Henry IV at the Battle of Ivry, by Peter Paul Rubens. Ivry was the most important battle in the French Wars of Religion; victory there allowed a Protestant Henry to ascend to the French throne and establish the Bourbon dynasty, although he converted to Catholicism to soften the political transition.

Military history of France Portal

The military history of France encompasses an immense panorama of conflicts and struggles extending for more than 2,000 years across areas including modern France, greater Europe, and European territorial possessions overseas. Because of such lengthy periods of warfare, the peoples of France have often been at the forefront of military development, and as a result, military trends emerging in France have had a decisive impact on European and world history. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (860x468, 36 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Military history of France ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (860x468, 36 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Military history of France ... Henry IV (French: Henri IV; December 13, 1553 – May 14, 1610), was the first monarch of the Bourbon dynasty in France. ... The Battle of Ivry was fought on March 14, 1590, during the French Wars of Religion. ... Rubens and Isabella Brant in the Honeysuckle Bower Alte Pinakothek Pieter Pauwel (Peter Paul) Rubens (June 28, 1577 – May 30, 1640) was the most popular and prolific Flemish and European painter of the 17th century. ... The French Wars of Religion were a series of conflicts fought between Catholics and Huguenots (Protestants) from the middle of the sixteenth century to the Edict of Nantes in 1598, including civil infighting as well as military operations. ... Protestantism is one of three primary branches of Christianity. ... This article or section should include material from France: Wars of Religion - Bourbon Dynasty The House of Bourbon dates from at least the beginning of the 13th century, when the estate of Bourbon was ruled by a Lord, vassal of France. ... It has been suggested that Catholic, One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church be merged into this article or section. ... Image File history File links Portal. ... World map showing Europe Political map (neighboring countries in Asia and Africa also shown) Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth. ... This is a list of former European colonies. ... The Treaty of Rome signing ceremony. ... The history of the world, in popular parlance, is human history, from the first appearance of Homo sapiens to the present. ...

Gallo-Roman conflict predominated from 400 BC to 50 BC, with the Romans emerging victorious in the conquest of Gaul by Julius Caesar. After the decline of the Roman Empire, a Germanic tribe known as the Franks took control of Gaul by defeating competing tribes. The "land of Francia," from which France gets its name, had high points of expansion under kings Clovis I and Charlemagne. In the Middle Ages, rivalries with England and the Holy Roman Empire prompted major conflicts such as the Hundred Years' War. With an increasingly centralized monarchy and the first standing army since Roman times, France came out of the Middle Ages as the most powerful nation in Europe, only to lose that status to Spain following defeat in the Italian Wars. The Wars of Religion crippled France in the late sixteenth century, but a major victory over Spain in the Thirty Years' War, with help from Sweden, made France the most powerful nation on the continent once more. The wars of Louis XIV in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries left France territorially larger, but bankrupt. This article covers the culture of Romanized areas of Gaul. ... BC may stand for: Before Christ (see Anno Domini) : an abbreviation used to refer to a year before the beginning of the year count that starts with the supposed year of the birth of Jesus. ... Combatants Roman Republic Gallic tribes, including Helvetii, Arvernii Commanders Julius Caesar Quintus Cicero Mark Antony Among others, Vercingetorix The Gallic Wars were a series of wars fought between the Romans and the people of Gaul during the mid-first century BC, culminating in the Battle of Alesia in 52 BC... Gaius Julius Caesar (IPA: ;[1]), July 12, 100 BC – March 15, 44 BC) was a Roman military and political leader. ... The Roman Empire was a phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by an autocratic form of government. ... The term Germanic tribes applies to the ancient Germanic peoples of Europe. ... For other uses, see Franks (disambiguation). ... Map of Gaul circa 58 BC Gaul (Latin Gallia, Greek Galatia) was the region of Western Europe occupied by present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ... Clovis I, King of the Franks. ... Charlemagne, portrait by Albrecht Dürer. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq... The Holy Roman Empire and from the 16th century on also The Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation was a political conglomeration of lands in Central Europe in the Middle Ages and the early modern period. ... Combatants England Burgundy Brittany Portugal France Castile Scotland Genoa Majorca Bohemia Aragon Navarre Flanders Hainault Aquitaine Luxembourg The Hundred Years War was a conflict between England and France, lasting 116 years from 1337 to 1453. ... For the war between the Roman Republic and other Italian cities see Social War. ... The French Wars of Religion were a series of conflicts fought between Catholics and Huguenots (Protestants) from the middle of the sixteenth century to the Edict of Nantes in 1598, including civil infighting as well as military operations. ... Combatants Protestantism: Sweden,Denmark, France, Scotland and protestant German countries like Saxony Roman Catholic Church: Holy Roman Empire, Spain Commanders Gustav II Adolf Ferdinand II The Thirty Years War was fought between 1618 and 1648, principally on the territory of todays Germany, also involving most of the major European... Louis XIV King of France and Navarre By Hyacinthe Rigaud (1701) Louis XIV (Louis-Dieudonné) (September 5, 1638–September 1, 1715) reigned as King of France and King of Navarre from May 14, 1643 until his death. ...

In the eighteenth century, global competition with Great Britain led to defeat in the Seven Years' War, where France lost its North American holdings, but consolation came in the form of the American Revolutionary War, where extensive French aid led to America's independence.^[3] Internal political upheaval eventually led to 23 years of nearly continuous war in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. France reached the zenith of its power during this period, but by 1815 it had been restored to its pre-Revolutionary borders. The rest of the nineteenth century witnessed the growth of the French colonial empire and wars with Russia, Austria, and Prussia. Following defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, Franco-German rivalry reasserted itself again in World War I, this time France, with British and to a much lesser extent, American aid, emerging as the winner. Tensions over the Versailles Treaty led to the Second World War, where it was humiliated in the Battle of France. The Allies eventually emerged victorious over the Germans, however, and France was given an occupation zone in Germany. The two world wars destroyed Franco-German rivalry and paved the way for European integration, economically, politically, and militarily. Today, French military intervention is most often seen in its former colonies and with its NATO allies in hot spots around the world. Combatants Prussia, , Great Britain, , Hanover, Hesse-Kassel, Brunswick, , Ireland, , Portugal , Austria, , France, , Russia, Saxony, , Sweden, , Spain The Seven Years War (1754 and 1756–1763), some of the theatres of which are called the Pomeranian War and the French and Indian War (see below), was a war in the mid-18th... New France (French: la Nouvelle-France) describes the area colonized by France in North America during a period extending from the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River, by Jacques Cartier in 1534, to the cession of New France to the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1763. ... Combatants American Revolutionaries, France, The Netherlands, Spain, American Indians Great Britain, German mercenaries, Loyalists, American Indians Canadian Indians Commanders George Washington, Comte de Rochambeau, Nathanael Greene, Bernardo de Gálvez Sir William Howe, Sir Henry Clinton, Lord Cornwallis (more commanders) The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), also known as the... Engraving based on the painting Action Between the Serapis and Bonhomme Richard by Richard Paton, published 1780. ... Combatants Kingdom of Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, Spain, Russia, Sardinia France The French Revolutionary Wars occurred between the outbreak of war between the French Revolutionary government and Austria in 1792 and the Treaty of Amiens in 1802. ... Combatants Allies: • Great Britain/United Kingdom, • Prussia, • Austria, • Sweden, • Russia, • and Others • France • Denmark-Norway • Poland Casualties Full list The Napoleonic Wars consisted of a series of wars fought during Napoleon Bonapartes rule over France. ... Map of the first (light blue) and second (dark blue — plain and hachured) French colonial empires France had colonial possessions, in various forms, since the beginning of the 17th century until the 1960s. ... Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1701-1918 Prussia (German: ; Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Lithuanian: ; Polish: ; Old Prussian: PrÅ«sa) was, most recently, a historic state originating in East Prussia, an area which for centuries had substantial influence on German and European history. ... Combatants Second French Empire North German Confederation allied with south German states (later German Empire) Commanders Napoleon III Helmuth von Moltke Strength 500,000[citation needed] 550,000[citation needed] Casualties 150,000 dead or wounded 284,000 captured 350,000 civilian [citation needed] 100,000 dead or wounded 200... Combatants Allied Powers: United Kingdom France Italy Russia United States Serbia Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Nicholas II Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Reinhard Scheer Franz Josef I Conrad von Hötzendorf Ä°smail Enver Ferdinand I Casualties... Woodrow Wilson with the American Peace Commissioners For other treaties with this name, see Treaty of Versailles (disambiguation) The Treaty of Versailles (1919) was the peace treaty which officially ended World War I between the Allied and Associated Powers and the German Empire. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Combatants France United Kingdom Canada Poland Belgium Netherlands Luxembourg Nazi Germany Italy Commanders Maurice Gamelin, Maxime Weygand (French) Lord Gort (British Expeditionary Force) H.G. Winkelman (Dutch) Gerd von Rundstedt (Army Group A) Fedor von Bock (Army Group B) Wilhelm von Leeb (Army Group C) H.R.H. Umberto di... The group of countries known as the Allies of World War II consisted of those nations opposed to the Axis Powers during the Second World War. ... The four Allied occupation zones in post-war Germany and Austria The Allied powers who defeated Germany in World War II divided the country west of the Oder-Neisse line into four occupation zones for administrative purposes during the period 1945-1949. ... European integration is the process of political and economic (and in some cases social and cultural) integration of European states into a tighter bloc. ... Organization The French armed forces are divided into four branches: French Army, including Chasseurs Alpins Foreign Legion Marine troops light aviation engineers Navy, including Naval Air naval fusiliers and naval commandos Air Force, including territorial Air Defense air fusiliers National Gendarmerie (military police force) Every year on Bastille Day, a... NATO 2002 Summit in Prague The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation[1] (NATO), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, the Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for collective security established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, DC, on 4 April 1949. ...

Themes in French military history

European conflicts

A map of modern France. After centuries of warfare, France is territorially the largest nation in Western Europe.

French strategic thinking has often been driven by the need to attain or preserve the so-called "natural frontiers," the Pyrenees to the southwest, the Alps to the southeast, and the Rhine River to the east. Starting with Clovis, 1,500 years of warfare has witnessed the accomplishment of most of these objectives, with modern-day France lacking only about two-thirds of the Rhine, which is in Germany. Nevertheless, France is territorially the largest nation-state in Western Europe. map of France, converted directly from CIA World Factbook GIF map of france converted directly from the world atlas File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... map of France, converted directly from CIA World Factbook GIF map of france converted directly from the world atlas File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... A common understanding of Western Europe in modern times. ... Central Pyrenees. ... The West face of the Petit Dru above the Chamonix valley near the Mer de Glace. ... The Rhine canyon (Ruinaulta) in Graubünden in Switzerland Length 1. ... Clovis may refer to the following: The personal name of Germanic origin that primarily saw use in Europe before the year 1000 AD. Several locales and persons of historical importance have borne this name. ... A common understanding of Western Europe in modern times. ...

Warfare with other European powers was not always determined by these considerations, and often peoples in France extended their continental authority far beyond these barriers, most notably under Charlemagne, Louis XIV, and Napoleon. These periods of heavy militaristic activity were characterized by their own peculiar sociopolitical and war-related conventions, but all required strong central leadership in order to permit the extension of French rule.

Important military rivalries in human history have come about as a result of conflict between French peoples and other European powers. Anglo-French rivalry, for preeminence in Europe and around the world, continued for centuries, while the more recent Franco-German rivalry required two world wars to stabilize. French involvement in these protracted geostrategic clashes was at times both successful and unsuccessful. The wars themselves had complex political dimensions, often involving alliance systems that rarely remained static and that yielded dynamic solutions on the battlefield.

Imperial objectives and post-colonial status

Starting in the early sixteenth century, much of France's military efforts were dedicated to securing its overseas possessions and putting down dissent among both French colonists and native populations. French troops were spread all across its empire, primarily to deal with the local population. This phase of French militarism only came to an end with the failed attempt to subdue Algerian nationalists in the late 1950s. However, even in the twenty-first century, many former French colonies still expect France to provide assistance to put down revolutionary activity.

Since World War II, France's efforts have been directed at maintaining its status as a great power and its influence on the UN Security Council, despite the fact its military capability is being overtaken by the rising power of the People's Republic of China and India, among others. However, France has also been instrumental in attempting to unite the armed forces of Europe for their own defense in order to both balance the power of Russia and to lessen European military dependence on the United States. For example, for some time France withdrew from NATO over complaints that its role in the organization was being subordinated to the demands of the United States. This article is becoming very long. ... A session of the Security Council in progress The United Nations Security Council is the most powerful organ of the United Nations. ...

