gendarmerie

French army

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June 23, 2026

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The term "gendarmerie" refers to a body of soldiers, particularly in France, who serve as an armed police force responsible for maintaining public order. A "gendarme" is a member of this force or, more broadly, a police officer.1

The Pr\u00e9fecture de Police is one of France's main police forces, overseeing preventive policing in Paris and the Seine d\u00e9partement. Its uniformed members are known as gardiens de la paix, handling traffic and crowd control, while plainclothes members investigate serious crimes across France. The term "gendarme" can also be used metaphorically to describe someone acting as a global enforcer.23

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France
Military and financial organization
…d’ordonnance, known collectively as the gendarmerie, consisted of noble volunteers. The infantry, however, was made up of non-nobles, and by the middle of the 16th century there were more than 30,000 infantrymen to a mere 5,000 noble horsemen. As this infantry force grew in number, its organization changed. After a…
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…d’ordonnance, known collectively as the gendarmerie, consisted of noble volunteers. The infantry, however, was made up of non-nobles, and by the middle of the 16th century there were more than 30,000 infantrymen to a mere 5,000 noble horsemen. As this infantry force grew in number, its organization changed. After a…
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France
Police services
There is also the national gendarmerie, a kind of state police, which is responsible to the minister of defense, combats terrorism, and is of particular importance in the rural areas.
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There is also the national gendarmerie, a kind of state police, which is responsible to the minister of defense, combats terrorism, and is of particular importance in the rural areas.
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