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…