French objectives in this era have undergone major shifts. Unencumbered by continental wars or intricate alliances, France now deploys its military forces as part of international peacekeeping operations, security enforcers in former colonies, or maintains them combat ready and mobilized to respond to threats from rogue states. France is a nuclear power with the largest nuclear arsenal in Europe, and its nuclear capabilities, just like its conventional forces, are being restructured to rapidly deal with emerging threats.^[4] Rogue state is a term applied by some international theorists to states considered threatening to the worlds peace. ...

Gauls

Vercingetorix surrenders to Julius Caesar after Alesia. Painting by Lionel-Noël Royer, 1899.

The region of Gaul consisted of modern-day France, Belgium, Germany west of the Rhine, and parts of Switzerland. Gallo-Roman conflict in Cisalpine Gaul had been occurring for centuries prior to Caesar's invasion of Transalpine Gaul. In either 390 BC or 387 BC,^[5] a Gallic army under Brennus destroyed a Roman force at the Battle of the Allia, which led to the sacking of Rome and the destruction of all Roman historical records prior to that period. Image File history File links Vercingetorix_caesar. ... Image File history File links Vercingetorix_caesar. ... Statue of Vercingetorix by Bartholdi, on Place de Jaude, in Clermont-Ferrand Vercingetorix (72 BC – 46 BC), chieftain of the Arverni, led the great Gallic war against Roman imperialism in 53–52 BC. His name in Gaulish means over-king of the marching men; the marching men would now be... Gaius Julius Caesar (IPA: ;[1]), July 12, 100 BC – March 15, 44 BC) was a Roman military and political leader. ... Combatants Roman Republic Gallic Tribes Commanders Julius Caesar Vercingetorix Commius Strength ~55,000-60,000, 12 Roman legions and auxiliaries ~300,000 some 80,000 besieged ~100,000-250,000 (200,000) relief forces Casualties 7,800 160,000-200,000 The Battle of Alesia or Siege of Alesia was... Cisalpine Gaul (Latin: Gallia Cisalpina, meaning Gaul this side of the Alps) was a province of the Roman Republic, in Emilia and Lombardy of modern-day northern Italy. ... Gaius Julius Caesar (IPA: ;[1]), July 12, 100 BC – March 15, 44 BC) was a Roman military and political leader. ... Transalpine Gaul was a Roman province whose name was chosen to distinguish it from Cisalpine Gaul. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Combatants Roman Republic Gauls Commanders Quintus Sulpicius Brennus Strength 40,000 40,000 The Battle of the Allia was a battle of the first Gallic invasion of Italy. ... Nickname: The Eternal City Location within Province of Rome in the Region of Latium Coordinates: Region Latium Province Province of Rome Mayor of Rome Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1,285 km²  (496. ...

Growing professionalism in the Roman army eventually led to victories, most noticeably at the Battle of Sentinum and the Battle of Telamon, over their Gallic counterparts, whose tactics and weapons changed little over the years.^[6] However, in order to permanently end the Gallic threat, a consistent effort was required by the Romans, and this was finally provided by Julius Caesar. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Battle of Sentinum was the final battle of the Third Samnite War, fought in 295 BC near Sentinum (next to Sassoferrato, Marche), in which the Romans were able to overcome a formidable coalition of Samnites, Etruscans, Umbrians, and their Gallic allies. ... The Battle of Telamon was fought between the Gauls and the Roman Republic in 224 BC. The Gaul hosts fought an obstinate two-front battle. ... Military tactics is the collective name for methods of engaging and defeating an enemy in battle. ... The bayonet is used as both knife and spear. ...

Caesar's conquest of Gaul was met with little resistance initially. The 60 or so tribes that made up Gaul were unable to unite and defeat the Roman army, something Caesar exploited by pitting one tribe against another. In 58 BC, Caesar defeated the Germanic tribe of the Suebi, which was led by Ariovistus. The following year he conquered the Belgian Gauls after claiming that they were conspiring against Rome. The string of victories continued in a naval triumph against the Veneti in 56 BC. In 53 BC, a united Gallic resistance movement under Vercingetorix emerged for the first time. Caesar laid siege to the fortified city of Avaricum (Bourges) and broke through the defenses after 21 days, with only 800 out of the 40,000 inhabitants managing to escape. He then besieged Gergovia, Vercingetorix's home town, and suffered one of the worst defeats in his career when he had to retreat to suppress a revolt in another part of Gaul. After returning, Caesar surrounded Vercingetorix at Alesia in 52 BC. The townspeople were starved into submission and Caesar's unique defensive earthworks, protruding towards the city and away from it in order to stop a massive Gallic relief force,^[7] eventually forced Vercingetorix to surrender. The Gallic Wars were over. Suebi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Ariovistus was king of the germanic tribe of the Suebis, as described in Julius Caesars The Gallic Wars. ... The Veneti were a seafaring people who lived in what is now Brittany, France. ... Statue of Vercingetorix by Bartholdi, on Place de Jaude, in Clermont-Ferrand Vercingetorix (72 BC – 46 BC), chieftain of the Arverni, led the great Gallic war against Roman imperialism in 53–52 BC. His name in Gaulish means over-king of the marching men; the marching men would now be... The vaulted nave of Bourges Cathedral Bourges (pop. ... The Battle of Gergovia took place in 52 BC at Gergovia (modern Gergovie), the chief town of the Arverni, situated on a hill in Auvergne, about eight miles from the Puy de Dome, France. ... Combatants Roman Republic Gallic Tribes Commanders Julius Caesar Vercingetorix Commius Strength ~55,000-60,000, 12 Roman legions and auxiliaries ~300,000 some 80,000 besieged ~100,000-250,000 (200,000) relief forces Casualties 7,800 160,000-200,000 The Battle of Alesia or Siege of Alesia was...

See also: List of Gallo-Roman battles

The following is an incomplete list of French wars and battles from the Gauls to modern France. ...

Franks and the Carolingian Empire

The Frankish Realm under Clovis I.

As Roman power weakened in the fourth and fifth centuries, a Germanic tribe, the Franks, overran large areas that today form modern France. Under King Clovis I in the late fifth and early sixth centuries, Frankish dominions quadrupled as they managed to defeat successive opponents for control of Gaul. In 486 the Frankish armies under Clovis triumphed over Syagrius, the last Roman official in Northern Gaul, at the Battle of Soissons. In 491 Clovis defeated Thuringians east of his territories. In 496 he overcame the Alamanni at the Battle of Tolbiac. In 507 he scored the most impressive victory in his career, prevailing at the Battle of Vouillé against the Visigoths, who were led by Alaric II, the conqueror of Spain. Frankish Domains 511-561 (BW) Source: Public domain image, digitized version from Internet Medieval Sourcebook[1] This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Frankish Domains 511-561 (BW) Source: Public domain image, digitized version from Internet Medieval Sourcebook[1] This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... The Merovingians Chlodio is considered as the first king who started the conquest of Gaul by taking Camaracum (today Cambrai) and expanding the border down to the Somme. ... Clovis I, King of the Franks. ... Non-contemporary coin with obverse legend Clovis Roy de France Clovis I (or Chlodowech or Chlodwig, modern French, Louis, modern Dutch Lodewijk modern German Ludwig) (c. ... The captured Syagrius is brought before Alaric II who orders him sent to Clovis I Syagrius (died 487) was the son of Aegidius, the last Roman magister militum per Gallias, who had preserved a rump state around Soissons after the collapse of central rule in the western empire. ... The Roman Empire was a phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by an autocratic form of government. ... The Battle of Soissons in the year 486 was a milestone on the way of the Franks under Clovis I to establish themselves as a major power. ... The Thuringii was a tribe which appeared later than most in the highlands of central Germany, a region which still bears their name to this day -- Thuringia. ... The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were an alliance of warbands formed from Germanic tribes, first mentioned by Dio Cassius when they fought Caracalla in 213. ... The Battle of Tolbiac was fought between the Franks under Clovis I and the Alamanni, traditionally in 496. ... The Battle of Vouillé or Campus Vogladensis was fought in the northern marches of Visigothic territory, at a small place near Poitiers, (Gaul) in the spring 507. ... The Visigoths, originally Tervingi, or Vesi (the noble ones), one of the two main branches of the Goths (of which the Ostrogothi were the other), were one of the loosely-termed Germanic peoples that disturbed the late Roman Empire. ... Alaric II, also known as Alarik, Alarich, and Alarico in Spanish or Alaricus in Latin (d. ...

Charles Martel at the Battle of Tours. Painting by Carl von Steuben.

Following Clovis, territorial divisions in the Frankish domain sparked intense rivalry between the western part of the kingdom, Neustria, and the eastern part, Austrasia. The two were sometimes united under one king, but from the sixth to the eighth centuries they often warred against each other. Early in the eighth century, the Franks were preoccupied with Islamic invasions across the Pyrenees and up the Rhone Valley. Two key battles during this period were the Battle of Toulouse and the Battle of Tours, both won by the Franks, and both instrumental in slowing Islamic incursions. Claims that these victories permitted the independent development of European civilization seem exaggerated,^[8] but nonetheless they were major symbolic triumphs over the "Islamic hordes."^[9] Image File history File links Charles-Martel-tours. ... Image File history File links Charles-Martel-tours. ... For the 13th century titular King of Hungary, see Charles Martel dAnjou. ... Combatants Carolingian Franks Umayyad Caliphate Commanders Charles Martel ‘Abd-al-Raḥmān al-Ghāfiqī† Strength Unknown, but probably around 33,000 [1] Unknown, but one modern source estimates around 20,000 to 30,000 [2] Some later Arab sources[3] mention a figure of 80,000. ... Neustria & Austrasia The territory of Neustria originated in A.D. 511, made up of the regions from Aquitaine to the English Channel, approximating most of the north of present-day France, with Paris and Soissons as its main cities. ... Austrasia & Neustria Austrasia formed the north-eastern portion of the Kingdom of the Merovingian Franks, comprising parts of the territory of present-day eastern France, western Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. ... Islam (Arabic: ; ( â–¶ (help· info)), the submission to God) is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions and the worlds second-largest religion. ... Length 800 km Elevation of the source 1753 m Average discharge 1800 m³/ s Area watershed 100,200 km² Origin Rhône glacier Mouth Mediterranean Sea Basin countries Switzerland, France The River Rhône ( Latin Rhodanus, French Rhône, Occitan Rose, German Rotten) is one of the major rivers (ca. ... Combatants Aquitanians Umayyad Caliphate Commanders Odo of Aquitaine Al-Samh ibn Malik al-Khawlani Strength Casualties {{{notes}}} Al-Samh ibn Malik al-Khawlani, the governor (or wali) of Muslim Spain (al-Andalus), built up a strong army from North Africa, Yemen, and Syria to conquer Aquitaine, a large duchy in... Combatants Carolingian Franks Umayyad Caliphate Commanders Charles Martel ‘Abd-al-Raḥmān al-Ghāfiqī† Strength Unknown, but probably around 33,000 [1] Unknown, but one modern source estimates around 20,000 to 30,000 [2] Some later Arab sources[3] mention a figure of 80,000. ...

Under Charlemagne the Franks reached the height of their power. After campaigns against Lombards, Avars, Saxons, and Basques, the resulting Carolingian Empire stretched from the Pyrenees to Central Germany, from the North Sea to the Adriatic. In 800 the Pope made Charlemagne Emperor of the West in return for protection of the Church. The Carolingian Empire was a conscious effort to recreate a central administration modeled on that of the Roman Empire,^[10] but the motivations behind military expansion differed. Charlemagne hoped to provide his nobles an incentive to fight by encouraging looting on campaign. Plunder and spoils of war were stronger temptations than imperial expansion, and several regions were invaded over and over in order to bolster the coffers of Frankish nobility.^[11] Cavalry dominated the battlefields, and while the high costs associated with equipping horse and horse-rider helped limit their numbers, Carolingian armies maintained a decent size of 20,000 (average) by recruiting infantry from imperial territories near theaters of operation.^[12] The Empire lasted from 800 to 843, when, following Frankish tradition, it was split between the sons of Louis the Pious by the Treaty of Verdun. The Lombards (Latin Langobardi, whence the alternative name Longobards found in older English texts), were a Germanic people originally from Northern Europe that entered the late Roman Empire. ... Map showing the location of Avar Khaganate, c. ... Map showing the Saxons homeland in traditional region bounded by the three rivers: Weser, Eider, and Elbe Src: Freemans Historical Geographys. The Saxons or Saxon people are (nowadays) part of the German people with its main areas of settlements in the German States of Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, Saxony... This article is about the Basque people. ... Map of Carolingian Empire The term Carolingian Empire is sometimes used to refer to the realm of the Franks under the dynasty of the Carolingians. ... The North Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between the coasts of Norway and Denmark in the east, the coast of the British Isles in the west, and the German, Dutch, Belgian and French coasts in the south. ... A satellite image of the Adriatic Sea. ... The current Pope is Benedict XVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger), who was elected at the age of 78 on 19 April 2005. ... The Holy Roman Emperor was, with some variation, the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, the predecessor of modern Germany, during its existence from the 10th century until its collapse in 1806. ... The name Catholic Church can mean a visible organization that refers to itself as Catholic, or the invisible Christian Church, viz. ... The Roman Empire was a phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by an autocratic form of government. ... Louis the Pious, contemporary depiction from 826 as a miles Christi (soldier of Christ), with a poem of Rabanus Maurus overlaid. ... In the Treaty of Verdun of 843 the three surviving sons of Louis the Pious divided his territories, the Carolingian Empire, into three kingdoms. ...

