The French national anthem is known as “The Marseillaise”.

Origins of the Marseillaise

The Marseillaise originated during the French Revolution. The song was originally written on the night of April 24/25th, 1792, by a captain in the French Engineers called Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle. He was stationed in Strabourg and wrote it for the mayor, calling it “Chant de Guerre pour l’Armée du Rhin”. As the song spread throughout France, a General in Marseille had the song printed under the name “Chant de Guerre pour les Armées aux Frontières”, and it was adopted as a marching tune by troops travelling from Marseille to Paris.

When this army marched into Paris on July 30th 1792 they sang the song, and the citizens of Paris heard it and named it after them: the Marseillaise. It soon became a representation of the Republic.

Modern Use

The song fell out of official favour after the First Republic turned into the First Empire, and it was only during the Third Republic that the Marseillaise began a return to prominence, when the anthem became first choice for military bands at official events. The Free French Government during World War 2 used it heavily alongside another song, Le Chant des Partisans, as independence anthems, and the Marseillaise was enshrined as the national anthem in the constitution of the Fourth and Fifth republics, where it remains.