Lieutenant-Général (french: Lieutenant-Général) in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, was a title and rank across various military and security institutions with history dating back well beyond the 18th century. The official historic succession of the "Lieutenant-Général of France" corresponded to

Général de division Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French (Revolutionary) System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corps ...

for the

French Army History Early history The first permanent army, paid with regular wages, instead of feudal levies, was established under Charles VII of France, Charles VII in the 1420 to 1430s. The Kings of France needed reliable troops during and after the ...

, and Vice-Amiral (Vice-Admiral) for the

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

. While the French Navy's equivalent of a

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on th ...

is a Vice-Admiral, the equivalent of today's Lieutenant-Général in the

French Armed Forces The French Armed Forces (french: Forces armées françaises) encompass the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force and the Gendarmerie of the French Republic. The President of France heads the armed forces as Chief of the Armed Forces. France ...

would be partially that of Général de corps d'armée (french: Général de corps d'armée), such was due to the fact that the concept of an Army Corps (french: Corps d'Armée) wasn't adopted first until November 19, 1873, by a Presidential Decree, and the actual rank of Général de corps d'armée was not officially formed until a Law Decree on June 6, 1939. For the

and

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 ...

, the rank corresponded to Lieutenant Général des armées ("Lieutenant-General of the Armies") for land forces, and to

Lieutenant général des Armées navales Lieutenant général des Armées navales was a naval rank in the French Navy during the ancien Régime and until the French Revolution. History Cardinal Mazarin created the rank of Lieutenant général des Armées navales in 1652, as an immediate ...

("Lieutenant-General of the Naval Armies") for the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

. Originally, two positions were created, one for the Levant Fleet in 1652 and one for the Flotte du Ponant in 1654.

History of the rank in France

, under the

, the Restoration (french: restauration) and

July Monarchy The July Monarchy (french: Monarchie de Juillet), officially the Kingdom of France (french: Royaume de France), was a liberal constitutional monarchy in France under , starting on 26 July 1830, with the July Revolution of 1830, and ending 23 ...

, several officers carried the title of Lieutenant-General (french: Lieutenant-Général). Within a general context, the title designated the individual who was delegated all the powers of authority on behalf of the person who he was supposed to replace.

Province Lieutenant-General

The Province Lieutenant-General (french: Lieutenant-Général de Province) was a personage, often issued from high aristocracy, and who represented the King in the provinces of the Kingdom. His role was theoretically resumed to the assurance locum status of the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

. Accordingly, the Kings would hope that their influence would get neutralized simultaneously, preventing any sort of tentative revolt. The charge function of the lieutenant-general became in the 17th century and specially in the 18th century, purely an honorific title: The individual bearing this title would reside in the ''Cour de France'' (french: Cour de France) and would contempt to earn income without actual real work. In addition, the Kings had the tendency to nominate the sons which were heir to their fathers, a hereditary system which made the offices of the lieutenant-general strictly part of the patrimony of aristocratic families. One should not mix the office of the lieutenant-general with that of the Lieutenant of the King (french: Lieutenant du Roi). The Lieutenant of the King was subordinated to the Lieutenant-General and his role (within a similar framework: represented the King in the provinces) was only upheld with very limited functions.

Lieutenant-General Bailliage

The Lieutenant-General Baillage (''Baillage'' (french: bailliage) or ''Sénéchaussée'' (french: sénéchaussée) - ''Bailliage'' : designated both a territorial entity (administrative, financial or legal circumscription) and the charge officer of that function, designated as ''Bailli'') was the name which referred to the Grand-Judge (french: Juge-Mage), charged with replacing temporarily the ''Bailli'' (french:

bailli A bailiff (french: bailli, ) was the king's administrative representative during the ''ancien régime'' in northern France, where the bailiff was responsible for the application of justice and control of the administration and local finances in h ...

) and ''Sénéchal'' (french:

Sénéchal Senechal or Sénéchal may refer to: People * Florian Sénéchal, French racing cyclist * Marjorie Senechal (née Wikler), American mathematician and historian of science * Michel Sénéchal, French tenor * Robert Sénéchal, French industrialis ...

) in relation to legal cases.

Lieutenant-General of the Police

The title of Lieutenant-General of the Police (french: lieutenant-général de police) under the

was established in 1667, at

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, to assure and maintain order. As of 1699, other Police Lieutenant-Generals were established in other grand cities in France.

Lieutenant-General of the Kingdom

The title of Lieutenant-General of the Kingdom referred to a temporary function which the Kings, in circumstances of crises, invested all their power in them to exercise their will or part of their royal authority. Charged with this function were: *

Charles V of France Charles V (21 January 1338 – 16 September 1380), called the Wise (french: le Sage; la, Sapiens), was King of France from 1364 to his death in 1380. His reign marked an early high point for France during the Hundred Years' War, with his armi ...