See also: List of Frankish and Carolingian battles

The following is an incomplete list of French wars and battles from the Gauls to modern France. ...

Middle Ages

King Philip II of France at Bouvines. The battle led to a breakdown in the Anglo-German alliance and may have even emboldened the nobles of King John to force him to sign the Magna Carta. Painting by Horace Vernet.

French military history during this period paralleled the rise and eventual fall of the armored knight. Following Charlemagne, there was a great increase in the proportion of cavalry supplemented by improvement in armor: leather and steel, steel helmets, coats of mail, and even full armor added to the defensive capabilities of mounted forces.^[13] Cavalry eventually grew to be the most important component of French armies,^[14] with the shock charge they provided becoming the standard tactic on the battlefield when it was invented in the eleventh century.^[15] At the same time, the development of agricultural techniques allowed the nations of Western Europe to radically increase food production, facilitating the growth of a particularly large aristocracy in France. Image File history File links Battle-bouvines. ... Image File history File links Battle-bouvines. ... Philip II (French: Philippe II), called Philip Augustus (French: Philippe Auguste) (August 21, 1165 – July 14, 1223), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. ... The Battle of Bouvines, July 27, 1214, was the first great international conflict of alliances among national forces in Europe. ... John (French: Jean) (December 24, c. ... Magna Carta Magna Carta (Latin for Great Charter, literally Great Paper), also called Magna Carta Libertatum (Great Charter of Freedoms), is an English charter originally issued in 1215. ... Émile Jean-Horace Vernet (June 30, 1789 - January 17, 1863) was a French painter of battle panoramas, sporting, and Arab themes. ... The silver Anglia knight, commissioned as a trophy in 1850, intended to represent the Black Prince. ...

A section of the Bayeux Tapestry chronicling the Franco-Norman victory at Hastings.

During the Crusades, there were in fact too many armored knights in France for the land to support. Some scholars believe that one of the driving forces behind the Crusades was an attempt by such landless knights to find land overseas, without causing the type of internecine warfare that would largely damage France's increasing military strength. However, such historiographical work on the Crusades is being challenged and rejected by a large part of the historical community. The ultimate motivation or motivations for any one individual are difficult to know, but regardless, nobles and knights from France generally formed very sizeable contingents of crusading expeditions.^[16] Image File history File links Bayeuxtap1. ... Image File history File links Bayeuxtap1. ... The Bayeux Tapestry (French: Tapisserie de Bayeux) is a 50 cm by 70 m (20 in by 230 ft) long embroidered cloth which depicts scenes commemorating the Battle of Hastings in 1066, with annotations in Latin. ... Combatants Normans, supported by Bretons, Flemings & French Anglo-Saxons Commanders William of Normandy, Odo of Bayeux Harold Godwinson† Strength 7,000-8,000 7,000-8,000 Casualties Unknown, thought to be around 2,000 killed and wounded Unknown, but significantly more than the Normans The Battle of Hastings was... This article is about the medieval crusades. ...

Joan of Arc at the Siege of Orleans. This French victory turned the tide of the Hundred Years' War, but the elements for the ultimate triumph were sown a few years afterward. Painting by Jules Lenepveu.

In the eleventh century, French knights wore knee-length mail and carried long lances and swords. The Norman knights fielded at the Battle of Hastings were more than a match for English forces, and their overwhelming victory simply cemented their power and influence. Improvements in armor over the centuries led to the establishment of plate armor by the fourteenth century, which was further developed more rigorously in the fifteenth century.^[17] However, by the late fourteenth century and the early fifteenth, French military power declined during the first parts of the Hundred Years' War. New weapons and tactics seemingly made the knight more of a sitting target than an effective battle force, but the often-praised longbowmen had little to do with the English success.^[18] Poor coordination or rough terrain led to bungled French assaults.^[19] The slaughter of knights at the Battle of Agincourt best exemplified this carnage. The French were able to field a much larger army of men-at-arms than their English counterparts, who had many longbowmen. Despite this, the French suffered about 6,000 casualties^[20] compared to a few hundred for the English because the narrow terrain prevented the tactical envelopments envisioned in recently discovered French plans for the battle.^[21] The French suffered a similar defeat at the Battle of the Golden Spurs against Flemish militia in 1302. When knights were allowed to effectively deploy, however, they could be more useful, as at Cassel in 1328 or, even more decisively, at Bouvines in 1214 and Patay in 1429. Given the successes of Henry V, his death in 1422 altered the nature of the war profoundly and may have permitted the French to recover virtually all their territory by the end of the conflict.^[22] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (553x768, 135 KB)Jeanne dArc at the Siege of Orléans by Jules Eugène Lenepveu, painted 1886–1890. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (553x768, 135 KB)Jeanne dArc at the Siege of Orléans by Jules Eugène Lenepveu, painted 1886–1890. ... St. ... The Siege of Orléans was the first French victory of Joan of Arc during the Hundred Years War and turning point of great war between France and England. ... Combatants England Burgundy Brittany Portugal France Castile Scotland Genoa Majorca Bohemia Aragon Navarre Flanders Hainault Aquitaine Luxembourg The Hundred Years War was a conflict between England and France, lasting 116 years from 1337 to 1453. ... David rejects the unaccustomed armour (detail of fol. ... The term lance has become a catchall for a variety of different pole weapons based on the spear. ... The Normans (adapted from the name Northmen or Norsemen) were a mixture of the indigenous population of Neustria and Danish or Norwegian Vikings who began to occupy the northern area of France now known as Normandy in the latter half of the 9th century. ... Combatants Normans, supported by Bretons, Flemings & French Anglo-Saxons Commanders William of Normandy, Odo of Bayeux Harold Godwinson† Strength 7,000-8,000 7,000-8,000 Casualties Unknown, thought to be around 2,000 killed and wounded Unknown, but significantly more than the Normans The Battle of Hastings was... Gothic armour Plate armour is personal armour made from large metal plates, worn on the chest and sometimes the entire body. ... The longbow (or English longbow, or Welsh longbow, see below) was a type of bow about 2. ... Combatants Kingdom of England Kingdom of France Commanders Henry V of England Charles dAlbret Strength 5,900 troops: 900 men-at-arms 5,000 archers (Longbowmen) 36,000 troops: 11,200 mounted men-at-arms 18,000 dismounted men-at-arms 6,800 crossbowmen (few archers) Casualties 100-250Casualties... Man-at-arms was a medieval term for a soldier, almost always a professional. ... Combatants Flanders France Commanders Willem van Gullik Pieter de Coninc Guy of Namur Robert II of Artois Strength 9,000 8,000 Casualties 100 est. ... The Battle of Cassel was fought in August 1328 by Philip VI, the King of France, and first ruler of House of Valois (reigned 1328-1350), against the peasant revolt in Flanders. ... The Battle of Bouvines, July 27, 1214, was the first great international conflict of alliances among national forces in Europe. ... Combatants Kingdom of France Kingdom of England Commanders La Hire Poton de Xaintrailles Sir John Fastolf Strength 1,500 cavalry 5,000 Casualties About 100 2,500 dead, wounded, or captured The Battle of Patay (18 June 1429) was a major battle in the Hundred Years War between the French... Henry V, (August 9 or September 16, 1387 – August 31, 1422), King of England (1413-1422), son of Henry IV by Mary de Bohun, was born at Monmouth, Wales, in August or September 1386 or 1387. ...

Popular conceptions of the victory in the final stages of the Hundred Years' War are often dominated by Joan of Arc, but there were far deeper reasons for the French triumph. The main step was taken by King Charles VII, who, with the Compagnies d'ordonnance, cavalry units with 20 companies of 600 men each,^[23] created the first standing army in the Western world since Roman times,^[24] giving the French a considerable edge in professionalism and discipline. Additionally, developments in artillery made it a crucial part of the French army, and the resounding victories at the battles of Formigny and Castillon, both significantly attributable to artillery,^[25] were so decisive that the war ended then and there. By 1453 Calais was the only English possession in mainland France. St. ... Charles VII the Victorious, a. ... The compagnies dordonnance was the late medieval forefather of the modern Company and consisted of 100 Lances fournies, which was built around a centre of knights, with assiting pages or squires, archers and men-at-arms for a total of 700 men. ... Combatants England France Brittany Commanders Thomas Kyriell Comte de Clermont Comte de Richemont Strength 4,000 5,000 Casualties 2,500 300 The Battle of Formigny (April 15, 1450) was a clash of the Hundred Years War. ... Combatants England France Brittany Commanders John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury Charles VII of France Strength 4,000-6,000 8,000 - 13,000 Casualties 4,000 mainly wounded or captured 100 dead or wounded The Battle of Castillon was the last battle fought between the French, the Bretons and... Location within France The Burghers of Calais, by Rodin, with Calais Hotel de Ville behind J.M.W. Turner: Calais Pier Calais (Dutch: ) is a town in northern France, located at 50°57N 1°52E. It is in the département of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a...

See also: List of French Medieval wars and battles

The following is an incomplete list of French wars and battles from the Gauls to modern France. ...

Ancien Régime

The French triumphant at Rocroi in the Thirty Years' War. The battle marked the symbolic end of the Spanish tercios and the resurgence of French power in Europe.

The French Renaissance and the beginning of the Ancien Régime, normally marked by the reign of Francis I, saw the nation become far more unified under the monarch. The power of the nobles was diminished as a national army was created. With England expelled from the continent and being consumed by the Wars of the Roses, France's main rival was the Holy Roman Empire. This threat to France became alarming in 1516 when Charles V became the king of Spain, and grew worse when Charles was also elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1519. France was all but surrounded as Spain, Germany, and the Low Countries were controlled by the Habsburgs. The lengthy Italian Wars that took place during this period resulted in defeat for France and established Catholic Spain, which formed a branch of the Habsburg holdings, as the most powerful nation in Europe. Later in the sixteenth century, France was weakened internally by the Wars of Religion. As nobles managed to raise their own private armies, these conflicts between Huguenots and Catholics all but demolished centralization and monarchical authority, hence precluding France from remaining a powerful force in European affairs.^[26] Battle of Rocroi. ... Battle of Rocroi. ... Combatants France Spain Commanders Duc dEnghien Francisco de Melo Count of Fuentes † Strength 16,000 infantry 6,000 cavalry 14 guns 15,000 infantry 5,000 cavalry 18 guns Casualties 2,000 dead 2,000 wounded[1] 8,000 dead or wounded 7,000 captured[2] The Battle of... Combatants Protestantism: Sweden,Denmark, France, Scotland and protestant German countries like Saxony Roman Catholic Church: Holy Roman Empire, Spain Commanders Gustav II Adolf Ferdinand II The Thirty Years War was fought between 1618 and 1648, principally on the territory of todays Germany, also involving most of the major European... Spanish Military formation well known for it`s superiority in 1600th century Europe. ... This article is about the cultural movement known as the French Renaissance. ... Ancien Régime means Old Rule or Old Order in French; in English, the term refers primarily to the social and political system established in France under the Valois and Bourbon dynasties. ... Francis I (François Ier in French) (September 12, 1494 – March 31, 1547), called the Father and Restorer of Letters (le Père et Restaurateur des Lettres), was crowned King of France in 1515 in the cathedral at Reims and reigned until 1547. ... Lancaster York For other uses see Wars of the Roses (disambiguation) The Wars of the Roses (1455 – 1485) were collectively an intermittent civil war fought over the throne of England between adherents of the House of Lancaster and the House of York. ... The Holy Roman Empire and from the 16th century on also The Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation was a political conglomeration of lands in Central Europe in the Middle Ages and the early modern period. ... Charles V may refer to: Charles V of France, the Wise (1338–1380). ... The Holy Roman Emperor was, with some variation, the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, the predecessor of modern Germany, during its existence from the 10th century until its collapse in 1806. ... Flag of the Habsburg Monarchy; also used as the flag of the Austrian Empire until the Ausgleich of 1867. ... For the war between the Roman Republic and other Italian cities see Social War. ... The flag of New Spain, one of the Viceroyalties of the Spanish Empire. ... The French Wars of Religion were a series of conflicts fought between Catholics and Huguenots (Protestants) from the middle of the sixteenth century to the Edict of Nantes in 1598, including civil infighting as well as military operations. ... In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name of Huguenots came to apply to members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France. ...

