The two ships were an improved version of the preceding Condor class, built around an armament of four 356 mm (14 in) torpedo tubes.

Having suffered from boiler problems, Fleurus was commissioned for only 30 months in 1901 but compensated by remaining in service as a training school and hulk until 1927.

His design was built around a torpedo armament, the highest possible speed, between 20.5 and 21 knots (38.0 and 38.9 km/h; 23.6 and 24.2 mph), and a strong armoured deck.

[1] The French Navy responded by issuing a request to the naval architect Louis de Bussy for a new design.

This was a more conservative brief, being fundamentally an enlargement of the preceding Condor-class cruisers with two 65 mm (2.6 in) guns and a speed of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph).

As the Condor class were already making 17.78 knots (32.93 km/h; 20.46 mph), he decided that he would achieve the shortfall through nominal increase in power, increasing boiler pressure from 7 kg/cm2 (100 psi) to 10 kg/cm2 (140 psi) and replacing the compound steam engines with triple expansion engines, and a slightly finer hull.

[2] The ships' propulsion system consisted of a pair of triple-expansion steam engines driving two screw propellers.

Above the deck, a layer of highly sub-divided watertight compartments was added to control flooding in the event of battle damage.

By 1896 the torpedo tubes had been removed and two of the 37 mm (1.5 in) Hotchkiss revolver cannons replaced by QF guns of the same caliber.