Jean Martinet (d. 1672) was a French lieutenant colonel and Inspector General from 1667 to 1672, and one of the first great drill masters of modern times. Martinet served during the reign of Louis XIV, helping to instill discipline in the aftermath of the 30 Years War and the Franco-Spanish War. He was active during the

War of Devolution The War of Devolution took place from May 1667 to May 1668. In the course of the war, Kingdom of France, France occupied large parts of the Spanish Netherlands and County of Burgundy, Franche-Comté, both then provinces of the Holy Roman Empire ...

under the command of the

Secretary of State for War The secretary of state for war, commonly called the war secretary, was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, which existed from 1794 to 1801 and from 1854 to 1964. The secretary of state for war headed the War Offic ...

, François-Michel le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois He was a severe drillmaster, which made him unpopular among his troops, and "vigorously imposed discipline on both men and officers: henceforward the latter had to obey commands given to them by superior officers regardless of their own social status." Martinet revolutionized the early modern army by instituting a standardized system capable of turning raw recruits into a disciplined fighting force, thereby eliminating the

mercenaries A mercenary is a private individual who joins an War, armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rath ...

, who had been the mainstays of earlier armies. He also introduced the

bayonet A bayonet (from Old French , now spelt ) is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , now spelt ) is a knife, dagger">knife">-4; we might wonder whethe ...

and the depot system into the French army, which put a stop to the army feeding off the enemy land, making war more humane and effective. The English word '' martinet'' derives from the general's last name. Historical records say that Martinet was eventually killed by friendly fire at the beginning of

Franco-Dutch War The Franco-Dutch War, 1672 to 1678, was primarily fought by Kingdom of France, France and the Dutch Republic, with both sides backed at different times by a variety of allies. Related conflicts include the 1672 to 1674 Third Anglo-Dutch War and ...

while leading an infantry assault at the siege of

Duisburg Duisburg (; , ) is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine (Lower Rhine) and the Ruhr (river), Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruh ...

.Martinet - encyclopedia. (n.d.). https://theodora.com/encyclopedia/m/martinet.html#:~:text=Martinet%20seems%20also%20to%20have,while%20leading%20the%20infantry%20assault.

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External links

Article on Jean MartinetEtymology
of the word martinet on Dictionary.com 1672 deaths French military personnel of the Franco-Dutch War Military personnel killed by friendly fire 17th-century soldiers 17th-century French military personnel Year of birth unknown Louis XIV French colonels {{France-mil-bio-stub