While France could do little to challenge the dominance of the Holy Roman Empire, the Empire itself faced many challenges. From the east it was severely endangered by the Ottoman Empire, with which the French sometimes cooperated. The vast Habsburg empire also proved impossible to manage effectively, and the crown was soon divided between the Spanish and Austrian holdings. In 1568 the Dutch declared independence, launching a war that would take decades and illustrate the weaknesses of Habsburg power. Finally in the seventeenth century, the religious violence that had beset France a century earlier began to tear the empire apart. At first France sat on the sidelines, but under Cardinal Richelieu it saw an opportunity to advance its own interests at the expense of the Habsburgs. Despite France's staunch Catholicism, it intervened on the side of the Protestants. The Thirty Years' War was long and extremely bloody, but France came out victorious and, for the next century and a half, was the undisputed great power of Europe. now. ... Combatants Dutch rebels Spanish Empire The Eighty Years War, or Dutch Revolt (1566–1648), was the revolt of the Seventeen Provinces in the Netherlands against the Spanish king. ... Cardinal Richelieu was the French chief minister from 1624 until his death. ... It has been suggested that Catholic, One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church be merged into this article or section. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ...

The French defeated at Malplaquet in the War of the Spanish Succession. Despite winning, Marlborough and Eugene suffered so many casualties that they were unable to press farther into France. Malplaquet, woodblock by R Canton Woodville.

The long reign of Louis XIV saw a series of conflicts: the War of Devolution, the Franco-Dutch War, the War of the Reunions, the Nine Years War, and the War of the Spanish Succession. Wars in this era consisted of sieges and movements that were rarely decisive. Few of Louis' wars were either clear victories or definite defeats, but inexorably, France's borders expanded. The west bank of the Rhine, much of the Spanish Netherlands, and a good deal of Luxembourg were annexed while the War of the Spanish Succession saw a fellow Bourbon placed on the throne of Spain. To stop France's advance, several European powers formed coalitions. During Louis' long reign, the English reemerged as France's great rivals, allied to the Habsburgs. While they could not stand up to France on land, the British Royal Navy dominated the seas, and France lost many of its colonial holdings. The British economy also became Europe's most powerful, and British money funded the campaigns of their continental allies. The Battle of Malplaquet was a battle of the War of the Spanish Succession that took place on September 11, 1709 between France and a British–Austrian alliance (known as the Allies). ... Charles II was the last Habsburg King of Spain. ... John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, in his Garter robes John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, KG, PC (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722) was an English military officer during the War of the Spanish Succession. ... Prince Eugen von Savoyen in a contemporary painting François-Eugène, Prince of Savoy-Carignan, known as Prinz Eugen von Savoyen in German (October 16, 1663 – April 24, 1736) was a noted general. ... The War of Devolution (May 24, 1667 – May 2, 1668) was a war between Louis XIVs France and Habsburg Spain fought in the Spanish Netherlands. ... The Dutch War (1672–1678) was a war fought between France and a quadruple alliance consisting of Brandenburg, the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, and the United Provinces. ... The War of the Reunions (1683-1684) was a small conflict between Louis XIVs France and Spain and her allies. ... The Nine Years War (also known as the War of the League of Augsburg, the War of the Grand Alliance, the Orleans War, the War of the Palatinian Succession, and the War of the English Succession) was a major war fought in Europe and America from 1688 to 1697, between... Charles II was the last Habsburg King of Spain. ... A siege is a military blockade and assault of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by force or attrition. ... This article or section should be merged with Seventeen Provinces The Spanish Netherlands was a portion of the Low Countries controlled by Spain from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ...

The armies of Louis XIV were some of the most impressive in French history, their quality reflecting militaristic as well political developments. In the mid-seventeenth century, royal power reasserted itself and the army became a tool through which the King could wield authority, replacing older systems of mercenary units and the private forces of recalcitrant nobles.^[27] Military administration also made gigantic progress as food supply, clothing, equipment, and armaments were provided in a regularity never before equaled.^[28] In fact, the French embedded this standardization by becoming the first army to give their soldiers national uniforms in the 1680s and 1690s.^[29] The History of France has been divided into a series of separate historical articles navigable through the template to the right. ...

The eighteenth century saw France remain the dominant power in Europe, but begin to falter largely because of internal problems. The country engaged in a long series of wars, such as the War of the Quadruple Alliance, the War of the Polish Succession, and the War of the Austrian Succession, but these conflicts gained France little. Meanwhile, Britain's power steadily increased, and a new force, Prussia, became a major threat. This change in the balance of power led to the Diplomatic Revolution of 1756, when France and the Habsburgs forged an alliance after centuries of animosity. This alliance proved less than effective in the Seven Years' War, but in the American War of Independence, the French helped inflict a major defeat on the British. The War of the Quadruple Alliance was a minor European war fought between 1718 and 1720, mostly in Italy, between Spain on the one side, and the Quadruple Alliance of Austria, France, Great Britain, and the United Provinces. ... The War of the Polish Succession (1733-1738) was a European war and a Polish civil war, with considerable interference from other countries, to determine the succession to Augustus II, King of Poland, as well as an attempt by the Bourbon powers to check the power of Austria in western... The War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748) became inevitable after Maria Theresa of Austria had succeeded her father Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor in his Habsburg dominions in 1740, namely becoming Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, Archduchess of Austria, and Duchess of Parma, Piacenza, and Guastalla. ... Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1701-1918 Prussia (German: ; Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Lithuanian: ; Polish: ; Old Prussian: Prūsa) was, most recently, a historic state originating in East Prussia, an area which for centuries had substantial influence on German and European history. ... The Diplomatic Revolution refers to the alliances formed in 1756 as a result of the outbreak of the Seven Years War. ... Combatants Prussia, , Great Britain, , Hanover, Hesse-Kassel, Brunswick, , Ireland, , Portugal , Austria, , France, , Russia, Saxony, , Sweden, , Spain The Seven Years War (1754 and 1756–1763), some of the theatres of which are called the Pomeranian War and the French and Indian War (see below), was a war in the mid-18th...

See also: List of Ancien Régime wars and battles

The following is an incomplete list of French wars and battles from the Gauls to modern France. ...

Revolutionary France

The armies of the Revolution at the Battle of Varoux, 1792. With chaos internally and enemies on the borders, the French were in a jittery state in 1792. By 1797, however, they had exported their ideology (and the army that followed it) to the Low Countries and Northern Italy.

The French Revolution, true to its name, revolutionized nearly all aspects of French and European life. The powerful sociopolitical forces unleashed by a people seeking liberté, égalité, and fraternité made certain that even warfare was not spared this upheaval. Eighteenth-century armies, with their rigid protocols, quasi-static operational strategy, unenthusiastic soldiers, and aristocratic officer classes, underwent massive remodeling as the French monarchy and nobility gave way to liberal assemblies obsessed with external threats. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (800x712, 104 KB) Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Military history of France ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (800x712, 104 KB) Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Military history of France ... The French Revolution (1789–1799) was a pivotal period in the history of French, European and Western civilization. ... The Low Countries, the historical region of de Nederlanden, are the countries (see Country) on low-lying land around the delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse (Maas) rivers. ... The French Revolution (1789–1799) was a pivotal period in the history of French, European and Western civilization. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

In 1791 the Legislative Assembly passed the "Drill-Book" legislation, implementing a series of infantry doctrines created by French theorists because of their defeat to the Prussians in the Seven Years War (see "Formations and Tactics" in La Grande Armée).^[30] The new developments hoped to exploit the intrinsic bravery of the French soldier, made even more powerful by the explosive nationalist forces of the Revolution. The changes also placed a faith on the ordinary soldier that would be completely unacceptable in earlier times; French troops were expected to harass the enemy and remain loyal enough to not desert, a benefit other ancien régime armies did not have. This article is about the term as used within the Commonwealth of Nations; there is also an Legislative Assembly in Oregon and there used to be a Legislative Assembly in France during the French Revolution. ... La Grande Armée (French the Big, Great or Grand Army) is the French military term for the main force in a military campaign. ...

The standard of the Revolutionary 1ère Demi-Brigade d'Infanterie de Bataille, 1794 pattern. The red, white, and blue reflect the colors of the French flag, a combination of the Bourbon white and the red and blue of Paris.

Following the declaration of war in 1792, an imposing array of enemies converging on French borders prompted the government in Paris to adopt radical measures. August 23, 1793, would become a historic day in military history; on that date the National Convention called a levée en masse, or mass conscription, for the first time in human history.^[31] By summer of the following year, conscription made some 500,000 men available for service and the French began to deal blows to their European enemies.^[32] The French triumphed at the decisive Battle of Fleurus through numerical superiority; while both sides had roughly equivalent forces in the region, the French were able to concentrate theirs more effectively. Armies during the Revolution became noticeably larger than their Roman counterparts, and combined with the new enthusiasm of the soldiery, the tactical and strategic opportunities became almost limitless. By 1797 the French had defeated the First Coalition, occupied the Low Countries, the west bank of the Rhine, and Northern Italy, objectives which had defied the Valois and Bourbon dynasties for centuries. Unsatisfied with the results, many European powers formed a Second Coalition, but by 1801 this too had been decisively beaten. Image File history File links 1eDemi_Brigade_Flag. ... Image File history File links 1eDemi_Brigade_Flag. ... Flag Ratio: 2:3 The national flag of France (Vexillological symbol: , known in French as drapeau tricolore, drapeau bleu-blanc-rouge, drapeau français, rarely, le tricolore and, in military parlance, les couleurs) is a tricolour featuring three vertical bands coloured blue (hoist side), white, and red. ... The House of Bourbon is an important European royal house. ... Part of the Paris and La Défense skylines with from left to right: Montparnasse Tower, Eiffel Tower, and La Défense towers. ... August 23 is the 235th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (236th in leap years), with 130 days remaining. ... 1793 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... This article is about a legislative body and constitutional convention during the French Revolution. ... Levée en masse (literally Mass uprising) is a French term for mass conscription. ... The Battle of Fleurus, fought on June 26, 1794 was one of the most decisive battles in the Low Countries during the French, under Jourdan were able to more effectively concentrate their forces in order to achieve victory against the Austrian army under Saxe-Cobourg. ... The name First Coalition (1793–1797) designates the first major concerted effort of multiple European powers to contain Revolutionary France. ... The Valois Dynasty succeeded the Capetian Dynasty as rulers of France from 1328- 1589. ... The House of Bourbon is an important European royal house. ... The name Second Coalition (1798 - 1800) designates the second major concerted effort of multiple European powers to contain Revolutionary France. ...

Another key aspect of French success was the changes wrought in the officer classes. Traditionally, European armies left major command positions to those who could be trusted, namely, the aristocracy. The hectic nature of the French Revolution, however, tore apart France's old army, meaning new men were required to become officers and commanders.^[33] As a result of political pressure, competition, promotion, and constant campaigning, France emerged out of the Revolutionary Wars with the best officers in Europe, a very helpful feature during the later Napoleonic Wars. In the nineteenth century, all European armies adopted the fluid officer class the Revolution had introduced, and for that fact, the French Revolution can be credited with establishing the world's first professional armies. Combatants Kingdom of Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, Spain, Russia, Sardinia France The French Revolutionary Wars occurred between the outbreak of war between the French Revolutionary government and Austria in 1792 and the Treaty of Amiens in 1802. ... Combatants Allies: • Great Britain/United Kingdom, • Prussia, • Austria, • Sweden, • Russia, • and Others • France • Denmark-Norway • Poland Casualties Full list The Napoleonic Wars consisted of a series of wars fought during Napoleon Bonapartes rule over France. ...

Besides opening a flood of tactical and strategic opportunities, the Revolutionary Wars also laid the foundation for modern military theory. Later authors that wrote about "nations in arms" drew inspiration from the French Revolution, where dire circumstances seemingly mobilized the entire French nation for war. Although the reality of war in the France of 1795 would be different from that in the France of 1915, conceptions and mentalities of war evolved significantly. Clausewitz correctly analyzed the Revolutionary and Napoleonic eras to give posterity a thorough and complete theory of war that emphasized struggles between nations occurring everywhere, from the battlefield to the legislative assemblies, and to the very way that people think. War now emerged as a vast panorama of physical and psychological forces heading for victory or defeat. A young Clausewitz Carl Philipp Gottfried von Clausewitz (June 1, 1780 – November 16, 1831) was a Prussian general and influential military theorist. ...

