The Ligue began as a non-partisan nationalist league, supported among others by writer Victor Hugo, calling for 'revanche' (revenge for the French defeat during the Franco-Prussian War) against the German Empire.

One of the original purposes of the Ligue was to offer pre-military training, allowing members to participate in gymnastics and rifle shooting.

Upon the discovery that Victoria, the future German Empress, had stayed in Versailles and Saint-Cloud (a town destroyed during the Franco-Prussian War) during her unofficial visit to France in 1891, the Ligue incited a public uproar.

The disorder surrounding the visit eventually resulted in the Crown Princess cutting her trip short and being escorted under French military protection, for her safety, to Calais to board a ship to England.

In 1898, the Ligue was revived to become involved in the Dreyfus affair engaging in noisy and often violent anti-Semitic, right-wing protests.