Gendarmes

Gendarmes (Fr., 'men-at-arms') were originally mounted lancers, armed at all points, and attended by five inferior soldiers, who were furnished by the holders of fiefs; these were replaced by Charles VII.'s compagnies d'ordonnance, which were dissolved in 1787, one company of gendarmerie being retained as the bodyguard of Louis XVI. Since the Revolution, except for a short interval at the Restoration, the gendarmes have constituted a military police, which superseded the old maréchaussée, and comprises both cavalry and infantry; divided into legions and companies, and these latter into brigades, the organisation of the force corresponds to the territorial divisions of the army. The men receive much higher pay than the rest of the army, of which, however, the corps is a part, its members being drafted from the line for this service. Germany also since 1808 has had its gendarmen. See POLICE.