The military governor of Paris is a post within the French Army. He commands the garrison of Paris and represents all the military based in Paris at high state occasions. He is also responsible (subordinate to the President of France) for organizing major national ceremonies such as the Bastille Day military parade down the Champs-Élysées.
The foundation of the post is blurred, but it has subsequently evolved in two phases. Under the Ancien Régime, its role was limited in comparison to his colleagues in the provinces, who represented the King of France in his absence, whereas in Paris the King was present. The post was dispensed with at the time of the French Revolution before being re-established by Napoleon in 1804, when it was reinforced by becoming a military-command role.
Under the German occupation of France, Paris had at least three German military governors:
