Garde de la porte

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The Gardes de la porte (translated as door guard) were an association in the Guard ( Maison militaire du roi ) of the King of France. The origins go back to the end of the Middle Ages , making it one of the oldest guard formations. It consisted of a company in strength of about 50 men, who under Louis XV. four lieutenants and one ( captain ) was in charge. The common guardsman had the rank of Sous-lieutenant , the "Lieutenants" that of Capitaines and the "Capitain" that of Colonel in the infantry. Usually the captain of the guard was dubbed “Capitaine-colonel des gardes de la porte”. It was one of the so-called splendor guards and was not an association that would have been able to take military action (such as the Swiss Guard ).

The task of the Gardes de la porte was to guard the inner doors in the castles and residences where the king was staying. The service lasted from 6 in the morning to 6 in the evening, after which they handed over responsibility and the keys to the royal living quarters to an officer of the "Gardes éccossais" ( Scottish Guard ), which in turn was part of the Garde du corps .

They wore a blue uniform in the style of the 17th century, richly decorated with gold and silver trimmings. The uniform included red stockings with gold / silver-colored garters and shoes with gold-plated buckles. The armament consisted of a sword, the guardsmen wielded a musket.

The pay was exceptional for the time, the common guardsman received an annual salary of no less than 150 livres .

The insignia of the “Gardes de la porte” were two crossed silver keys.

On September 30, 1787, the company was by decree by King Louis XVI. abolished, but experienced a brief revival by King Louis XVIII. during the so-called First Restoration (1814–1815). After the king's flight from Napoleon I , who was advancing from Elba , the Garde de la porte dissolved a second time in 1815, this time for good.

See also

Commons : Uniforms of the Royal French Guard  - collection of images, videos and audio files

literature

  • Henri Bouchot: L'Épopée du costume militaire français. Aquarelles et dessins originaux de JOB. Societe Francaise d'Editions d'Art, Paris 1898.
  • Liliane Funcken , Fred Funcken : Le costume et les armes des soldats de tous les temps. Volume 1: The pharaoh à Louis XV. Casterman, Tournai 1966.
  • Liliane Funcken, Fred Funcken: L'uniforme et les armes des soldats de la Guerre en dentelles. Volume 1: France, maison du roi et infanterie sous Louis XV et Louis XVI, Grande-Bretagne et Prusse, infanterie, 1700 à 1800. Casterman, Paris 1975, ISBN 2-203-14315-0 .
  • Rigo [di: Albert Rigondaud]: Le Plumet. L'uniformes et les drapeaux de l'armée de l'Ancien régime et du 1er Empire. Paris 1971.