Colonel General (France)
A Colonel General was an officer of the French army during the Ancien Régime, the French Revolution, the Napoleonic era and the Bourbon Restoration.
The positions were not military ranks, but rather offices of the crown.
The Colonels General served directly below the Marshals of France, and they were divided by their branch of service.
Most of these offices were eliminated at the time of the French Revolution, during which there was a Colonel General of the National Guard, but they were reinstated by Napoleon I.
Under the Bourbon Restoration, certain titles were accorded to members of the royal family.
Portrait of
Louis, Dauphin of France
by
Alexander Roslin
(1765)
Versailles, Musée national du Château et des Trianons
The Dauphin is shown in the uniform of Colonel General of the Dragoons.
Versailles, Musée national du Château et des Trianons
