The positions were not military ranks, but ratheroffices of the crown. The position was first created underFrançois I. The Colonels General served directly below theMarshals of France, and they were divided by their branch of service. By the end of the Ancien Régime, the Colonels General were:
Colonel General of theInfantry (Colonel général de l'infanterie)
Colonel General of theCavalry (Colonel général de la cavalerie)
Colonel General of theDragoons (Colonel général des dragons)
Colonel General of theHussars (Colonel général des hussards)
Colonel General of theCent-Suisses and Grisons (Colonel général des Suisses et Grisons)
Colonel General of theGardes Françaises (Colonel général des Gardes françaises)
Judging the position of Colonel General of the Infantry to be too powerful,Louis XIV suppressed the position in 1661 and only appointed Colonels General of honorific branches like the Colonel General of the Dragoons (created in 1668), the Colonel General of the Cent-Suisses and Grisons, who oversaw the Swiss regiments of theMaison du Roi, and the Colonel of the Gardes Françaises. The position was reinstated underLouis XV.
Most of these offices were eliminated at the time of theFrench Revolution, during which there was a Colonel General of theNational Guard, but they were reinstated byNapoleon I. Under theBourbon Restoration, certain titles were accorded to members of the royal family. After 1830, the position was eliminated.
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