| French Royal Army | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1652–1792 1814–1815 1815–1830 |
| Country |  Kingdom of France Kingdom of France (1791–1792) Bourbon Restoration (1815–1830) |
| Type | Army |
| Colours |  |
| Engagements | Franco-Spanish War War of Devolution Franco-Dutch War War of the Reunions Nine Years' War War of the Spanish Succession War of the Polish Succession War of the Austrian Succession Seven Years' War American Revolutionary War French Revolutionary Wars French invasion of Spain |
| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-chief | Constable (1043–1626) Marshal General (de facto; 1626–1830) |
| Notable commanders | Louis XIV of France Turenne The Great Condé Luxembourg Vauban Villars Vendôme Maurice de Saxe Berwick Nicolas Catinat Lafayette Rochambeau Jean-de-Dieu Soult Nicolas Oudinot |
| Insignia | |
| Uniform | Gray-white/white for regular infantry Blue for royal or guards infantry Red for Swiss and Irish mercenaries Blue for all units after 1814 |
The French Royal Army (French: Armée Royale Française) was the principal land force of the Kingdom of France. It served the Bourbon dynasty from the reign of Louis XIV in the mid-17th century to that of Charles X in the 19th, with an interlude from 1792 to 1814 and another during the Hundred Days in 1815. It was permanently dissolved following the July Revolution in 1830. The French Royal Army became a model for the new regimental system that was to be imitated throughout Europe from the mid-17th century onward.[1] It was regarded as Europe's greatest military force for much of its existence.[2]
- ^ Chartrand, Rene. Louis XIV's Army. pp. 8–10. ISBN 0-85045-850-1.
- ^ R.R. Palmer; Joel Colton (1978). A History of the Modern World (5th ed.). p. 161.