The history of the Grand Uniform of the École Polytechnique reflects numerous changes, modeled on the shifts in political regimes, successive governments, and wars that have shaped France's history since the late 18th century. From the National Convention to the Fifth Republic, the Grand Uniform reflects the evolution of societal organization.
Originally, polytechnic students were issued two uniforms: one for daily use, known as "BD" for Battle Dress in the 20th century, and the other, a ceremonial uniform called "grande tenue," which over time became known as the Grand Uniform. The interior uniform should not be confused with the "petite tenue" or Petit Uniforme, a formal dress similar to the Grand Uniform except for the headgear.
Although the interior uniform disappeared in the 20th century, the Grand Uniform has endured. Every student, called an "X,"The modern designation, since the creation of the new curricula at the École Polytechnique, is as follows: "student of the polytechnic engineering cycle." This designation is used by the official École website archive, but students prefer to refer to themselves as "X." receives a Grand Uniform—commonly referred to as "GU," pronounced gy in —which is worn for military ceremonies and specific events linked to the École Polytechnique, such as the .
Since its creation in 1794, wearing the uniform has been a tradition that unites all generations of students who have passed through the École Polytechnique. It symbolizes belonging to a community that claims a heritage of over two centuries.
History
First Republic and First Empire
The French Revolution of 1789 led to the abolition of many French institutions and a disruption of social norms, including the uniforms of royal armies. In this context, the École Centrale des Travaux Publics, which would be renamed École Polytechnique a year later, was established on 21 Ventôse Year II (March 11, 1794) to provide the nation with high-level leaders on a meritocratic model and to contribute to the war effort through knowledge and technical skills during the French Revolutionary Wars.
On 6 Frimaire Year III (November 26, 1794), a few months after the school's creation by the National Convention, , the school's first director-general, proposed issuing uniforms to students despite their civilian status. The objective was to distinguish polytechnicians from other citizens while instilling respect for the uniform. On 8 Pluviôse Year IV (January 28, 1796), the uniform of a cannoneer of the National Guard was assigned to students—a tricolor cockaded hat, gold buttons, and a saber. However, implementing the decree in a turbulent political context proved challenging. The École Centrale des Travaux Publics was renamed École Polytechnique by the law of 15 Fructidor Year III (September 1, 1795), and it was on the 1796 class uniform that the buttons bore the inscription "École Polytechnique" for the first time.
The coup d'état of 18 Fructidor, Year V (September 4, 1797), saw three members of the Directory, supported by the army, overthrow the Council of Five Hundred and the Council of Ancients, which were controlled by a royalist majority. The legislative body's guard offered no resistance, but the polytechnicians showed readiness to intervene in defense of the legislative power if the conflict turned violent. The incident at the Théâtre des Jeunes-Artistes, where students instigated violent altercations, convinced the ruling authorities to find a way to temper the students' behavior. In 1798, a formal decision ordered them to obtain a uniform without delay, as it was believed that, once identifiable, they would exhibit more restrained behavior. The new uniform consisted of a shawl-collared coat closed by five gold buttons, cut in the French style, with a jacket and trousers in national blue, and a three-cornered hat. More civilian than military in appearance, it was said to have been inspired by the designs of David.
The tricorne had the drawback of hindering the handling of the rifle: the front horn made it difficult to hold the weapon vertically and obstructed the wearer's field of vision. This third horn gradually disappeared, leading to adopt the bicorne worn en bataille,The term "battle" indicates the martial purpose of this headgear. a headgear generalized across all regiments between 1786 and 1791. While the tricorne was associated with the Ancien Régime, the bicorne, on the contrary, became a symbol of republican identity.
A uniform for both full dress and undress, in the infantry style,"The grand uniform for Sundays and holidays consisted of a French-style national blue coat with a high collar in scarlet cloth and white lapels, black cuffs and facings, blue shoulder straps, gold buttons, and scarlet cloth turnbacks in the shape of triangles. Additionally, a very fine white cloth vest, breeches of the same color, and white canvas gaiters with forty-six buttons. [...] The small uniform included a blue cloth frock coat with black facings, a vest of the same material, a double-breasted blue cloth overcoat, a bonnet de police with scarlet piping and yellow tassel, a cartridge box, and a knapsack." — Argot de l'X (1894). was assigned to the students when Napoleon I granted the École its by the decree of 27 Messidor, Year XII (July 16, 1804). This decision had a dual objective: on the one hand, to bring disorderly students under control, particularly through barracks discipline, as their behavior could pose a threat to political authority; and on the other hand, to anticipate the needs of the Napoleonic army.
