Abstract EN:

Toulouse which ranked among the main administrative provincial cities in the eighteenth century had only few direct contacts with the military institution before 1792. This institution played a part at essentially three levels in the life of the city. From the war of succession in Austria onwards, the army became the favoured instrument of the state in its fight against the municipal craving for autonomy. It was also at the centre of the debate about security which troubled France during the age of the Enlightment. In the "Pink city", this meant a militarization of the watch which gradually came to be controlled by a commander-in-chief of the province, to the great displeasure of the "Capitouls". Concerning these two aspects, the revolution did but put the finishing touches to the work started by the bourbons. Last but not least, Toulouse was at the same time the starting point of military careers and a centre of attraction for soldiers on leave or retired from service. The officers in Toulouse, on whom we have focused our essay, were in an uncomfortable situation for two reasons. Their careers were generally second-rate because of several drawbacks: recently acquired nobility, isolation, distance from the capital city. In Toulouse, they were overshadowed by the magistrates of the parliament who controlled the local cultural, intellectual and social life. Therefore, in order to carry some weight in the city, they tried to control some places of sociability or even to create new ones. During the revolution, most of them emigrated or left service, leaving room for new military elite, mainly composed of former soldiers. Although the republican officers stood out on the battlefields more than their predecessors, they disappeared completely from the foreground of the Toulouse scene because of their humble origins.