L’histoire de l’émergence du poste de chef d'état-major des armées reste à écrire, plus encore si l’on s’intéresse à l’avant-1962. Elle est pourtant au cœur de l’évolution du système politico-militaire français et, au-delà, du modèle républicain. Cet article en pose les premiers jalons en s’appuyant sur les rares études existant et sur les résultats de recherches inédites. L’ensemble illustre l’intérêt de l’approche politico-administrative pour ouvrir de nouvelles perspectives dans l’histoire de la défense française depuis 1870.The origins of the post of French chief of staff of the armed forces. The history of the emergence of the office of chief of staff of the armed forces remains to be written, especially if one is interested in what occurred before 1962. The post does, however, lie at the heart of the evolution of the French system of civil-military relations and, going beyond that, it lies at the heart of the “Republican model”. This article points the way towards a full history, drawing upon the rare studies that already exist as well as on unpublished research. The matter illustrates the interest in adopting a politico-administrative approach to the study of the topic, by means of which one can open up new perspectives into the history of French defence since 1870