See also: List of French Revolutionary wars and battles, French Revolutionary Army

The following is an incomplete list of French wars and battles from the Gauls to modern France. ... The standard of the Revolutionary 1ére Demi-Brigade dInfanterie de Bataille, 1794 pattern. ...

Napoleonic France

Famous battles and occupied places of La Grande Armée. French peasants that had never stepped a few yards beyond their homes suddenly found themselves at the steps of the Schönbrunn in Vienna and the spires of the Kremlin in Moscow.

The Napoleonic Era saw France's influence and power reach immense heights, but just as quickly, it collapsed back to its old borders at an immense cost to the French people. The reasons for the success are varied, but a few points do survive analysis. In the century and a half preceding the Revolutionary Era, France had transformed demographic leverage to military and political weight; the French population was 19 million in 1700,^[34] but this had grown to over 29 million in 1800, much higher than most other European powers.^[35] These numbers permitted France to raise armies at a rapid pace should the need arise. Furthermore, military innovations carried out during the Revolution and the Consulate, evidenced by improvements in artillery and cavalry capabilities on top of better army and staff organization, gave the French army a decisive advantage in the initial stages of the Napoleonic Wars. Another ingredient of success was Napoleon Bonaparte himself—intelligent, charismatic, and a military genius, Napoleon absorbed the latest military theories of the day and applied them in the battlefield with deadly effect. Image File history File links Grenadier_Pied_1_1812_Revers. ... Image File history File links Grenadier_Pied_1_1812_Revers. ... La Grande Armée (French the Big, Great or Grand Army) is the French military term for the main force in a military campaign. ... Schönbrunn Palace, as seen from the gardens The Schönbrunn Palace (Schloss Schönbrunn) in Vienna is one of the most important cultural monuments in Austria and since the 1860s has also been one of the major tourist attractions in Vienna. ... Inhabitants according to official census figures: 1800 to 2005 Vienna in 1858 UN complex in Vienna, with the non-affiliated Austria Center Vienna in front - picture taken from Danube Tower in nearby Danube Park. ... Kremlin (Кремль) is the Russian word for citadel or castle and refers to any major fortified central complex found in historical Russian cities. ... Location Position of Moscow in Europe Government Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Geographical characteristics Area  - City 1,081 km² Population  - City (2005)    - Density 10,415,400   8537. ... The Napoleonic Era is a period in the History of France and Europe. ... Demographics is a shorthand term for population characteristics. Demographics include race, age, income, mobility (in terms of travel time to work or number of vehicles available), educational attainment, home ownership, employment status, and even location. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Bonaparte as general Napoleon Bonaparte ( 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a general of the French Revolution and was the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from November 11, 1799 to May 18, 1804, then as Emperor of the French (Empereur des...

Napoleon developed an army based on conscription using huge masses of poorly trained troops that could usually be readily replaced, led by a few elite units, like the Imperial Guard. What his armies lacked in skill they made up for in bulk. Napoleon's huge losses suffered during the disastrous Russian campaign would have destroyed any professional commander of the day, but those losses were quickly replaced with new draftees. After Napoleon, nations planned for huge armies with professional leadership and a constant supply of new soldiers, which had huge human costs when improved weapons like the rifled musket replaced the inaccurate muskets of Napoleon's day during the American Civil War. Alternate uses at Imperial guard The Imperial Guard was originally a small group of elite soldiers under the direct command of Napoleon I, but grew considerably over time. ... Kazan Cathedral in St Petersburg and the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow were built to commemorate the Russian victory against Napoleon. ... The rifled musket is a long-barreled infantry weapon (to be distinguished from the shorter rifle carried by some light infantry units), usually percussion, that was common in the 19th century. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert Edward Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total...

Napoleonic Empire, 1811. The French Empire is in dark blue; the "Grand Empire"^[1] includes areas under French military control (light blue) and allies.

This large size came at a cost, as the logistics of feeding a huge army made them especially dependent on supplies. Most armies of the day relied on the supply-convoy system established during the Thirty Years' War by Gustavus Adolphus. This limited mobility, since the soldiers had to wait for the convoys, but it did keep possibly mutinous troops from deserting, and thus helped preserve an army's composure. However, Napoleon's armies were so large that feeding them using the old method proved ineffective, and consequently, French troops were allowed to live off the land. Infused with new concepts of nation and service, French soldiers proved reliable enough to pillage Europe without "going native." Napoleon often attempted to wage decisive, quick campaigns so that he could allow his men to live off the land. The French army did use a convoy system, but it was stocked with very few days worth of food; Napoleon's troops were expected to march quickly, effect a decision on the battlefield, then disperse to feed. For the Russian campaign, the French did store 24 days' worth of food before beginning active operations, but this campaign was the exception, not the rule.^[36] Image File history File links Europe_map_Napoleon_1811. ... Image File history File links Europe_map_Napoleon_1811. ... The First French Empire, commonly known as the French Empire or the Napoleonic Empire, covers the period of the domination of France and much of continental Europe by Napoleon I of France. ... Gustav II Adolf (also known as Gustaf Adolf den store or Gustavus II Adolphus) (December 9, 1594 – November 6, 1632 O.S.), widely known by the Latinized name Gustavus Adolphus and referred to by Protestants as the Lion of the North, was King of Sweden from 1611 until his death. ...

Napoleon's biggest influence in the military sphere was in the conduct of warfare. Weapons and technology remained largely static through the Revolutionary and Napoleonic eras, but eighteenth-century operational strategy underwent massive restructuring. Sieges became infrequent to the point of near-irrelevance, a new emphasis towards the destruction, not just outmaneuvering, of enemy armies emerged, and invasions of enemy territory occurred over broader fronts, thus introducing a plethora of strategic opportunities that made wars costlier and, just as importantly, more decisive.^[37] Defeat for a European power now meant much more than losing isolated enclaves; near-Carthaginian peaces intertwined whole national efforts, sociopolitical, economic, and militaristic, into gargantuan collisions that severely upset international conventions as understood at the time. Napoleon's initial success sowed the seeds for his downfall. Not used to such catastrophic defeats in the rigid power system of eighteenth-century Europe, many nations found existence under the French yoke difficult, sparking revolts, wars, and general instability that plagued the continent until 1815, when the forces of reaction finally triumphed at the Battle of Waterloo.^[38] A siege is a military blockade and assault of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by force or attrition. ... Combatants France Anglo-Allied/ United Kingdom Prussian Dutch Commanders Napoléon Bonaparte Michel Ney Duke of Wellington Gebhard von Blücher Strength 73,000 67,000 United Kingdom 60,000 Prussian (48,000 engaged by about 18:00) Casualties 25,000 22,000 Map of the Waterloo campaign The Battle...

See also: List of Napoleonic wars and battles, History of La Grande Armée

The following is an incomplete list of French wars and battles from the Gauls to modern France. ... La Grande Armée (French the Big, Great or Grand Army) is the French military term for the main force in a military campaign. ...

French colonial empire

Map of the first (light blue) and second (dark blue—plain and hachured) French colonial empires

The history of French colonial imperialism can be divided into two major eras: the first from the early seventeenth century to the middle of the eighteenth century, and the second from the early nineteenth century to the middle of the twentieth century. In the first phase of expansion, France concentrated its efforts mainly in North America and India, setting up commercial ventures that were backed by military force. Following defeat to the British in the French and Indian War, France lost its possessions in North America and India, but it did manage to keep the wealthy Caribbean islands of Saint-Domingue, Guadeloupe, and Martinique. Download high resolution version (1357x628, 23 KB){{GFDL} File links The following pages link to this file: French colonial empires ... Download high resolution version (1357x628, 23 KB){{GFDL} File links The following pages link to this file: French colonial empires ... Imperialism is a policy of extending control or authority over foreign entities as a means of acquisition and/or maintenance of empires. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... Combatants France and its Indian allies Britain and its Indian allies Strength 3,900 regulars 7,900 militia 2,200 natives (1759) 50,000 regulars and militia (1759) The French and Indian War was the nine-year North American chapter of the Seven Years War. ... World map depicting Caribbean: West Indies redirects here. ... Saint-Domingue was a French colony from 1697 to 1804 that is today the independent nation of Haiti. ...

The second stage saw the establishment of French Indochina (covering modern Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia) and a string of military success in the Scramble for Africa, where it established control over regions that are today covered by modern countries such as Tunisia, Algeria, Chad, Madagascar, and Djibouti. In 1914 France had an empire stretching over 10,000,000 km² (4,000,000 mile²) of land and about 60 million people.^[39] Following victory in World War I, part of Cameroon was also added to French possessions, and Syria and Lebanon became French mandates. For most of the period from 1870 to 1945, France was territorially the third largest nation on Earth, after Britain and Russia (later the Soviet Union), and had the most overseas possessions following Britain. Following the Second World War, France struggled to preserve French territories but wound up losing both the Algerian War of Independence and the First Indochina War (the precursor to the Vietnam War) to guerilla insurgencies. Today, France still maintains a number of overseas territories, but their collective size is barely a shadow of the old French colonial empire. French Indochina was a federation of protectorates in Southeast Asia, part of the French colonial empire. ... Cecil Rhodes: Cape-Cairo railway project. ... Mandates in the Middle east and Africa. ... Combatants FLN MNA France Pieds-noirs Harkis OAS The Algerian War of Independence (1954–62) was one of the most important colonial wars. ... Combatants French Colonialists Việt Minh Strength 500,000  ? Casualties 94,581 dead 78,127 wounded 40,000 captured 300,000+ dead 500,000+ wounded 100,000 captured The First Indochina War (also called the French Indochina War, the French War or the Franco-Vietnamese War) was fought in Indochina... Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000... A resistance movement is a non-military group or collection of individual groups, dedicated to fighting an invader in an occupied country through either the use of physical force, or nonviolence. ...

See also: List of French colonial wars and battles, French Colonial Forces

The following is an incomplete list of French wars and battles from the Gauls to modern France. ... The French Colonial Forces or Troupes Coloniales is a general designation for the military forces that garrisoned and were largely recruited from the French colonial empire from the late 17th century until 1960. ...

Modern period

La Mademoiseille Soixante-quinze in a World War I French propaganda poster that reads "Honor our glorious 75." The famous French artillery gun saw extensive use in World War I, but was so versatile that many combatants, including Germany and the United States, used it in World War II as well.

After the exile of Napoleon, France was the beneficiary of a long period of European peace. This allowed it to focus on the expansion of its overseas empire, particularly in Africa and Asia. These areas of the world had generally resisted European colonialism until the start of the nineteenth century, but advances in weapons technology allowed small numbers of European troops to overcome much larger bodies of native warriors. Image File history File links Militaire-Canon_75,_honneur-1915. ... Image File history File links Militaire-Canon_75,_honneur-1915. ... Riffling of a 75 modèle 1897 The French 75mm field gun is a quick-firing field artillery piece developed before World War I and serving into World War II. It was commonly known as the French 75, or at times simply the 75 or Soixante Quinze . ... Combatants Allied Powers: United Kingdom France Italy Russia United States Serbia Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Nicholas II Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Reinhard Scheer Franz Josef I Conrad von Hötzendorf İsmail Enver Ferdinand I Casualties... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A 155 mm artillery shell fired by a United States 11th Marine regiment M-198 howitzer Historically, artillery refers to any engine used for the discharge of projectiles during war. ... This article is becoming very long. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ... See colony and colonisation for examples of colonialism which do not refer to Western colonialism. ...

In Europe, post-Napoleonic France remained a powerful force in continental affairs, inflicting a defeat on the Habsburgs in the Franco-Austrian War of 1859, a defeat which led to the unification of Italy in 1861, after having triumphed over Russia with other allies in the Crimean War. Detrimentally, however, the French army emerged from these victories in a very overconfident and complacent state.^[40] France's defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, essentially a dispute over areas of France with large German-speaking minorities, led to the loss of Alsace-Lorraine and the creation of a united German Empire, both results representing major failures in long-term French foreign policy. Major places of the Austro-Sardinian war 1859 Austro-Sardinian War was fought by Napoleon III of France and Kingdom of Sardinia against Austria in 1859. ... During the evolution of the process that would finally have brought to the Italian Unification (Risorgimento), the Italian Independence wars were three wars fought against Austria between 1848 and 1866 and ended with the conquest of the whole Italian territory. ... Combatants United Kingdom France Ottoman Empire Kingdom of Sardinia Russian Empire Casualties 17,500 British 90,000 French 35,000 Turkish 2,050 Sardinian killed, wounded and died of disease 256,000 killed, wounded and died of disease The Crimean War lasted from 1854 until 1 April 1856 and was... Combatants Second French Empire North German Confederation allied with south German states (later German Empire) Commanders Napoleon III Helmuth von Moltke Strength 500,000[citation needed] 550,000[citation needed] Casualties 150,000 dead or wounded 284,000 captured 350,000 civilian [citation needed] 100,000 dead or wounded 200... Imperial Province of Elsaß-Lothringen Alsace-Lorraine (French: Alsace-Lorraine; German: Elsaß-Lothringen) was a territory disputed between the nation states of France and Germany. ... Motto: Gott mit Uns (German: God with us”) Anthem: Heil dir im Siegerkranz (unofficial) Territory of the German Empire in 1914, prior to World War I   Capital Berlin Official language(s) German Minor language(s) Polish (Posen, Upper Silesia, Masuria) French (Elsass-Lothringen) Government Constitutional Monarchy  - First Kaiser Wilhelm I...

