verdun , which divided Francia into three kingdoms, one of which ( Middle Francia ) was short-lived. Modern France developed from West Francia , while East Francia became the Holy Roman Empire and later Germany . By this time,
8740-439: Was tarnished when the elite 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment 1 REP , which was also part of the 10th Parachute Division played a leading role in the generals' putsch of 1961 and was subsequently disbanded. Coming out of a difficult Indochinese conflict, the Foreign Legion reinforced cohesion by extending the duration of basic training. Efforts exerted were successful during this transit; however, entering into December 1960 and
8835-526: Was that Foreign Legion units should remain in Mexico for up to six years to provide a core for the Imperial Mexican Army. However the Legion was withdrawn with the other French forces during February–March 1867. It was in Mexico on 30 April 1863 that the Legion earned its legendary status. A company led by Captain Jean Danjou , numbering 62 Legionnaires and 3 Legion officers, was escorting a convoy to
8930-495: Was the former thrice-reconstituted 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion ( 1 BEP ) and the 2 REP was the former 2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion ( 2 BEP ). Both battalions were renamed and their Legionnaires transferred from Indochina on 1 August 1954 to Algeria by 1 November 1954. Both traced their origins to the Parachute Company of the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment commanded by Legion Lieutenant Jacques Morin attached to
9025-459: Was to exclude former members of the Waffen-SS , and candidates for induction were refused if they exhibited the tell-tale blood type tattoo, or even a scar that might be masking it. The high percentage of Germans was contrary to normal policy concerning a single dominant nationality, and in more recent times Germans have made up a much smaller percentage of the Foreign Legion's composition. During
#519480