The École Militaire (; "military school") is a complex of buildings in Paris, France, which house various military training facilities. It was founded in 1751 by King

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

and is located in the

7th arrondissement of Paris The 7th arrondissement of Paris (''VIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of the capital city of France. It is known for being, along with the 16th arrondissement and the ''commune'' of Neuilly-sur-Sein ...

, southeast of the

Champ de Mars Champ, CHAMP or The Champ may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Champ (cartoon character), an animated dog introduced in 1960 * The Champ, played on radio and created by Jake Edwards (radio personality), Jake Edwards * Champ ...

. The building, constructed by

Ange-Jacques Gabriel Ange-Jacques Gabriel (; 23 October 1698 – 4 January 1782) was the principal architect of King Louis XV of France. His major works included the Place de la Concorde, the École Militaire, and the Petit Trianon and opera theater at the Palace of ...

, is an active military academy and was classified as a national monument since 1990. This site can be visited during the

European Heritage Days European Heritage Days (EHD) is a joint action of the Council of Europe and the European Commission involving all 50 signatory states of the European Cultural Convention under the motto, ''Europe: a common heritage''. The annual programme offers ...

History

Origins of the Institution

L'École Militaire was founded in 1750, after the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...

, by

on the basis of a proposal of Marshal

Maurice de Saxe Maurice, Count of Saxony (, ; 28 October 1696 – 20 November 1750) was a notable soldier, officer and a famed military commander of the 18th century. The illegitimate son of Augustus II the Strong, King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania ...

and with the support of

Madame de Pompadour Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour (, ; 29 December 1721 – 15 April 1764), commonly known as Madame de Pompadour, was a member of the French court. She was the official chief mistress of King Louis XV from 1745 to 1751, and rema ...

and financier

Joseph Paris Duverney Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...

. Previously, military academies were exclusive to children of a noble background and offered apprenticeships in the King's Stables or the stables of other royal members. With the aim of creating an academic college for cadet officers from poor noble families, the exclusivity that royal military academies held vanished. By the edict of January 1751, King Louis XV established the institution to provide education to five hundred young noblemen born without fortune. Article XI of the edict provides for "by way of first perpetual endowment" the tax on playing cards. The administration is entrusted to the Secretary of State for War. The Royal Military Academy included a number of military colleges in the province such as the School of Brienne where students were admitted on evidence of nobility. At the end of their schooling, admission to the Royal Military School in Paris was done through a national competition.

Architecture and Ange-Jacques Gabriel

Charged by King

to design a grander building than the

Hôtel des Invalides The Hôtel des Invalides (; ), commonly called (; ), is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and an old soldi ...

(constructed by

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

), Ange-Jacques Gabriel broke ground in 1752 on the farm of

Grenelle Grenelle () is a neighbourhood in southwestern Paris, France. It is a part of the 15th arrondissement of the city. There is currently a Boulevard de Grenelle which runs along the North delimitation of the ''quartier'', and a Rue de Grenelle, ...

. After years of construction, the school was opened in 1760. Gabriel presented an immense area with beautiful façades and water running through a network of wells and pipes. The entirety was indeed much larger and more striking than the Invalides. The

Comte de Saint-Germain The Count of St. Germain (French: ''Comte de Saint Germain''; ; – 27 February 1784) whose real name and origins remain unknown, was a European adventurer who had interests and achievements in science, alchemy, philosophy, and the arts. He ...

reorganised the establishment in 1777 under the name of the ''École des Cadets-gentilshommes'' ("School of Young Gentlemen"), which accepted the young

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

in 1784. Bonaparte went on to graduate after only one year instead of the usual two. The ''École'' now incorporates: * the

Saint-Louis Chapel, Paris {{Infobox building , name = Saint-Louis Chapel, École Militaire , image = Central building of Ecole Militaire at dusk, Paris 7e 20140607 1.jpg , image_size = 250 , caption = Central École building, contain ...

* The ''

École de guerre École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * Éco ...

'' (EdG) (School of Warfare) * The ''

Ecole de Guerre-Terre The École de guerre-Terre (, "Army War College", abbr. EDG-T) is a French staff college that trains senior army officers, recruited mainly after succeeding competitive examinations right after the first part of their military career, in which t ...

'' (EdG-T) (School of Land Warfare) * The ''

Institut des hautes études de défense nationale An institute is an organizational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes ca ...

'' (Institute of Advanced Studies in National Defense) File:Ecole-militaire-from-place-de-fontenoy.jpg, École Militaire from the

Place de Fontenoy The Place de Fontenoy () is a square in Paris, France, named after the victory of Maréchal Maurice de Saxe in the Battle of Fontenoy. At number 7 is the World Heritage Centre,UNESCOContact and visit Unesco/ref> the headquarters of the UNESCO ...

File:École Militaire Chapelle St Louis.jpg, Saint-Louis Chapel

References

External links

Official website of CID
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ecole Militaire Education in Paris 1750 establishments in France Office buildings in Paris Military academies of France Buildings and structures in the 7th arrondissement of Paris Palaces and residences of Napoleon Educational institutions established in 1750 Terminating vistas in Paris Universities and colleges established in the 18th century

History

Origins of the Institution

Architecture and Ange-Jacques Gabriel

See also

References

External links