Nevertheless, the French, with British and, later, American assistance, managed to hold on for four years and defeat the Germans in World War I. After major conflicts such as the Battle of the Frontiers, the First Battle of the Marne, the Battle of Verdun, and the Second Battle of the Aisne, the latter failure causing widespread mutinies throughout the French army, the French remained enough of a cohesive fighting force to counterattack and defeat the Germans at the Second Battle of the Marne, the first in what would become a string of Allied victories that ended the war.^[41] The Treaty of Versailles eventually returned Alsace-Lorraine back to France. The Battle of the Frontiers was a series of battles fought along the eastern frontier of France and in southern Belgium shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. ... Combatants France United Kingdom Germany Commanders Joseph Joffre John French Helmuth von Moltke Karl von Bulow Alexander von Kluck Strength 1,071,000 1,485,000 Casualties Approximately 263,000: 250,000 French casualties (80,000 dead) 13,000 British casualties (1,700 dead) Approximately 250,000 total The First... Combatants France Germany Commanders Philippe Pétain Robert Nivelle Erich von Falkenhayn Strength About 30,000 on 21 February 1916 About 150,000 on 21 February 1916 Casualties 378,000; of whom 120,000 dead 337,000; of whom 100,000 dead The Battle of Verdun was a major battle... Combatants France Germany Commanders Robert Nivelle Charles Mangin François Anthoine Mazel von Boehm Fritz von Below Strength 1. ... The Second Battle of the Marne, was a World War I battle fought from July 15 to July 18, 1918 near the Marne River. ... The Hundred Days Offensive was the final offensive in World War I by the Allies against the Central Powers on the Western Front from August 8, 1918 to November 11, 1918. ... Woodrow Wilson with the American Peace Commissioners For other treaties with this name, see Treaty of Versailles (disambiguation) The Treaty of Versailles (1919) was the peace treaty which officially ended World War I between the Allied and Associated Powers and the German Empire. ...

However, a variety of factors, ranging from poor commanders to low population growth, crippled France's effort in the 1940 Battle of France. In addition, and in many ways as a result, by 1960 it had lost its influence over all of its empire, suffering defeat in Indochina and granting independence to Algeria after a bitter struggle. Moreover, the military had lost status with the population, first because of the widely publicized Dreyfus Affair,^[42] and later because of the collaboration of the Vichy government with the occupying forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. Combatants France United Kingdom Canada Poland Belgium Netherlands Luxembourg Nazi Germany Italy Commanders Maurice Gamelin, Maxime Weygand (French) Lord Gort (British Expeditionary Force) H.G. Winkelman (Dutch) Gerd von Rundstedt (Army Group A) Fedor von Bock (Army Group B) Wilhelm von Leeb (Army Group C) H.R.H. Umberto di... French Indochina was a federation of protectorates in Southeast Asia, part of the French colonial empire. ... The Dreyfus Affair was a political scandal which divided France during the 1890s and early 1900s. ... France under German occupation 1940-44 Presidential flag of Vichy France For other uses of Vichy, see Vichy (disambiguation). ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ...

A French bayonet charge in World War I. Trusting in the bayonet as the "superior weapon" and believing that the élan of the French soldier would carry the day, Plan XVII sent thousands to their deaths during the Battle of the Frontiers. 20th century warfare had dawned with a frightful jolt as commanders on both sides attempted to restore some form of tactical mobility.

Despite having one of the largest and most technologically advanced standing armies in Europe, and the money to support it, France consistently lost out on the development of new tactics through insufficient training. Charles De Gaulle had foreseen the importance of armored warfare after World War I, but his theories were widely ignored in France, only to be taken up by the Germans, who used them to great effect with Blitzkrieg. Furthermore, low population growth forced the French government to extend conscription terms and made military life more unpopular. Prior to the Battle of France, there were sentiments among many Allied soldiers, French and British, of pointless repetition; they viewed the war with dread since they had already beaten the Germans once, and images of that first major conflict were still poignant in military circles.^[43] The costs of World War I inspired the French to look for more defensive measures. The Maginot Line was the result of these deliberations: the French originally allocated three billion francs for the project, but by 1935 seven billion had been spent.^[44] The Maginot Line successfully held off the German attacks in 1940, but defeat in the northern sectors spelled the end of the Third Republic. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (874x523, 137 KB) Summary This image was scanned from The Story of the Great War, Volume III, Francis Joseph Reynolds et al, 1916. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (874x523, 137 KB) Summary This image was scanned from The Story of the Great War, Volume III, Francis Joseph Reynolds et al, 1916. ... The US Marine Corps OKC-3S Bayonet A bayonet (from French baïonnette) is a knife- or dagger-shaped weapon designed to fit on or over the muzzle of a rifle barrel or similar weapon. ... Combatants Allied Powers: United Kingdom France Italy Russia United States Serbia Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Nicholas II Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Reinhard Scheer Franz Josef I Conrad von Hötzendorf İsmail Enver Ferdinand I Casualties... The offensive French military strategy in World War I known as Plan XVII was initially created by Ferdinand Foch. ... The Battle of the Frontiers was a series of battles fought along the eastern frontier of France and in southern Belgium shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... It has been suggested that Mechanized warfare be merged into this article or section. ... One of the defining characteristics of what is commonly known as Blitzkrieg is close co-operation between infantry and tanks. ... The Maginot Line (IPA: [maʒino], named after French minister of defence André Maginot) was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, machine gun posts and other defenses which France constructed along its borders with Germany and with Italy in the wake of World War I. Generally the term...

After its defeat, France remained occupied until 1944. The Normandy landings in that year were the first step towards the eventual Liberation of France. The Free French Forces under de Gaulle had participated widely throughout previous campaigns, but their growing size made them especially notable in the final phases of the war. In May 1945, the final month of the war in Europe, the French had a total of 1.25 million soldiers; ten divisions of these, seven infantry and three armored, were fighting in Germany.^[45] At the end of the conflict, France was given one of four occupation zones in Germany and in Berlin. Combatants United States United Kingdom Canada Free France Poland Nazi Germany Commanders Dwight Eisenhower (Supreme Allied Commander) Bernard Montgomery (land) Bertram Ramsay (sea) Trafford Leigh-Mallory (air) Gerd von Rundstedt (OB WEST) Erwin Rommel (absent) (Heeresgruppe B) Friedrich Dollmann () Strength 326,000 (by June 11) Unknown, probably some 1,000... The Northern France Campaign of World War II began on July 25, 1944, with General Bernard Montgomery launching Operation COBRA to break out from the Normandy beachhead, and concluded on September 14 with Belgium and most of France liberated from German rule. ... The Free French Forces (Forces Françaises Libres in French) were French fighters in World War II, who decided to continue fighting against Axis forces after the surrender of France and German occupation, following the call of General De Gaulle, and the de jure government (Free French Government) of France... Berlin is the capital city and a state of Germany. ...

Historically, the military had sided with the monarchy and the Catholic Church, but their struggles over the twentieth century eventually allowed the Republican and secular forces that had first come to the fore during the French Revolution to cement their hold over French politics. The last attempt by the military to set its own policy came during the Algerian War of Independence, when French forces took the suppression of rebellious Algerians into their own hands, against the directions of then President De Gaulle. Eventually, De Gaulle distanced himself from the military and appealed to public support, resulting in the establishment of the Fifth Republic. However, this also had the effect of lessening France's military standing in the world to the point where De Gaulle often believed that France had little control over its own military destiny. Today, despite having some of the best trained and best equipped military forces in the world, and being a nuclear power, the role of France is seen in terms of coalition interventions, peacekeeping, and minor disputes. Conflicts indicative of this status are the Gulf War in 1991, in which France sent 18,000 troops, 60 combat aircraft, 120 helicopters, and 40 tanks,^[46] Mission Héracles in the War in Afghanistan, and recent peacekeeping actions in Côte d'Ivoire. The name Catholic Church can mean a visible organization that refers to itself as Catholic, or the invisible Christian Church, viz. ... // French politics under the Fifth Republic After Charles de Gaulle had the constitution of the French Fifth Republic adopted in 1958, France was ruled by successive right-wing administrations until 1981. ... Combatants FLN MNA France Pieds-noirs Harkis OAS The Algerian War of Independence (1954–62) was one of the most important colonial wars. ... The Fifth Republic is the fifth and current republican constitution of France, which was introduced on October 5, 1958. ... Combatants UN Coalition Republic of Iraq Commanders Norman Schwarzkopf Saddam Hussein Strength 660,000 545,000 Casualties 345 dead, 1,000 wounded 25,000 dead, 100,000 - 300,000 wounded The Gulf War (1990–1991) (also called the Persian Gulf War, First Gulf War, or Operation Desert Storm) was a... The Charles De Gaulle (R91) is the only serving French aircraft carrier and is the flagship of the French Navy (Marine Nationale). ... Combatants al-Qaeda, Taliban NATO, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France, New Zealand, Italy, Germany, Northern Alliance Commanders Osama bin Laden Mohammed Omar Tommy Franks David Fraser (Southern province forces only) Mohammed Fahim The United States invasion of Afghanistan occurred in October 2001, in the wake of the September... Armed insurgents French troops try to separate the belligerents. ...

See also: List of modern French wars and battles

The following is an incomplete list of French wars and battles from the Gauls to modern France. ...

Topical subjects

French Air Force

The roundel was first used by the French Air Force in World War I.

Main articles: History of the Armée de l'Air (1909-1942), History of the Armée de l'Air (1940-1945), and History of the Armée de l'Air (1939-1962)

Many consider the Armée de l'Air to have been the first professional air force in the world. The French took active interest in developing their air force and had the first fighter pilots of World War I. During the interwar years, however, particularly in the 1930s, the quality fell when compared with the Luftwaffe, which crushed both the French and British air forces during the Battle of France. In the post–World War II era, the French made a concerted and successful effort to develop a homegrown aircraft industry. Dassault Aviation led the way forward with their unique and effective delta-wing designs, which formed the basis for the famous Mirage series of jet fighters. The Mirage repeatedly demonstrated its deadly abilities in the Six-Day War and the Gulf War, becoming one of the most popular and well-sold aircraft in the history of military aviation along the way. Currently, the French Air Force is expanding and replacing. The French are awaiting the A400M military transport aircraft, which is still in developmental stages, and the integration of the new Rafale multi-role jet fighter, whose first squadron of 20 aircraft is expected to become operational in 2006 at Saint-Dizier.^[47] Image File history File links French-roundel. ... Image File history File links French-roundel. ... The RAF roundel A roundel is a distinctive mostly round logo or marking, most commonly painted today on military aircraft to indicate which air force or navy they belong to. ... The French Air Force is the air force branch of the French Armed Forces. ... Combatants Allied Powers: United Kingdom France Italy Russia United States Serbia Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Nicholas II Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Reinhard Scheer Franz Josef I Conrad von Hötzendorf Ä°smail Enver Ferdinand I Casualties... The familiar French military aviation roundel gave rise to similar roundels for air forces all over the world, including that of the United Kingdom (RAF), which reversed the colors on the French roundel. ... // Fighting for Free France — the FAFL in French North Africa (1940-1943) On June 17, 1940, five days before the signing of the Franco-German Armistice, the first exodus of 10 airmen took flight from Bordeaux-Mérignac to England. ... // In name only: the Armée de l’Air in Indochina during the Pacific War (1939-1945) The outbreak of the war in Europe in September 1939 did not immediately affect the status of the Armée de l’Air in French Indochina because it had the task of defending... The French Air Force is the air force branch of the French Armed Forces. ... An air force is a military or armed service that primarily conducts aerial warfare. ... The Interwar period was the time between World War I and World War II, ergo the 1920s and 1930s. ... The German Luftwaffe was one of the most powerful, doctrinally advanced, and battle-experienced air forces in the world when World War II started in Europe in September 1939. ... Dassault Aviation is a French aircraft manufacturer of military, regional and business jets. ... The delta-wing is a wing planform in the form of a triangle, named after the Greek uppercase delta (letter) which is a triangle (Δ). Its use in the so called tailless delta, i. ... The Mirage III is a supersonic fighter aircraft designed in France by Dassault Aviation during the 1950s, and manufactured both in France and a number of other countries. ... An A-10 Thunderbolt II, F-86 Sabre, P-38 Lightning and P-51 Mustang fly in formation during an air show at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. ... Combatants Israel Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq Commanders Yitzhak Rabin, Moshe Dayan, Uzi Narkiss, Israel Tal, Ariel Sharon Abdel Hakim Amer, Abdul Munim Riad, Zaid ibn Shaker, Hafez al-Assad Strength 50,000 troops (264,000 including mobilized reservists); 197 combat aircraft Egypt 150,000 troops; Syria 75,000; Jordan 55... Combatants UN Coalition Republic of Iraq Commanders Norman Schwarzkopf Saddam Hussein Strength 660,000 545,000 Casualties 345 dead, 1,000 wounded 25,000 dead, 100,000 - 300,000 wounded The Gulf War (1990–1991) (also called the Persian Gulf War, First Gulf War, or Operation Desert Storm) was a... The Airbus A400M is a four-engine turboprop aircraft, designed by Airbus Military to meet the demand of European nations for military airlift. ... The Rafale is a French twin-engine delta-wing multirole fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation. ... Saint-Dizier is a city in the Haute-Marne département in the Champagne-Ardenne Region of France. ...

