Compagnies franches de la marine

The Compagnies franches de la marine (French pronunciation: [kɔ̃paɲi fʁɑ̃ʃ də la maʁin]; previously known as Troupes de la Marine, later renamed and reorganized as Troupes coloniales and then Troupes de Marine) were an ensemble of autonomous infantry units attached to the French Royal Navy (French: marine royale) bound to serve both on land and sea. These troupes constituted the principal military force of France capable of intervening in actions and holding garrisons in outre-mer (overseas) from 1690 to 1761.

Source: Wikipedia — Compagnies franches de la marine (CC BY-SA 4.0)