Military Engineers in France before Vauban (1500–1650)

There is agreement that in the second half of the seventeenth century Louis XIV disposed of extensive expertise he could call on for engineering services of all kinds, especially military. The name of Marshal Vauban is the classic example, but there is less recognition of the extent to which the French kings from Francis I to Louis XIII could call on similar if less institutionalised services from their Royal Engineers of whom we can identify about 100. From the start there were Royal Engineers adept in astronomy, chemistry, physics and mathematics. These were polyvalent technicians, architects, hydraulic engineers, town planners and builders of fortifications who laid foundations for a tradition of civil and military service still alive in modern France.