Constitutional Guard of the King

When the constituent Assembly separates on September 3rd 1791, she issues that the King of the French will lay out of a constitutional Garde , also known as guard Brissac . The formation of this constitutional guard is the only reform of court put in appliscation, but this one lasts only a few months

Constitutional guard of the King

The creation of the constitutional Guard of the King

This guard succeeds the four companies of bodyguards of the Military household of the king de France, after the escape in Varennes of June 21st, 1791, and in spite of the sharp opposition of much of Jacobins. The creation of this Guard was already envisaged in 1790 by the Constitution. Louis XVI had made put this law in sleep to preserve its old guards. When it takes up duty in February 1792, the king cautorise national guard to continue to serve more close to its person , to avoid the jealousies.

A transitory existence

This unit, ordered by the general-duke of Thimble-Brissac will have a transitory existence. The purpose of it is to defend the person of the king and his family.

The constitutional Guard of the King contrary with many legends, according to a plan suggested by Delessart, is made up:

  • of a third of troops of line,

  • and two thirds of young citizens recruited in the national guards and representatives of the departments. These are the latter which name them. Each department names three or four of them.

The troops of line will force to resign a certain number of young guards. They are replaced by soldiers aguerris, considered as sourer by their commanders. Many of these guards or their officers are fencing masters, scrap merchants tested, good shots and excellent riding. Of the men of audacity and adventure… .

Louis Hercules Timoléon of Thimble-Brissac (1734 - 1792) is commander-in-chief it of the constitutional Guard of the King. The Brigadier Jean-Georges-Claude Baude, baron of Pont-l'Abbé is the commander of the foot soldiers. The Brigadier - count Louis Charles d' Hervilly is the commander of the horse guards.

The constitutional Guard of the King is made up of six divisions of infantrymen of 200 men and three divisions of 200 riders, is 1800 guards.

These soldiers who take their service on January 1st, 1792, lend oath mid-March to the Nation, the Law and to the King. The constitutional guard does its work effectively, repressing the riots without overzealousness and protecting the king from the demonstrators. Part of the guards attend the Club of the Jacobins.

A certain number of the guards are decorated with the Military Décoration, created to replace the royal and military Ordre of Saint-Louis one year day for day before the creation of the Guard.

Marie-Antoinette reorganizes little by little this constitutional guard authorized by the Constituante. So certain officers are chosen by the queen, the nobility does not want to enter there in opposition to the Constitution .

The guards do not raise a Tricolor, and their uniform is blue with crimson facings. The drums, trumpets and musicians are braided on all the seams the guards are confined with the Military academy. They are paid by the king on his civil list.

The legislative Parliament vote her dissolution

A rumor runs saying that the Court prepares a St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre patriots with the assistance of the constitutional guard, on May 29th, 1792. The national guards show them to want to prepare an escape of the king. Admittedly the king testifies more the famous brands of attention to his constitutional guard, but it acts in the same way with its national guards. Actually, Louis XVI has serious doubts about the fidelity of this troop in the event of attack of the Tuileries. According to Mrs Campan, it is on the contrary content with the feelings which animate this troop.

The young person Joachim Murat plays a big role in the dissolution of this Guard, because it is on one of its reports/ratios denouncing the counter-revolutionaries activities of the members of the guard that appuit the decision to dissolve it. Entered on February 8th, 1792, he resigns on March 4th. He writes on May 29th, 1792: Among the many facts that I could still present to you, I you will quote of them one, which was denounced at your inspection committee by the department of the Batch, and which can throw some day on the perfidious intentions of the chiefs of this body; it is the proposal made by Mr. Descours, lieutenant-colonel of the horse guard with Mr. Murat, at the time when this citizen gave his resignation, of joining to the emigrants, while saying to him, to allure it, that it sent 40 louis to the son of Mr. Cholard, director of the post offices of the town of Cahors, young man who had just gone to Coblentz.

Dumouriez, which will be a Minister for the war on June 13rd, is him also partly at the origin of the dismissal of the constitutional guard of the king. In spite of the efforts with the Parliament of its defender, Girardin, the report/ratio of Claude Basire which requires that one remove the constitutional guard of the king, and that one issues arrest Mr. of Brissac, is adopted. The Girondins are at the origin of this decree which is returned the same day. In spite of the narrow majority of the partisans of this decree, all the platforms applaud.

The constitutional guard is laid off, the duke of Brissac is issued of arrest, and the stations of the Tuileries are given to the National guard. The guard is thus dissolved on May 29th 1792 by the legislative Assemblée. But, the denunciations against the constitutional guard concern only the staff of this guard.

