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Le Brigadier | The Brigadier 

Under the former French regime, brigadier meant two military ranks: a low-ranking officer (a non-commissioned officer), the equivalent of the corporal in the cavalry, and a high-ranking officer, whose official title was "brigadier of the armies of the king" in the army and "brigadier of naval armies" in the navy.

In the army, the brigadier of the armies of the king was an intermediate rank created in 1657 between that of Mestre de camp (colonel in the cavalry) and that of Maréchal de camp (equivalent of Brigadier General in the modern army).

In peacetime the brigadier commanded his regiment, and in times of war he commanded two or three or even four regiments to form a brigade.

The rank of brigadier of the armies was abolished in 1788.

Source: “Brigadier”, Dictionnaire de l’Académie française, 9e édition (https://www.dictionnaire-academie.fr/article/A9B2136).