Remplacement

The majority of non-career soldiers in the Belgian army of the nineteenth century were selected under the remplacement system

Remplacement militaire (French; lit.'military replacement') was a system of military conscription which existed in France[1] and Belgium in the 19th century under which citizens selected for military service by lot were entitled to pay a sum of money, originally enough to pay a substitute to volunteer to serve in their place, to exempt them from being required to serve in the military personally. Although considered an important civic liberty, the policy favoured the rich and was detrimental to military efficiency. It was abolished in Belgium in 1913 and replaced by a system of "personal military service" (service militaire personnel): a form of universal conscription.

  1. ^ Waquet, Jean (1968). "Le remplacement militaire au XIXe siècle". Bibliothèque de l'école des chartes. 126 (2): 510–520. doi:10.3406/bec.1968.449806.