— CH. 1 · INTRODUCTION —

École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr

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École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr has produced a Chinese general and an Iranian prime minister. It has also produced Franco Albrecht, a cadet born in 1989 and commissioned from the class of 2011, later suspected of right-wing terrorism in Germany. Most of the men and women who train there leave as officers bound for French Army regiments, not as international headlines. The school stands today in Coëtquidan, a military camp near the commune of Guer, in the Morbihan department of Brittany. Its cadets go by the name saint-cyriens, or cyrards, and arrive around the age of 21 for three years of training. Every cadet who finishes leaves with a Master of Arts or a Master of Science, commissioned as an officer of the French Army. Why do this school's ceremonies unfold only after dark? Why has this school been forced to move across France, and even outside it, more than once? And why has the motto stitched into its history been rewritten again and again, depending on who ruled France at the time?
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Common questions

When was École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr founded?

Created by order of Napoleon Bonaparte on the 1st of May 1802, per the source.

Where is École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr located today?

Coëtquidan military camp, Guer, Morbihan, Brittany, since 1945.

What does the motto of École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr mean?

Ils s'instruisent pour vaincre, they study to overcome, later changed and reverted.

How long is training at École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr?

Three years, September to July, per the source.

Why are the shako plumes at École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr called casoars?

Named after the cassowary that arrived at the Paris Zoo in 1855, the year the plumes were adopted.

How many cadets have trained at École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr?

65,000 French cadets plus 2,000 international cadets; 9,639 French graduates died in battle.

5 references cited across the entry