French Navy

The USS Enterprise (left), the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in the world, sailing besides the Charles de Gaulle, the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in Europe. The French Navy gave assistance to U.S.-led efforts in Afghanistan.^[2]

Main article: French Navy

Although the history of the French Navy goes back to the Middle Ages, when it was defeated by the English at the Battle of Sluys and, with Castilian help, managed to beat the English at La Rochelle, it did not become a consistent instrument of national power until the seventeenth century with Louis XIV. Under the tutelage of the "Sun King," the French Navy was well financed and equipped, managing to resoundingly defeat a combined Spanish-Dutch fleet at the Battle of Palermo in 1676 during the Franco-Dutch War, although, along with the English navy, it suffered several strategic reversals against the Dutch, who were led by the brilliant Michiel de Ruyter. It scored several early victories in the Nine Years War against the Royal Navy and the Dutch Navy. Financial difficulties, however, allowed the English and the Dutch to regain the initiative at sea. Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... Enterprise Logo The USS Enterprise (CVN-65) is the worlds first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the eighth U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name. ... An aircraft carrier is a warship designed to deploy and recover aircraft—in effect acting as a sea-going airbase. ... The Charles De Gaulle (R91) is the only serving French aircraft carrier and is the flagship of the French Navy (Marine Nationale). ... World map showing Europe Political map (neighboring countries in Asia and Africa also shown) Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth. ... The French Navy (Marine Nationale) is the maritime arm of the French military and the largest Western European navy in terms of personnel. ... The French Navy (Marine Nationale) is the maritime arm of the French military and the largest Western European navy in terms of personnel. ... The French Navy (Marine Nationale) is the maritime arm of the French military and the largest Western European navy in terms of personnel. ... Combatants England France Commanders Edward III of England Hugues Quiéret, Nicolas Béhuchet Strength 250 ships 190 ships Casualties Unknown 20 000 (Europe A History by Norman Davies) The naval Battle of Sluys was fought on 24 June 1340. ... The starting point of Crown of Castile can be considered when the union of the Kingdoms of Castile and Leon in 1230 or the later fusion of their Cortes (their Parlaments). ... The Battle of La Rochelle was a naval engagement fought in 1372 between a Franco-Castilian and an English fleet. ... This naval battle took place in 1676? and was a French victory over a Dutch/Spanish force of 27 battleships and some galleys. ... Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter, Lieutenant-Admiral of the United Provinces by Ferdinand Bol, painted 1667 Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter (24 March 1607 - 29 April 1676) is one of the most famous admirals in Dutch history. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ... Flag of the Royal Netherlands Navy Royal Netherlands Navy Jack The Koninklijke Marine (Royal Netherlands Navy ) is the navy of the Netherlands. ...

A perennial problem for the French Navy was the strategic priorities of France, which were first and foremost tied to its European ambitions. This meant the army was often treated better than the navy, and as a result, the latter suffered in training and operational performance. The eighteenth century saw the beginning of Royal Navy domination, which managed to inflict a number of significant defeats on the French. However, in a very impressive effort, a French fleet under de Grasse managed to defeat an English fleet at the Battle of the Chesapeake in 1781, ensuring that the Franco-American ground forces would win the ongoing Battle of Yorktown. Beyond that, and Suffren's impressive campaigns against the British in India, there was not much more good news. The French Revolution all but crippled the French Navy, and efforts to make it into a powerful force under Napoleon were dashed at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, where the British all but annihilated a combined Franco-Spanish fleet. The disaster guaranteed British naval domination until World War II. François Joseph Paul, marquis de Grasse Tilly, comte de Grasse François Joseph Paul, marquis de Grasse Tilly, comte de Grasse (1722 - Paris, 14th of January 1788), French admiral, was born at Bar, in the present départment of the Alpes-Maritimes. ... Combatants France Britain Commanders Comte de Grasse Thomas Graves Strength 24 ships 19 ships Casualties none some ships damaged The Battle of the Chesapeake, also known as Battle of the Virginia Capes, was a crucial naval battle in the American Revolutionary War which took place near the mouth of Chesapeake... The Battle of Yorktown can refer to: Battle of Yorktown (1781) Battle of Yorktown (1862) ... Statue of Suffren - Museum of the Navy, Toulon. ... The naval operations of the American Revolutionary War, or American War of Independence, divide themselves naturally into two periods. ... Combatants United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland First French Empire, Spain Commanders The Viscount Nelson † Pierre Charles Silvestre de Villeneuve Strength 27 ships of the line France: 18 ships of the line Spain: 15 ships of the line Casualties 449 killed 1,214 wounded Total: 1,673 4,480...

Later in the nineteenth century, the navy recovered and became the second finest in the world after the Royal Navy. It conducted a successful blockade of Mexico in the Pastry War of 1838 and obliterated the Chinese navy at the Battle of Foochow in 1884. It also served as an effective link between the growing parts of the French empire. The navy performed well during World War I, in which it mainly protected the naval lanes in the Mediterranean Sea. At the onset of the war, the French, with 16 battleships, 6 cruisers, and 24 destroyers, had the largest fleet in the Mediterranean.^[48] The defeat of France in World War II, however, forced the British to destroy the French navy at Mers-el-Kebir in order to prevent its fall to the Germans. Currently, French naval doctrine calls for two aircraft carriers, but the French only have one, the Charles de Gaulle, due to restructuring. The navy is in the midst of major technological and procurement changes; newer submarines and a second aircraft carrier have been ordered on top of the Rafales (the naval version) replacing older aircraft. The Pastry War (Spanish: Guerra de los pasteles) was an invasion of Mexico by French forces in 1838. ... The Battle of Foochow occurred in August 1884 during the Sino-French War. ... Satellite image The Mediterranean Sea is a part of the Atlantic Ocean almost completely enclosed by land, on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia. ... Combatants United Kingdom France Commanders James Somerville Marcel-Bruno Gensoul Strength 3 battleships, 1 carrier, 2 cruisers, 11 destroyers 4 battleships, 6 destroyers, 1 seaplane tender Casualties — 1 battleship sunk 2 battleships damaged 1,297 killed The Destruction of the French Fleet at Mers-el-Kebir, French North Africa (now... An aircraft carrier is a warship designed to deploy and recover aircraft—in effect acting as a sea-going airbase. ... The Charles De Gaulle (R91) is the only serving French aircraft carrier and is the flagship of the French Navy (Marine Nationale). ...

French Foreign Legion

Main article: French Foreign Legion

The French Foreign Legion was created in 1831 by French king Louis-Philippe. Over the past century and a half, it has gone on to become one of the most recognizable and lauded military units in the world. The Legion had a very difficult start; there were few non-commissioned officers, many of the soldiers could not speak French, and pay was often irregular.^[49] The Legion was soon transferred to fight in Algeria, performing moderately successfully given its condition. On August 17, 1835, the commander of the Legion, Colonel Joseph Bernelle, decided to amalgamate all the battalions so that no nationality was exclusively confined to a particular battalion; this helped ensure that the Legion did not fragment into factions.^[50] The French Foreign Legion (French: Légion Étrangère) is a unique unit within the French Army established in 1831. ... The French Foreign Legion (French: Légion Étrangère) is a unique unit within the French Army established in 1831. ... King Louis-Philippe Louis-Philippe of France (October 6, 1773 – August 26, 1850) reigned as the Orléanist king of the French from 1830 to 1848. ... A non-commissioned officer (sometimes noncommissioned officer), also known as an NCO or noncom, is a non-commissioned member of an armed force who has been given authority by a commissioned officer. ...

Légionnaires in dress uniform. Note the red epaulettes and the distinctive white kepi. They carry the standard assault rifle, the FAMAS.

Following participation in Africa and in the Carlist Wars in Spain, the Legion fought in the Crimean War and the Franco-Austrian War, where they performed heroically at the Battle of Magenta, before earning even more glory during the French intervention in Mexico. On April 30, 1863, a company of 65 legionnaires was ambushed by 2,000 Mexican troops at the Hacienda Camarón; in the resulting Battle of Camarón, the legionnaires resisted bravely for several hours and inflicted 300-500 casualties on the Mexicans while 62 of them died and three were captured.^[51] One of the Mexican commanders, impressed by the memorable intransigence he had just witnessed, characterized the Legion in a way they've been known ever since, "These are not men, but devils!"^[52] Today, legionnaires recognize April 30 as "Cameron Day." Image File history File links Download high resolution version (646x1192, 133 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: French Foreign Legion Kepi French Army ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (646x1192, 133 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: French Foreign Legion Kepi French Army ... French Kepis. ... The FAMAS (Fusil dAssaut de la Manufacture dArmes de St-Etienne, Assault Rifle by St-Etienne Arms Factory) is an assault rifle in bullpup configuration designed and manufactured in France by the Saint Étienne arms factory, which is a member of the French government-owned GIAT Industries complex. ... The Carlist Wars in Spain were the last major European civil wars in which pretenders fought to establish their claim to a throne. ... The Battle of Magenta was fought on June 4, 1859 during the Franco-Austria, resulting in a French victory under Louis-Napoleon against the Austrians under General Gyulai. ... Emperor Maximilian Napoleon III of France Juárez, republican leader and President The French intervention in Mexico was an invasion of Mexico by the army of the Second French Empire, and supported in the beginning by the British and Spanish. ... Combatants Mexico France Commanders Colonel Milan Capitaine Danjou † Strength 800 cavalry, 1200 infantry 65 Casualties 300-500 62 killed, 3 captured The Battle of Camarón took place on (30 April 1863) between the French Foreign Legion and the Mexican army. ...

After the French defeat in Mexico, the Legion participated effectively in the Franco-Prussian War, spearheading the attack that lead to the only French victory of the war in the Battle of Coulmiers. It later fought in the Sino-French War during the 1880s, putting up a stout defense at the siege of Tuyen Quang against overwhelming Chinese numbers. Much of its time in the later nineteenth century and the early twentieth was spent in various operations throughout the French colonial empire. Combatants France Prussia The Battle of Coulmiers was fought on November 9, 1870 between French and Prussian forces. ... Combatants France Qing Dynasty Black Flag Army Annam Strength 15,000 to 20,000 soldiers (including Spanish and Filipino volunteers) 25,000 to 35,000 soldiers (from the provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Zhejiang and Yunnan) Casualties 2,100 killed or wounded 10,000 killed or wounded The 1884 Battle... Tuyen Quang is a town in Vietnam, the capital of Tuyen Quang Province. ...

