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Espionage, in the French monarchy period, has become notorious in suppressing aspirations of those who sought to loosen the bonds of the monarchy in the late 18th century. The history of spying in France, similar to other European powers, started because of interests in security and developed to both external and internal espionage. This has also shaped subsequent periods after the French Revolution. World War II also set the stage for modern French Espionage.

Similar to England, the French nobility in the 16th and 17th centuries proved to be at times a difficult group to control for the monarch. During the reign of Louis XIV (1643-1715), spying (internally and externally), developed in France as the country became the main power on the European continent and was the leader of the Catholic states. Louis was well known to use a variety of spies, particularly his diplomats. However, he also used many women, as he found them useful in infiltrating powerful men. For instance, Louise-Renée de Penacoët, who became a mistress to Charles II, was used to spy on the English king. Using her liaison with the king, she passed on vital information to the French regarding English intentions and alliances. Louis also send emissaries and spies to his main rivals the Dutch during the period of William of Orange (1689-1702).<ref>For more on Louis XIV and his spies, see: Young, W. (2004) <i>International politics and warfare in the age of Louis XIV and Peter the Great: a guide to the historical literature </i>. New York, NY, Universe.</ref>

It was the threat of the Huguenots and French nobles that required the French kings to develop spies that can infiltrate French society. During Louis XIV's reign, remaining rights of the Huguenots were taken away and French nobles felt the loss of their power as Louis centralized the state. This led Louis to use informants within the Huguenots and nobles as a way to undermine them. Thus, critical to a central state bureaucracy that efficiently ran the country was a country that required spies at every level so that rebellious areas of France can be know before any major problems broke out. Spies among the poor commoners and nobility became well know, creating a type of police state. The Affair of the Poisons and other conspiracies led to a more paranoid state for the French monarchy.<ref>For more on spying within France during the age of Louis XIV, see: Jeffreys-Jones, R. (2013) <i>In spies we trust: the story of Western intelligence</i>. First edition. Oxford, Oxford University Press.</ref>

==Before and After the French Revolution==

After the takeover by Napoleon, plots involving various international and national spies were devised to depose Napoleon. This included the Plot of the rue Saint-Nicaise in 1800, led by Pierre Robinault de Saint-Régeant and others, that attempted to blow up a bomb as Napoleon passed by. This plot failed, where it only succeeded in killing innocent people, but led Napoleon to become more paranoid with his safety. The increased paranoia by Napoleon and European powers as Napoleon began to become stronger developed into a network of spies and counter spies that attempted to infiltrate the courts of his adversaries. Napoleon successfully, for instance, used spies to help bring down the reign of Gustav IV Adolf, the king of Sweden, and place a successor who was more friendly to France.<ref>For more on Pierre Robinault de Saint-Régeant, see: Falk, A. (2007) <i> Napoleon against himself: a psychobiography</i>. 1st ed. Charlottesville, Va, Pitchstone Pub.</ref>

After the turbulent years of the Napoleonic wars, French spying became more professionalized. The need for foreign intelligence became apparent after the French defeat in the Fanco-Prussian war in 1870-1871. The development of military intelligence was a result of this. This became known as the Deuxième Bureau, the agency in charge of French military spying and intelligence. The spy agency continued until 1940, when France fell to Germany. Notable success included early cryptanalytical work that helped in breaking foreign codes and communications. However, the agency suffered in the Dreyfus Affair, where notable military officers were accused or convicted of spying for Germany in the 1890s and injustice for a junior officer, Alfred Dreyfus, in being accused of being a spy proved to make the French military and its spying networks suffer in their reputation.<ref>For more on the Dryfus Affair and the Deuxième Bureau, see: Porch, D. (1995) <i>The French secret services: from the Dreyfus Affair to the Gulf War</i>. London, Macmillan, pg. 19.</ref>

The Directorate of Territorial Security, which developed after World War II, and succeeded by the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI or initially the DCRI; since 2008) has led France's internal spying and anti-terrorism efforts within France. The DGSI also merged aspects of the General Intelligence Directorate, which also had responsibilities for internal security, although it was an arm more for the police and focused on efforts such as narcotics. French internal espionage often concentrated on networks within France trying to steal technology. However, a notable success came in 1981, when the notable Soviet KGB spy Vladimir Vetrov switched sides and gave France thousands of documents that helped it uncover KGB officers stationed worldwide. It was one of the greatest successes for France in the Cold War and one of the largest successes for NATO allies in counter-espionage. However, the DGSI also participated in internal espionage. Once its agents were caught posing as plumbers in France as they were trying to install listening devices in a newspaper critical of the government. This led to the downfall of the interior minister.<ref>For more on the DGSI and its equivalents in post-World War II France, see: Derdzinski, J.L. (2009)<i> Internal security services in liberalizing states: transitions, turmoil, and (in)security</i>. Farnham, England ; Burlington, VT, Ashgate Publishing Co, pg. 57.</ref>