Colonel General

Who is Colonel General?

A Colonel General was an officer of the French army during the Ancien Régime, Napoleonic era and the Bourbon Restoration.

The positions were not military ranks, but rather offices of the crown. The position was first created under François I. The Colonels General served directly below the Marshals of France, and they were divided by their branch of service. By the end of the Ancien Régime, the Colonels General were:

Colonel General of the Infantry

Colonel General of the Cavalry

Colonel General of the Dragoons

Colonel General of the Hussards

Colonel General of the Cent-Suisses and Grisons

Colonel General of the Gardes Françaises

Judging the position of Colonel General of the Infantry to be too powerful, Louis XIV suppressed the position in 1661 and only appointed Colonel Generals of honorific branches like the Colonel General of the Dragoons, the Colonel General of the Cent-Suisses and Grisons, who oversaw the Swiss regiments of the Maison du Roi, and the Colonel of the Gardes Françaises. The position was reinstated under Louis XV.

All the offices of Colonel General were eliminated at the time of the French Revolution, but they were reinstated by Napoleon I. Under the Bourbon Restoration, certain titles were accorded to members of the royal family. After 1830, the position was eliminated.