gendarmerie

Armed military police, from the French gens d'armes (men of arms), which once described heavy cavalry. The French gendarmerie was formed in 1791 when a unified Gendarmerie Nationale replaced the law-enforcement agencies of the ancien régime. It traces its origins to the Middle Ages: the body of provost marshal Gallois de Fougières, killed at Agincourt in 1415, was moved to the national police cemetery in the early 20th century. The gendarmerie has not only performed military police duties but also, on occasion, fought in formed units: in 1856 the Gendarmes of the Guard lost six officers and 136 men attacking Sevastopol. Within France the gendarmerie remains responsible for law enforcement and the pursuit of criminals, and has a special interest in public order. Responsibilities for it are shared between the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of the Interior. Its members hold military rank, and have a wide range of firepower at their disposal.

— Richard Holmes

[ʒänܒdärmǝrē]

ʒänˈdärmǝrē n. pl. 1. an elite national police force organized and equipped along military lines. Normally, in time of war a gendarmerie will be mobilized and assigned to perform military police functions.

2. a force of gendarmes.

3. the headquarters of such a force.

Perhaps the best known gendarmerie is that of France. Elsewhere the gendarmerie may be known by some other name, such as Carbinieri (Italy) or Guardia Civil (Spain).

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.