The Archives Nationales, established during the French Revolution in 1790, serve as the national archives of France. A decree in 1794 mandated the centralization of all pre-Revolution private and public archives confiscated by the revolutionaries.Furthermore, a law enacted in 1796 instituted departmental archives (archives départementales) across the departments of France to mitigate the burden on the Archives nationales in Paris. This legislation formed the foundation of the French archival collections as they exist today.

The National Archives preserve the records of the central state administration (except for the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) as well as those generated by Parisian notaries, numerous private archives of national interest, and documents from local secular and religious institutions in the Paris Region seized during the French Revolution.

Given the substantial volume of these documents, the National Archives operate from two locations within the Paris Region. The Paris site, situated in the Marais district, houses physical records of the French state predating the French Revolution and the records of Parisian notaries from all periods. The Pierrefitte-sur-Seine site contains records from the post-Revolution period and private archives from all periods. 

During our research on the circulation of arms, we will examine the trade mission records preserved in the National Archives. In the 19th century, trade missions were conducted alongside scientific, artistic, and literary expeditions to collect information of commercial interest, particularly concerning the discovery of new markets or sources of raw materials. The Ministry of Commerce promoted these endeavours. More specifically, the Foreign Trade Department was responsible for the acquisition of commercial and industrial information from abroad. Collectively, these documents illuminate the areas of economic interest, detailing the various phases of French commercial ventures.

References:

Favier, L. La mémoire de l’État. Histoire des Archives nationales. Paris: Fayard, 2004. 

Barbier, J., Mandret-Degeilh, A. Le travail sur archives. Guide pratique. Paris: Armand Colin, 2018.

By Mariella Terzoli