Consular Guard | |
---|---|
Garde des consuls | |
Active | 28 November 1799 – 18 May 1804 |
Country | French Republic |
Type | Infantry, cavalry, artillery |
Role | Close protection |
Size | 2,089 (1799) |
Engagements | |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Joachim Murat Jean-Baptiste Bessières Jean Lannes |
The Consular Guard (French: Garde consulaire), also known as the Guard of the Consuls (Garde des consuls), was a French military unit responsible for the protection of the members of the Consulate, the executive government of France during the late First Republic. It was created by First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799, after the Coup of 18 Brumaire, and renamed the Imperial Guard in 1804, when Bonaparte was proclaimed Emperor of the French.