, from 1356 to 1358 during the captivity of his father

John II of France John II (french: Jean II; 26 April 1319 – 8 April 1364), called John the Good (French: ''Jean le Bon''), was King of France from 1350 until his death in 1364. When he came to power, France faced several disasters: the Black Death, which killed ...

in England, *

Charles VII of France Charles VII (22 February 1403 – 22 July 1461), called the Victorious (french: le Victorieux) or the Well-Served (), was King of France from 1422 to his death in 1461. In the midst of the Hundred Years' War, Charles VII inherited the throne of F ...

, in 1417 was nominated to Lieutenant-General of the Kingdom at age 14, to replace his father King

Charles VI of France Charles VI (3 December 136821 October 1422), nicknamed the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé) and later the Mad (french: le Fol or ''le Fou''), was King of France from 1380 until his death in 1422. He is known for his mental illness and psychotic ...

who became Mad, * Charles de Melun, Grand Master of France who filled the function of the

Constable of France The Constable of France (french: Connétable de France, from Latin for 'count of the stables') was lieutenant to the King of France, the first of the original five Great Officers of the Crown (along with seneschal, chamberlain, butler, and ...

, decapitated on the place of Marché in Petit-Andely on August 20, 1468, * Francis, Duke of Guise from 1558 to 1560, *

Henry III of France Henry III (french: Henri III, né Alexandre Édouard; pl, Henryk Walezy; lt, Henrikas Valua; 19 September 1551 – 2 August 1589) was King of France from 1574 until his assassination in 1589, as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Li ...

in 1567, * Charles, Duke of Mayenne in 1589, *

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **'' Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **'' Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, t ...

Armand Jean du Plessis,

Duke of Richelieu Duke of Richelieu (french: duc de Richelieu) was a title of French nobility. It was created on 26 November 1629 for Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu (known as Cardinal Richelieu) who, as a Roman Catholic clergyman, had no issue to pass it dow ...

and Fronsac in 1629, *

Joseph Bonaparte it, Giuseppe-Napoleone Buonaparte es, José Napoleón Bonaparte , house = Bonaparte , father = Carlo Buonaparte , mother = Letizia Ramolino , birth_date = 7 January 1768 , birth_place = Corte, Corsica, Republic ...

, Lieutenant-General of the Empire in 1814, * The Count of Artois in 1814, * The Duke of Orléans on July 31, 1830, who assured the régence to count from August 2, before being proclaimed King of the French under the name of Louis Philippe I on August 9, 1830.

Lieutenant-General of the Armies

The rank of Lieutenant-General of the Armies for the Army, and Lieutenant-General of the Naval Armies for the

, was an elevated rank in the military hierarchy of the

, inaccessible to a commoner. It was junior only to the

Marshals of France Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished ( ...

(french: maréchaux) and Colonel-Generals of France (french: colonels généraux), The Duke of Orleans was the Colonel-General of the

Hussar A hussar ( , ; hu, huszár, pl, husarz, sh, husar / ) was a member of a class of light cavalry, originating in Central Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely ...

s in 1817. for the

, and the

Admirals of France Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet ...

(french: amiraux de France) and Vice-Admirals of France (french: vice-amiraux de France), for the

, not titles of

military rank Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibility in ...

(french: grade militaire), but

Great Officers of the Crown of France The Great Officers of the Crown of France (french: Grands officiers de la couronne de France) were the most important officers of state in the French royal court during the ''Ancien Régime'' and Bourbon Restoration. They were appointed by the ...

(french: grand office de la couronne de France), a dignity both honorific and lucrative. The rank of Lieutenant-General of France was the succeeding equivalent rank of a

général de division Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French (Revolutionary) System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corps ...

and the Lieutenant-General of the Naval Armies the succeeding equivalent of a Vice-Admiral of the actual époque. The ranks of Lieutenant-General of the Armies were renamed as ''

Général de Division Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French (Revolutionary) System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corps ...

'' and '' Vice-Amiral'' ( Vice-Admiral) in 1791. In 1814, the rank of

was renamed as ''Lieutenant-General of the Armies'', before definitely being referred to as

Général is the French word for general. There are two main categories of generals: the general officers (), which are the highest-ranking commanding officers in the armed forces, and the specialist officers with flag rank (), which are high-level office ...

officer corps in 1848. The rank of Général de corps d'armée wasn't officially adopted until 1939, along with 5 other

ranks which included 1

Général d'armée Army general (french: Général d'armée) is the highest active military rank of the French Army and the National Gendarmerie. It is also used in the Air and Space Force, where it is called . Officially, it is not a rank but a position and styl ...

rank, 2 Aerial general officer ranks of the

French Air Force The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Ar ...

and 2 Admiral ranks of the

Sources and references

Notes Citations References *Jean-Luc Messager, ''La Légion étrangère 175 ans d'histoire'' (The French Foreign Legion 175 years of History), édition EPA Hachette livre, 2007 * {{cite book, last=Vergé-Franceschi, first=Michel, authorlink=Michel Vergé-Franceschi, year=2002 , title=Dictionnaire d'Histoire maritime , publisher=Robert Laffont , location=Paris, isbn=2-221-08751-8 Military ranks of France