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French Infantry

The infantry in French service,January 1672. Authorized company strength was 53 officers and men.

70 coys:Picardie,Champagne,Navarre,Piedmont,Normandie,du Roi,Royal,d'Anjou,Les Vaisseux,Dauphin,la Reine,la Marine.
35 coys:Lyonnais
33 coys:Castelnau, Auvergne, de Sault, Orleans, Artois, Burgogne, Turenne
32 coys:Royal la Marine
24 coys:Fusiliers du Roi
20 coys:la Marine nouveau, Vermandois
18 coys:Praslin, Cursol/Crusol, Louvigny, Sourches, La Ferte, Ionzac(Gensac?)
17 coys:La Motte, Conde, Anguyen(Enghien?)
16 coys:Bandeville, Montaign, Dampierre, Grance, Montpezat, Bretagne, Carignan, Chasteauneuf, Bouillon, Vendome, Conti, La Fere, Monperoux

Foreign Infantry

12 coys@182 men:Alsace,Furstemberg
12 coys@188 men:Roussillon
12 coys@200 men:Stoupe/Stuppa,Festa,Erlach,Salis (all Swiss)
27 coys@104 men:Royal Italien
8 coys@103 men:Royal Anglois
12 coys@104 men:'Irish'
16 coys@104 men:other 'Irish'
20 coys@123 men:'Scots and English'
8 coys@103 men:'English'
50 coys@200 men:'free companies'

French Cavalry and Mason du Roi in 1672

Maison du Roi:

Gendarmes du Roi-200
Chevaux-legers de la Garde-200
Gardes Francaises-30 companies@100 each
Gardes Suisses-10 companies@200 each

Gendarmerie de France,etc:

Four companies of Gardes du Corp-1039
Gendarmes Ecossais-105
Two companies Mousquetaires a Cheval-554
Gendarmes Anglois-105
Chevaux-legers Anglois-110
Gendarmes de la Reine-154
Gendarmes of Monsieur le Dauphin-209
Chevaux-legers of Monsieur-108
Gendarmes d'Anjou-105
Gendarmes d'Orleans-154
Chevaux-legers d'Orleans-157

Note that the Gardes du Corp and the Mousquitaires are not listed as part of the Maison du Roi.

Chevaux-legers:

The following regiments mustered 6 companies of 54 men.
Colonel-General Mestre-de-Camp Commissaire-General Royal du Roi Cravates du Roi la Reine Dauphin Orleans Conde Anguyen Rouvray Gaffion des Fourneaux Joyeuse Bonveze Fourilles Resnel Cabonet Montauban Pillais Coulange Merlin Saint-Loup Cachan Saint-Aoust Derdelin Douget Duconde Nogent Tilladet Sourdis Hislez Bligny la Fabliere Lambert Caberel Humieres Prouille Bartillac Beaupre Paulmy Beaufort Carendo Sanzay Chenuet Nouart Sommieure Hanjou 2 'Foreign' regiments

One of the 'Foreign' regiments may have been Roussillon (later Royal Roussillon),it having been in service since 1665. Royal Etranger dated their formation to 1657,so perhaps they are the other 'Foreign' regiment.

The following regiments mustered 3 companies of 54 men:
Coislin Estrades Bethune Montgeorge Busenval Basleroy Ragny Thiange Longueville Bouillon Auvergne Grignan Granville Doroure Laurieres Thury Mere Valavoire Arnolfiny Harcourt Armagnac Saint-Aignan

Foreign Chevaux-legers:

Dragoon Regiments:

Further commissions were issued for the raising of 300 infantry and 80 cavalry companies. This gave the French something in the neighborhood of 180,000 troops which,by contemporary standards,was a pretty tough neighborhood. It certainly gives some insight into how Louis XIV was able to fight various confederations with virtually no allies of his own.