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IV. The Bourbon Army, 1815–1830

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 February 2009

Richard Holroyd
Richard Holroyd
Affiliation:
Selwyn CollegeCambridge
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Extract

On 23 March 1815 Louis XVIII disbanded die French army. In June Napoleon lost Waterloo and abdicated, and the Bourbons returned to Paris to complete the destruction of the army. It had proved itself loyal only to Napoleon and over half of the 70,000 men of Davout's command preferred desertion to the white cockade. The country at large was hostile and in the royalist south returning officers were arrested and several were killed. In August the King published an ordinance ‘concerning the organization of a new army’. The army was ‘to be formed according to the principles which constitute a truly national army to form a military force in harmony with the liberal nature of our charter… avoiding the separation of die army from the interests of die country‘. It was not an easy task. Financial circumstances placed limitations on size, die Charter forbade conscription, the allies wanted reprisals and die royalists claimed rewards for their loyal service.

Type
Articles
Information
The Historical Journal , Volume 14 , Issue 3 , September 1971 , pp. 529 - 552
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1971

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References

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84 Unfortunately the material referred to in this section (mainly A.H.M.G. D3131–132) is not classified.

85 The Revue historique (1931) contains a series of articles assessing the reaction of the provinces to the news of the events in Paris.

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