Henry IV (Navarre) established the regular army in 1597 from both Catholic and Protestant troops. The French regiments, starting with ‘Les Vieux’ — Picardy, Champagne and Navarre, and the Garde Francais, were made permanent, and new regiments such as Piedmont, Normandy and Lorraine added; 1,200 strong, one-third muskets, two-thirds pikes. By 1609 there were 20,000 French infantry, and 12,000 foreign, mainly Swiss.
Basis of the cavalry were 4,000 regular Gendarmes, now half-armoured pistoliers, supported by sections of ‘Carabins’, and there was a 1,000 strong 'Cornette Blanche’ of noble volunteers, a company of 200 Guard Chevaulegers, and a unit of gentlemen, the ‘Carabiniersdu Roy’ who in 1622 became the famous company of Grey Musketeers (a company of Black Musketeers was added in 1661 — despite their name both were heavy cavalry, the colours being those of their horses).
Under Richelieu, in the 1640s, the army was further overhauled and expanded, partly by the take-over of an army of 8,000 ex-Swedish troops previously led by Bernard of Saxe-Weimar (foreigners were reckoned worth three men—one morefor France, one less for the enemy, and one Frenchman released for productive work!). Infantry began to operate in small battalions of 600 to 800, usually formed six deep, pikes (now perhaps as few as one third) in the centre (regiments could form half, one or two battalions).
Cavalry companies and cornets began to be grouped in regiments, but fought in ’squadrons’ of about 200. By 1660 there were 109 infantry regiments (30 foreign, mainly Scots and Swiss) and 30 cavalry regiments. Most cavalry were three-quarter or half-armoured pistoliers: there was at least one buff-coated dragoon regiment, and there were some irregular light cavalry or 'Croats’.
TheFrenchdid not adoptuniform untilwell into the later 17th Century, though some companies and perhaps regiments had distinctive coat colours; light grey was common, but red and blue were also worn (the latter by the Gardes Francaises). 17th Century French seem to have been distinguished by an addiction to frills, bows, ribbons and plumes, suitable to the future leaders of European fashion. In the Guards, the Scots archers in 1494 wore red, white and green striped sleeveless jacket with white and yellow collar, later usually white, trimmed with silver. Guard Gendarmes probably had red coats.
Many Guard troops would wear the Royal badge on back and breast — for example: LouisXII—acrowned porcupine; FrancisI — a crowned salamander; Henry II—acrowned ‘H’ with a silver crescent below; and Henry IV
— a club of Hercules, wrapped in a streamer bearing his motto ‘Haec Quoque Cognita Monstra’. National signs were, in the 16th Century, a white cross on back and breast, in the 17th Century a white sash.
World History