In World War I, the Legion demonstrated that it was a highly capable unit in modern warfare. It suffered 11,000 casualties in the Western Front while conducted brilliant defenses and spirited counter-attacks.^[53] Following the debacle in the Battle of France in 1940, the Legion was split between those who supported the Vichy government and those who joined the Free French under de Gaulle. At the Battle of Bir Hakeim in 1942, the Free French 13th Legion Demi-Brigade doggedly defended its positions against a combined Italian-German offensive and seriously delayed Rommel's attacks towards Tobruk. The Legion eventually returned to Europe and fought until the end of the Second World War in 1945. It later fought in the First Indochina War against the Viet Minh. At the climatic Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954, French forces, many of them legionnaires, were completely surrounded by a large Vietnamese army and were defeated after two months of tenacious fighting. French defeat in the Algerian War of Independence led to the collapse of the French colonial empire. The legionnaires were mostly used in colonial interventions, so the destruction of the empire prompted questions about their status. Ultimately, the Legion was allowed to exist and participated as a rapid reaction force in many places throughout Africa and around the world.^[54] Today, it is one of the most respected units in the French Army. Combatants Belgium, British Empire, France, United States, other Western Allies of WWI Germany Commanders No unified command until 1918, then General Ferdinand Foch Kaiser Wilhelm II Casualties ~4,800,000 Unknown though considerably higher Following the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, the German army opened the Western... Combatants Free French Forces Afrika Korps Commanders Marie Pierre Koenig Erwin Rommel Strength 3703 ? Casualties deads 140, wounded 229, prisonners 814 3300 The Battle of Bir Hakeim (May 26, 1942 - June 11, 1942) was fought, during World War II, between the German/Italian Afrika Korps and the 1st Free French... Tobruk or Tubruq (Arabic: طبرق; also transliterated as Tóbruch, Tobruch, Å¢ubruq, Tobruck ) is a town, seaport, municipality, and peninsula in eastern Libya in Northern Africa. ... The Viet Minh (abbreviated from Việt Nam ộc Lập ồng Minh Hội, League for the Independence of Vietnam) was formed by Ho Ngoc Lam and Nguyen Hai Than in 1941 to seek independence for Vietnam from France. ... Combatants France, Vietnam (loyalist), Hmong mercenaries. ... The French Army (Armée de Terre) is the land-based component of the French Armed Forces. ...

French military linguistic influence

French specialized military terms have been influential and adopted by other languages besides English, like Spanish or German. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

French naval terms adopted by the English language include trophy and pilot (as in the English steersman). Other French military terms adopted by the English language include aide-de-camp, bayonet, brigade, cadre, cartouche, Colonel, combat, corps, détente, enfilade, envoy, infantry, lieutenant, marines, mêlée, pioneer, platoon, sergeant, sortie, terrain, and volley. Some trophies seen in the London Irish clubhouse at Sunbury in 2002. ... Signal flag H(otel) - Pilot on Board A harbour pilot guides ships through the narrow, shallow and dangerous coastal waters between a harbour and the open sea. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... An aide-de-camp (French: camp assistant) is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state. ... The US Marine Corps OKC-3S Bayonet A bayonet (from French baïonnette) is a knife- or dagger-shaped weapon designed to fit on or over the muzzle of a rifle barrel or similar weapon. ... Brigade is a term from military science which refers to military echelon under a division, above a regiment where that exists as such, nowadays often a group of several battalions (typically two to four), and directly attached supporting units (normally including at least an artillery battery and additional logistic support). ... For other uses of the term, see Cadre (disambiguation). ... A cartouche, in Egyptian hieroglyphs, is an oblong enclosure with a vertical line at one end, indicating that the text enclosed is a royal name, coming into use during the beginning of the Fourth Dynasty with pharao Sneferu. ... Colonel (IPA: or ) is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with the corresponding ranks existing in nearly every country in the world. ... Combat, or fighting, is purposeful violent conflict between one or more persons or organizations, often intended to establish dominance over the opposition. ... A corps (a word that immigrated from the French language, pronounced IPA: , but originating in the Latin corpus, corporis meaning body; plural same as singular) is either a large military unit or formation, an administrative grouping of troops within an army with a common function (such as artillery or signals... Détente is a French term meaning relaxation, which has been used in international politics since the early 1970s. ... Enfilade and defilade are military tactical concepts used to describe a fighting units exposure to enemy fire. ... Envoy may refer to: a diplomat Envoy (WordPerfect), a document reader and document file format GMC Envoy, a make of automobile The Envoy, a 1982 album by Warren Zevon The Call Sign For United Kingdom Airline Flyjet Category: ... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, or other means. ... Lieutenant is a military, paramilitary, fire service or police officer rank. ... France Marines is the name of a commune in the département of Val dOise, France. ... Mêlée generally refers to disorganized hand-to-hand combat involving a group of fighters. ... Combat engineers place satchel charges and detonating cord, preparatory to blowing up a railway bridge during the Korean War, 30 Jul 1950. ... Platoon is a term from military science. ... Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organisations around the world. ... Sortie is a term for deployment of one military aircraft or a ship for the purposes of a specific mission, whether alone, or with other aircraft or vessels. ... Arguably the best volleyer in the game now, Tim Henman is well-known around the tennis community for his exellent touch. A volley in tennis is a shot that is hit before the ball bounces on the ground. ...

Note: All the these above examples date from Middle French or Modern French usage since the 1500s as specifically related to specialized military terms. Earlier Old French words related to war became part of the English language in a period after the adoption of the French-like Anglo-Norman language as the official royal and legal language in England - a result of its conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066. These words were not adopted for special military purposes, but were part of a general language of rule that lasted for centuries and had a major impact on Middle English. For selected non-war related examples, refer to the Wiktionary.

Middle French (le moyen français) is a historical division of the French language which covers the period from (roughly) 1340 to 1610. ... French (français, langue française) is one of the most important Romance languages, outnumbered in speakers only by Spanish and Portuguese. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... Old French is a term sometimes used to refer to the langue doïl, the continuum of varieties of Romance language spoken in territories corresponding roughly to the northern half of modern France and parts of Belgium and Switzerland during the period roughly from 1000 to 1300 A.D... The Anglo-Norman language is the name given to the variety of Norman spoken by the Anglo-Normans, the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the conquest by William of Normandy in 1066. ... Dieu et mon droit (French for God and my [birth] right) has generally been used as the motto of the British monarch since it was adopted by Henry V (1413-22). ... Law French is an archaic language based on Norman and Anglo-Norman. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq... Bayeux Tapestry depicting events leading to the Battle of Hastings The Norman Conquest of England was the conquest of the Kingdom of England by William the Conqueror (Duke of Normandy), in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings and the subsequent Norman control of England. ... William I ( 1027 – September 9, 1087), was King of England from 1066 to 1087. ... Middle English is the name given by historical linguistics to the diverse forms of the English language spoken between the Norman invasion of 1066 and the mid-to-late 15th century, when the Chancery Standard, a form of London-based English, began to become widespread, a process aided by the...

See also

• Military of France
• Military history of France during World War II
• Norman Conquest of England
• Marshals of France
• List of famous French military leaders
• List of French wars and battles
• Deployments of the French military

The military of France has a long history of serving its country. ... France, along with the United Kingdom, was one of the first participants in World War II after declaring war on Nazi Germany following its invasion of Poland in 1939. ... Bayeux Tapestry depicting events leading to the Battle of Hastings The Norman conquest of England was the conquest of the Kingdom of England by William the Conqueror (Duke of Normandy), in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings and the subsequent Norman control of England. ... The Marshal of France (maréchal de France) was one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France. ... The following is a list of famous French military leaders from the Gauls to modern France. ... The following is an incomplete list of French wars and battles from the Gauls to modern France. ... The Military of France has several deployments throughout the world. ...

Notes

De Bello Gallico (literally On the Gallic Wars in Latin) is an account written by Julius Caesar about his nine years of war in Gaul. ... A historian is someone who writes history, and history is a written accounting of the past. ... Edward Gibbon (1737-1794). ... The Loire River (pronounced in French), the longest river in France with a length of just over 1000 km, drains an area of 117,000 km², more than a fifth of France. ... For the rugby club Saracens see Saracens (rugby club) The term Saracen comes from Greek sarakenoi. ... The Scottish Highlands are the mountainous regions of Scotland north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault. ... The Nile (Arabic: النيل an-nÄ«l, Egyptian iteru) is a river in Africa, often regarded as the longest river on Earth, although some sources claim the Amazon in South America is longer. ... The Euphrates (the traditional Greek name, Arabic: الفرات; Al-Furat, Hebrew: פְּרָת Perath, Kurdish: Firat, Turkish: Fırat, Old Persian: Ufrat, Syriac: ܦܪܘܬ or ܦܪܬ; Frot or Prâth, Akkadian: Pu-rat-tu) is the westernmost of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia (the other being the Tigris). ... The Thames (pronounced []) is a river flowing through southern England, in its lower reaches flowing through London into the sea. ... The Quran (Arabic al-qurʾān أَلْقُرآن; also transliterated as Quran, Koran, and less commonly Alcoran) is the holy book of Islam. ... The University of Oxford (often called Oxford University), located in the city of Oxford, England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... For other persons named Muhammad, see Muhammad (disambiguation). ... Combatants Carolingian Franks Umayyad Caliphate Commanders Charles Martel ‘Abd-al-Raḥmān al-Ghāfiqī† Strength Unknown, but probably around 33,000 [1] Unknown, but one modern source estimates around 20,000 to 30,000 [2] Some later Arab sources[3] mention a figure of 80,000. ... This article is about the medieval crusades. ... The French Revolution (1789–1799) was a pivotal period in the history of French, European and Western civilization. ... Combatants Second French Empire North German Confederation allied with south German states (later German Empire) Commanders Napoleon III Helmuth von Moltke Strength 500,000[citation needed] 550,000[citation needed] Casualties 150,000 dead or wounded 284,000 captured 350,000 civilian [citation needed] 100,000 dead or wounded 200... Imperial Province of Elsaß-Lothringen Alsace-Lorraine (French: Alsace-Lorraine; German: Elsaß-Lothringen) was a territory disputed between the nation states of France and Germany. ... Revanchism (from French revanche, revenge) is a term used since the 1870s to describe political campaigns to reverse territorial losses incurred by a country during previous wars and strifes, sometimes quite distant in time. ... The Dreyfus Affair was a political scandal which divided France during the 1890s and early 1900s. ... Combatants Allied Powers: United Kingdom France Italy Russia United States Serbia Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Nicholas II Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Reinhard Scheer Franz Josef I Conrad von Hötzendorf Ä°smail Enver Ferdinand I Casualties...

References

• Blanning, T.C.W. The French Revolutionary Wars. London: Hodder Headline Group, 1996. ISBN 0-340-56911-5
• Brooks, Richard (editor). Atlas of World Military History. London: HarperCollins, 2000. ISBN 0-7607-2025-8
• Chandler, David G. The Campaigns of Napoleon. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995. ISBN 0-02-523660-1
• Cowley, Robert (editor). What If? Eminent Historians Imagine What Might Have Been. New York: Penguing Group, 1999. ISBN 0-399-15238-5
• Dupuy, Trevor N., Harper Encyclopedia of Military History. New York: HarperCollins, 1993. ISBN 0-06-270056-1
• Elting, John R. Swords Around a Throne: Napoleon's Grande Armée. New York: Da Capo Press Inc., 1988. ISBN 0-306-80757-2
• Fisher, Todd & Fremont-Barnes, Gregory. The Napoleonic Wars: The Rise and Fall of an Empire. Oxford: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2004. ISBN 1-84176-831-6
• de la Gorce, Paul Marie. The French Army: A Military-Political History. New York: George Braziller, Inc., 1963. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 6310401
• Jordan, David. The History of the French Foreign Legion. Spellmount Limited, 2005. ISBN 1-86227-295-6
• Jotischky, Andrew. Crusading and the Crusader States. Pearson Education Limited, 2004. ISBN 0-582-41851-8
• Keegan, John. The Second World War. New York: Penguin Group, 1989. ISBN 0-670-82359-7
• Lyons, Martyn. Napoleon Bonaparte and the Legacy of the French Revolution. New York: St. Martin's Press, Inc., 1994. ISBN 0-312-12123-7
• Lynn, John A. Giant of the Grand Siècle: The French Army, 1610-1715. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1997. ISBN 0-521-57273-8
• Lynn, John A. The Wars of Louis XIV. London: Longman, 1999. ISBN 0-582-05629-2
• Roberts, J.M. History of the World. New York: Penguin Group, 1992. ISBN 0-19-521043-3
• Strachan, Hew. The Oxford Illustrated History of the First World War. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN 0-19-289325-4
• Tuchman W., Barbara. The Guns of August. New York: Random House, 1962. ISBN 0-345-47609

Robert Cowley is the founding editor of MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History. ... Sir John Keegan (born 1934) is an English military historian. ... John Roberts was a Fellow and Tutor of Merton College, Oxford from 1953 to 1979. ... Professor Hew Strachan is a military historian, well known for his work on the administration of the British Army and the history of the First World War. ... Barbara Wertheim Tuchman (January 30, 1912 – February 6, 1989) was an American historian and author. ...

External links

• French Military Terms Adopted by the English Language
• French military participation from 1800 to 1999
• An excellent guide to French Medieval warfare
• France in the American Revolution
• The Battle of Vertières