Under the First Empire, the shako replaced the tricorne and bicorne throughout the Napoleonic infantry: this hardened headgear provided better protection for soldiers. Around 1809, according to (by decision of April 27, 1810, according to the archives), this visor-capped headgear was thus given to the students of the École, who also retained the bicorne due to their vocation to serve in the scientific branches—engineering, artillery—which were not expected to be in direct contact with the enemy.Until 1971, students of the wore the "Pinder" uniform, which had retained the bicorne for the same reason. Serving in the scientific branches did not prevent the polytechnicians from distinguishing themselves in 1814 during the defense of Paris against the European allied forces opposing Napoleon I. Chateaubriand mentions this feat of arms in his Mémoires d'outre-tombe:
From the Restoration to the Second Empire During the Restoration, the École was sanctioned for insubordination, with the principal troublemaker being Auguste Comte. This resulted in a collective dismissal on April 13, 1816. This event foreshadowed the reorganization ordinance of September 4, 1816, under Louis XVIII, which abolished the military regime and apparatus of the École. Consequently, the military uniform was replaced by civilian attire, including a top hat.
In 1822, the École Polytechnique was repeatedly disturbed by internal unrest. The students had developed the habit of submitting collective decisions to a vote, which caused disorder in the monarchical context. One student was expelled; out of solidarity, all his classmates declared their intention to leave as well. The conflict was eventually resolved through the erosion of collective solidarity, but following this crisis, the civilian regime was called into question. Thus, following the royal ordinances of September 17 and October 20, 1822, under Louis XVIII, General Bordessoulle, then governor of the École, once again provided the students with a military uniform:"Bicorne worn vertically—as it is today—black cloth coat, "the coat has a single row of buttons, with red lapels, black velvet cuffs and collar, artillery and engineering buttons, trousers with red stripes." — Argot de l'X (1894). polytechnicians wore the frock coat but, above all, resumed wearing the bicorne, with the sergeants carrying a sword.
On July 25, 1830, the Ordinances of Saint-Cloud issued by Charles X suspended the freedom of the press, sparking the revolution in Paris. Following the Three Glorious Days, all the students were granted the right to carry a sword in recognition of their role in defending liberties alongside the insurgent people on the barricades. The presence of a polytechnician in the background of the painting Liberty Leading the People is a testament to the Nation's recognition of the support provided by the polytechnicians to the insurgents of 1830. Thus, the polytechnicians, who already had used the saber, obtained the sword in 1830, which they called the "tangent."
The Marquis de Lafayette expressed the :
After 1824 and for a time, some students adopted, without regulatory approval, the Spanish cape known as the manteau à la chiroga, which they wore draped over the shoulder. Wearing the frock coat and the cape was in keeping with the fashion of the time. In particular, this Spanish cape, also called the , originated from the 1823 Spanish expedition led by France, which aimed to restore King Ferdinand VII to the throne and thereby replace the constitutional monarchy of the Liberal Triennium with an absolute monarchy. The liberals, in opposition to the royalists, named their cape after General , who was one of the leaders of the Spanish army's insurrection on the Isle of León, and wore the cape in his manner—draped over the shoulder. The cape gradually lost its political connotation: with fashion's influence, both liberals and royalists wore the same cape, though one was made of crimson velvet and the other of black velvet. The redingote coat later became preferred, completing the small uniform in 1840.The history of uniform coats does not end there: The pelerine and paletot made their appearance in the Polytechnique uniform at the end of the 19th century; the pèlerine disappeared around 1940, while the paletot was only abandoned in 1987.
For an illustration of the pèlerine and paletot of the Polytechnique, see
The 1822 uniform, particularly popular, was worn at the École under Louis-Philippe and Napoleon III without modification—except for the removal of fleur-de-lis symbols under the July Monarchy, which eliminated certain monarchical symbolsFor example, these arms from the July Monarchy do not feature fleur-de-lis. —and remained unchanged until the fall of the Second Empire at the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870.
From the Third to the Fifth Republic
France's defeat in the 1870 war led to a sweeping reform of uniforms throughout the military corps. The École Polytechnique was no exception, and from 1874, the frock coat was replaced by a black tunic with two rows of buttons, similar to that of engineering officers. In 1889, the tunic was replaced by a shorter jacket fastened at the chest with seven large uniform buttons. The rounded collar was replaced with a square-cut collar, to which a white inner collar was attached.
The Grand Uniform does not appear to have undergone significant changes under the Third Republic, except for the change of the collar insignia, which reverted from two intertwined laurel or olive branches to a grenade starting in 1903.
Starting in 1905, tensions increased between France and Germany over the division of Africa and the control of Morocco; the Tangier Crisis is a notable example of the rivalry between the two powers. In this context of European imperialist rivalry, in 1908, students of military schools were given officer cadet stripes: white alphas adorned with a red border. This measure was linked to the mass assignment of officers to troop units upon graduating from the École Polytechnique. A gold version of these alphas, associated with the rank of candidate, appeared in 1919 when students returned as promoted officers from World War I.One can even find an example of second lieutenant stripes pinned on the Grand Uniform.