Very pleased to have a couple of new cavalry units ready for action. Lee did a very nice job of painting these. Strictly speaking, this is a single, large unit, but the way my rules handle that is to field them as two separate units, brigaded together.
These chaps, then, represent 6 squadrons of the Gendarmérie de France. The flags are from Robert Hall, the castings are Les Higgins 20mm with some command figures from Irregular.
I thought Napoleon's Guard was pretty confusing, but I have more problems understanding Louis XIV's household regiments. These chaps, I believe, were part of the Royal Household but not part of the actual Guard. No, I don't really see that either, but it means that in my games they will get "Status = 4" rating, which is elite, so that's all we need to know.
They look jolly nice - obviously pleased that you let them out for a trot on such a pleasant sunny day.
ReplyDeleteI was kind of hoping they would eat the lawn a bit, but it didn't work.
DeleteI suspect it's due to the origins of the French army.
ReplyDeleteBy the renaissance and Italian Wars the French had established what would be the form of the later French army.
The king would have his own household knights and the French nobility would provide the bulk of the heavy cavalry, the men-at-arms or gens d'armes. Both are usually called Gensdarmes, heavy armoured knights and lesser armoured nobility and retainers. Bands of "adventurers" provided the French infantry , with Picards and Gascons predominant. Everyone else were hired foreign help, apart from a few mounted crossbows.
So you either belonged to the King's household or were technically the nobility and retainers called out for duty. Later, Swiss Guards were added. The structure seems to have remained until the Wars of Religion settled down.
When it came to forming a proper army, there were household guards, gensdarmes called out at the will of the king (serving him rather than the state) and the "old bands" of Picardy, Gascony, Normandy etc to form your infantry.
I imagine a colonel proprietor was an easy transition from noble retainer of the king.
That's my take on it anyway.
Neil
Thank you Neil - I'm not sure my grasp has improved, but I'll have another go. Most of the immediate confusion for me with this unit is that there seem to have been Guard Gendarmes and the Gendarmerie de France, which had nothing to do with each other, and there is much disagreement between a number of the accepted key books on the subject. I try to absorb this in small bites!
DeleteI think the key here is the element of control exercised by the king of France.
ReplyDeleteHis household troops would be under his control, as would the ordinance companies - the equivalent of a standing army or as near to as you could get. The Gendarmes were part of the ordinance.
Infantry and other cavalry were under the masters of foot and horse - essentially contracted down through to the unit commanders.
IIRC it was Louis XIV who managed to take over the master of foot position, so put them under his control as the contract would be with him directly. I suspect the Gensdarmes were always contracted by the king via the ordinances, rather than a master of horse middleman.
Neil
I guess (though I am not certain of my facts, of course) that this may be why the Gensd de Fr managed to get far away enough from Louis to appear at Höchstädt - I don't think there were any real Guard units there. If this is bollocks, just ignore it!
DeleteVery nice looking additions to the WSS French army!
ReplyDeleteThanks Keith - these guys are double-varnished for extra gleam!
DeleteLovely toys Tony…
ReplyDeleteThe organisation has never made any sense to me…
Louis XIV… posh bloke with too much money…
If he wants it… and it’s pretty…..😁
I am sure I would do the same 😂
All the best. Aly
Thanks Aly. Maybe you have more in common with Louis than we all thought? Louis would claim he had more beautiful legs though. I don't have a view on that.
DeleteGendarmes, some of my favourite cavalry in the French army a sort of ‘Middle Guard’ but I always count them as elite 😁 very nice pieces
ReplyDeleteHi Graham - Middle Guard - OK - I can handle that!
DeleteSplendour in the grass! (With apologies to the Byron music festival).
ReplyDeleteWonderful.
Regards, James
Thank you James. I read tales of horror in the papers about the music festival - good grief - why do people do this to themselves?
DeleteIt's Byron Bay Tony, a world apart and then some more!
Delete