Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Gendarmerie
(950 words)

1. Introduction

The term gendarmerie (French, from gens d'armes, “armed people”) has undergone a drastic change in meaning over the course of its history. At first, in the Late Middle Ages, it referred in Burgundy to royal and princely life guards, but during the French Revolution, it was transferred by law to refer to the so-called Maréchaussée (soldiers stationed in administrative centers to support the royal courts), which from 179…

Cite this page
Nowosadtko, Jutta, “Gendarmerie”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_019851>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20180208



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