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The history of the French Gendarmerie goes back to the Middle Ages. Its direct predecessor was the Maréchaussée, linked to the Hundred Years’ War and, by some historians, to the early twelfth century. In medieval France, public order was tied to the Marshal of France and the Constable. At the same time, the Marshal’s provost carried out military-police duties.

In 1415, the Maréchaussée took part in the Battle of Agincourt. Its commander, Gallois de Fougières, was killed and later recognized as the first known gendarme to die on duty. Under Francis I, who ruled from 1515 to 1547, the Maréchaussée and the Constable’s service were merged. In 1720, the force was formally attached to the Royal Household, and in the eighteenth century its companies spread across rural France to guard roads and provinces.

On February 16, 1791, the revolutionary government renamed the Maréchaussée the Gendarmerie nationale. The Law of 28 Germinal, Year VI, passed on April 17, 1798, defined its duties in general and judicial policing. Under Napoleon, the Gendarmerie of the Empire expanded: in 1800, it had about 10,500 mounted and 4,500 foot gendarmes. In 1804, a general inspectorate and headquarters were created in Paris.

After the Bourbon Restoration in 1815, the force was reduced to about 18,000 and reorganized into departmental legions. Under Louis-Philippe, an African Gendarmerie was formed for Algeria. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, it remained part of the armed forces while serving as a civil police body, mainly in rural areas and small towns. Decrees and laws in 2002, 2005, and 2009 placed law-enforcement management, structure, budget, and personnel under the Interior Ministry.