Ceremony of dismissal of the constitutional Guard of the King

The Guard is with the eyes of the Sans-culottes an infernal seedbed of aristocracy which conspired to cement by the blood of the friends of freedom the dreadful despotism . A simple dismissal is not enough for them: they immediately attack soldiers who assemble the guard to the castle.

At the time of the ceremony of the rioters is there and the National guard must protect its guards disarmed from the extremists when they leave the castle. However, they offered to the King to be caught some to the Jacobins. That would have been a battle like that of El Alamo: 1.800 men against at least 18.000. But such men chosen one by one, often among the heroes of the war of independence, armed well and trained would have perhaps triumphed over these unorganized groups and this crowd out of weapons.

This day, the Dolphin at the Queen, with whom he dines for some time, is in anger. It does not open the mouth in public, but being believed not obliged in the same discretion with its close relations in particular the abbot of Avaux, it does not hide the sorrow which it tests of the reference of his guard .

Antoine François Bertrand de Molleville request with the king to go to the Parliament with 100 guards, and to denounce this legal text there: I come to fill this duty, and to represent you the irregularity of the decree which ordered the dismissal of my constitutional guard… . Barnave begs the queen to require of the king to accept the re-creation of a new guard with a made up staff officers Jacobins. But the sovereign refuses.

The August 10th, 1792

The Hussards of dead the, confined from now on with the Military academy, recover not only the barracks, but also the horses of the cavalry of the constitutional guard dissolved in May.

The guard was thus not replaced because of the refusal of the king. They are the Swiss ones and of the battalions of the National guard which assemble the guard to the Palais of Tileries. June 20th, 1792, the rioters practically penetrate with the castle without any resistance of the national guards.

In the month of July 1792, the former members of the constitutional guard of the king always touch, appears it, their salaries.

Many former members of the Military household of the king de France and the transitory constitutional guard of the king dissolved are present at the sides of the defenders of the Palais of Tileries, the August 10th, 1792. They are this day there, appears it, 120 officers of the constitutional ex-guard .

Some destinies of members of this Guard

Royalists

They are royalist in 1792, but the rare survivors have varied destinies of the Vendée to the wars of the Empire:

Others

They are not obligatorily enemies of the King and Constitution. However, they are not announced by an attachment particular to the royal family. Recruited in the regiments, they will have after 1792 of very fast advances.

  • Jean-Baptist-Marie-Victor Chebrou de Lespinats, lieutenant of this guard.

  • Louis François Coutard, future general, coming from the 1st battalion from the Sarthe, the January 13rd 1792, it passes in the Guard. Coutard turns over after dissolution in its battalion of volunteers.
  • Louis Lepic, future general, from a poor and many family, it profits from the Révolution with its admission in the Guard. After the August 10th 1792, it becomes sergeant to the dragons of the Republic. At the end of six weeks, he is lieutenant-colonel.
  • Louis Thomas Gengoult, future general, laid off with this body the next on June 5th, it enters on July 20th of the same year like soldier the battalion of the Meurthe.
  • Claude-François Ferey, future general, between like soldier in the 1 {{er}} Regiment of Hunters with Horse, passes the December 9th 1791 in the Guard, where, initially simple guard, he quickly becomes sergeant and marshal-of-home. This body having been dissolves, it is elected on July 12th, 1792 of the same month, executive officer with the 9th battalion of the volunteers of the Haute-Saône.
  • Jean Hugues Gambin, future general, quartermaster-sergeant in the Guard, on September 11th, 1792 it enters as quartermaster-sergeant the 1st battalion of Gravilliers, where it was named captain executive officer, the 15 of the same month.
  • Jacques Lecapitaine, general future, are named soldier of elite in this Guard. He is laid off, with his regiment, but on September 3rd, he is elected with the rank of lieutenant as a second to the 4th battalion of the Parisian Volunteers.
  • Joachim Murat, future marshal, fervent supporter of the novel ideas, and in particular of Marat (of which it takes some time the name), it resigns at the end of a few days, estimating that the Guard is only one den of royalists.

  • Gabriel Peignot, under the patronym of Verpilière, had there fun the festival.
  • Sade, in 1791, request a place for him and them his in the constitutional Guard of the King, whose general commander is the lover of the Comtesse of Barry (1743 - 1793). He speaks to him about it in a mail and this letter is worth to him to be stopped.

Notes and references of the article

Random links:Edinburgh | Observatorio del neutrino de Sudbury | Pizhou | Authieux | For the international capacity of the working councils | Palas de Rey | Héctor_Santiago-Colón