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The first French territorial departments were proposed in 1665 by [[Marc-René de Voyer de Paulmy d'Argenson (1623–1700)|Marc-René d'Argenson]] to serve as administrative areas purely for the ''[[Conseil général des ponts et chaussées|Ponts et Chaussées]]'' (Bridges and Highways) infrastructure administration.<ref>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=pbspjvZst5UC&q=argenson&pg=PA60|title= Provinces, départements, régions: L'organisation administrative de la France d'hier à demain|last= Masson|first= Jean-Louis|date= 1984|website= Google Livres (French Google Books site)|publisher= Éditions Fernand Lanore|isbn= 9782851570031|access-date= 2017-07-15}}</ref>
Before the [[French Revolution]], France gained territory gradually through the annexation of a mosaic of independent entities. By the end of the [[Ancien Régime]] it was organised into [[Provinces of France|provinces]]. During the Revolution they were dissolved, partly in order to weaken old loyalties. The [[National Constituent Assembly (France)|National Constituent Assembly]] decided to create a more uniform division into departments (''département'') and [[Arrondissements of France#History|districts]] in late 1789.<ref name="Legay">{{Cite journal |last=Legay |first=Marie-Laure |year=2003 |title=La fin du pouvoir provincial (4 août 1789-21 septembre 1791) |url=http://journals.openedition.org/ahrf/821 |journal=Annales historiques de la Révolution française |issue=332 |pages=25–53 |doi=10.4000/ahrf.821 |issn=0003-4436|doi-access=free }}</ref> The process began on 4 August 1789 with the elimination of provincial privileges, and a 22 December 1789 decree (with [[letters patent]] in January 1790) provided for the termination of the provincial governments.<ref name="Legay"/>
The modern department system, as all-purpose units of the government, was decreed on 26 February 1790 (with letters patent on 4 March 1790) by the [[National Constituent Assembly (France)|National Constituent Assembly]].<ref name="Legay"/> Their boundaries served two purposes:
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