Institutional Imperatives: Control and Change in the École Royale Militaire, 1750-1788

The aim of this thesis is to treat several developments concerning the École royale militaire in Paris in an institutional context, specifically from the perspective of the men who established it and administered it. By considering the ideas which influenced it, which reached back centuries but were more directly articulated in the period following the creation of the girls’ school at Saint-Cyr in 1686, aspects of its debts to previous institutions and state projects are elucidated. The process which led to its creation, near demise, numerous reforms, and ultimate failure are chronicled. The purpose of its systems of proofs of nobility, poverty, and military filiation for prospective candidates are explained and placed in the context of debates on professionalisation and the nobility’s role. The concept of émulation and its place in the thought of the École militaire’s founders is explained. The evolution of noble educational practice in the nearly two centuries which preceded its establishment is analysed, emphasising the continuities and breaks with established practice as found in religious collèges, riding academies, and princely education. Next, the implementation of and modifications undergone by specific elements of the curriculum are presented, closing with an overview of the final model adopted in the school as a result of various reforms. The study concludes with an overview of the range of charitable acts that the École militaire engaged in, which were considerably diverse and went much further than the aid it was specifically set up to give to its needy students.