maréchaussée

French national police

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June 30, 2026

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The maréchaussée was an early form of French national police, established by King Francis I between 1536 and 1544. Initially, it was tasked with controlling disbanded soldiers who preyed on peasants. These police officials, named prévôts, were assigned to army marshals and patrolled the countryside. While effective in rural areas, the maréchaussée did not address urban policing needs. In 1666, King Louis XIV created a more modern policing system for Paris. The maréchaussée was later abolished during the French Revolution and reinstated as the Gendarmerie Nationale in 1791. The Préfet de Police in Paris, established in 1800, remains a significant police institution today.123

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police
The French police under the monarchy
…be known collectively as the maréchaussée, as they were assigned to the various army marshals. Although effective in the countryside, the maréchaussée was not the answer to the problems afflicting France’s cities—most notably the capital, Paris. (As in England, French cities were at first policed, with little efficiency, by roving…
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…be known collectively as the maréchaussée, as they were assigned to the various army marshals. Although effective in the countryside, the maréchaussée was not the answer to the problems afflicting France’s cities—most notably the capital, Paris. (As in England, French cities were at first policed, with little efficiency, by roving…
Read More