Department of War (France)

The Department of War (French: Département de la Guerre) was a ministerial department of the King's household (Maison du Roi) during the Ancien Régime in France. The department had control over the French Royal Army, Maréchaussée (military police), and the Frontier Border Troops. In 1791, as part of the governmental reforms carried out by the Constitutional Cabinet of Louis XVI, the department was abolished and subsequently reformed as the Ministry of War.

The Department of War in France traces its origins to the Ancien Régime. Its functions developed gradually from the royal household’s military offices and were formally structured under Secretary of State Simon Fizes in 1570, marking the beginning of a continuous administrative department that oversaw military affairs until 1792.^[1]

The first Secretary of State for War was appointed by Henry II of France on 1 April 1547, and till 25 May 1791 became commonplace to have a 'Secretary of State for War' leading the department.

• Staff, Administration, and Officers' Schools
  • Brienne Military School – established in 1730, abolished in 1790
  • École Militaire – established in 1780
  • Metz Military School – established in 1720
• Combat Schools
  • Saumur Cavalry School – established in 1771
  • Royal School of Engineering of Mézières – established in 1748
  • Artillery Schools – all based at each artillery regiment's depot: La Fère, Besançon, Grenoble, Auxonne, Metz, Perpignan, and Valence

• Ancien Régime in France
• Early Modern France

• Sarmant, Thierry (2007). Les ministres de la guerre, 1570-1792: histoire et dictionnaire biographique (in French). Belin. ISBN 978-2-7011-4505-1. Retrieved 9 November 2025.