| Covering the period from the Ancien Regime through the turmoil of the Revolution, Consulate and early Napoleonic Empire 1804--1805, this work proposes to throw new light on the character, strength and weaknesses of the French armies leading up to Napoleon's non-promulgated Military Code.;With chapters on army organization, the establishment of new regulations, decrees, legislative work, and the ministries of War and Military Administration, this dissertation's main intention is to examine and analyze the historical evolution of the government's relationship with the armed forces in 1792--1799 (Republic) and 1800--1804 (Consulate), which culminated in the establishment of the Commission on the Military Code in the spring 1805.;Sponsored by the Emperor Napoleon, draftsmen of this Commission, under the experienced military administrator, Pierre Daru, worked through spring -- early summer 1805 on examining the laws inherited by the Napoleonic military administration. The result of these labors was produced and reflected in several books, which were supposed to regulate all aspects of the armed forces -- recruitment and advancement, promotion, accounting and subsistence, military uniform, aspects of military justice and the like.;Although, in theory, the start of the war of the Third Coalition prevented Daru and his collaborators from fully completing this project, it is questionable as to how far Napoleon really wished to proceed in implementing the Military Code. He suspected that a Code as a system might work at cross-purposes with his drive to create a hereditary monarchy. On the other hand, the work of the Commission on the Military Code provoked many useful administrative reforms, which helped create a professionally organized military force -- Napoleon's Grande Armee. |
