Composition
The household was akin to the Household Division of the British Army in that it comprised a number of both cavalry and infantry units, serving as the sovereign's personal guard as well as elite troops during war. Some of its units were limited to gentlemen, like the gardes du corps and musketeers, and units drawn from the elite of the army, made up of commoners. However, it was impossible for commoners to rise to officer rank in units of the military household. On the field of battle, the "Maison du Roi" fought around the king and the "porte-cornette blanche" (the king's white standard), although the corps also fought in the absence of the king. The "Maison du Roi" made up — along with the "Cavalerie d'ordonnance", the six "Vieux" and the six "Petits-Vieux" — the only permanent army of the kingdom.
Read more about this topic: Maison Militaire Du Roi De France
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)