The French army 1750-1820 is the first book to examine the transformation of the French military profession during the momentous period that saw the death of royal absolutism, the rise and fall of successive revolutionary regimes, the consolidation of Napoleonic rule, and the Restoration of the Bourbon monarchy after the Empire's final collapse." "Crossing traditional chronological boundaries, it brings together aspects of French history that are usually treated separately, and challenges established views of continuity and change during the age of Revolution. Based on a wealth of archival sources, this book is as much a social history of ideas like equality, talent, and merit as a military history. It contains the first ever analysis of shifts in the idea and practice of merit before, during, and after 1789, and makes available for the first time a comprehensive examination of the changes in military personnel and institutions that laid the basis for Napoleon's armies.

The merits of birth : lineage and professionalism in the Old Regime --The meanings of merit in 1789 -- The death and rebirth of the officer corps, 1790-93 -- Republican meritocracy in the nexus of war, civil strife, and factionalism -- The politics of professionalism during Thermidor and the Directory, 1794-99 -- Napoleons improbable synthesis : monarchy and meritocracy in the reconstruction of the officer corps, 1799-1815.