The Ministry of War () was the
Government of France
The Government of France (, ), officially the Government of the French Republic (, ), exercises Executive (government), executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister of France, prime minister, who is the head of government, ...
department responsible for the
French Army
The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...
, the
National Gendarmerie and until 1934, the
French Air Force. It existed from 25 May 1791 to 31 October 1947, date to which it was merged with the
Ministry of the Navy and the
Ministry of Air into the
Ministry of Armed Forces (then Ministry of National Defence). It was headed by the
Minister of War
A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...
, occasionally taking various titles.
History
The Ministry of War was the heir of the royal Department for War existing during the
Ancien régime
''Ancien'' may refer to
* the French word for " ancient, old"
** Société des anciens textes français
* the French for "former, senior"
** Virelai ancien
** Ancien Régime
** Ancien Régime in France
{{disambig ...
. On 27 April 1791, the
National Constituent Assembly issued a decree organizing the six ministries of Justice, Interior, Finances, War, Navy and Foreign Affairs. The decree was signed into law on 25 May 1791 by King
Louis XVI
Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...
.
The
Committee of Public Safety
The Committee of Public Safety () was a committee of the National Convention which formed the provisional government and war cabinet during the Reign of Terror, a violent phase of the French Revolution. Supplementing the Committee of General D ...
suspended all six ministries in April 1794 and implemented instead twelve
Executive Commissions ; this act dismembered the department into numerous commissions. The ministry was reinstated with the formation of the
Directory in November 1795.
In 1817, the State acquired the
Hôtel de Brienne, at 14
rue Saint-Dominique (
7th arrondissement) to serve as the Ministry of War.
In 1915, during the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, an Under Secretariat of State of the Military Aeronautics was created. It would eventually become independent in 1928 as the Ministry of Air.
The ministry remained in place in all subsequent governments, with some temporary name changes, until its final merger with the Ministry of the Navy and the Ministry of Air into the Ministry of Defence on 31 October 1947.
Minister
Organisation
Napoleonic Wars
During the
Napoleonic Wars
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Napoleonic Wars
, partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
, image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg
, caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
, the minister was organised as follows:
Ministry of War Headquarters, at the Ministry of War Building in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
[Pawley, pp. 79–80]
*
Minister of War
A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...
* Ministry of War Administration
** Intendant General of the Army (
Jean François Aimé Dejean, 1802–1810;
Jean-Gérard Lacuée, ''Comte de'' Cessac 1810–13; and
Pierre Antoine Noël Bruno 1813–14 & 1815)
*** Director General for Supplies (
Augustin Louis Petiet, 1804–06;
Jacques-Pierre Orillard de Villemanzy, 1806; Pierre Antoine Noël Bruno, 1806–12;
Guillaume-Mathieu Dumas, 1812–14;
Jean-Pierre-Paulin-Hector Daure, 1815)
*** Chief Organizing Commissioners
**** Gendarmerie Department
**** Hospitals Department
**** Transport Department
**** Supplies & Rations Department
**** Support Department
* Director General of Reviews of Conscription (Jean-Gérard Lacuée, ''Comte de'' Cessac, 1806–10;, Guillaume-Mathieu Dumas, 1810–12; and
Étienne d'Hastrel de Rivedoux, 1812–14)
* 6 x Inspectors in Chief of Reviews (Divisional Generals)
* 30 x Inspectors of Reviews (Brigade Generals)
* 100 x Sub-Inspectors of Reviews (Colonels)
* Assistant Sub-Inspectors, 1st Class (''Chefs de Bataillons'') – posts created in 1811
* Assistant Sub-Inspectors, 2nd Class (Captains)
* War Commissaires
Post-Napoleonic Wars
Footnotes
Notes
Citations
References
*
{{authority control
Military of France
War
Lists of political office-holders in France