Admiralty in the 16th century has organized the fleet into squadrons from at early 13th century and certainly during the 16th century. In 1560 three squadrons were operating in the Channel, Irish Sea and North Sea Until the 16th century, admirals were high officials under kings, and were charged with protecting the realm from sea attack. The English navy's Narrow Seas Squadron also called as the Eastern Squadron mainly operated in the two seas which laying between England and Kingdom of France (the English Channel particularly the Straits of Dover) and England and the Spanish Netherlands later the Dutch Republic (the southern North Sea). Include:
Paris in the 16th century of two hundred twenty "sergeants à verge" who were stationed at the city gates and major intersections. The night watch was maintained by a separate force of about two hundred forty men, composed of the "Chevalier du guet" and his sergeants. The earlier night watch, which had consisted of members of the merchants, was abolished in 1559 because of its ineffectiveness In the first part of the 16th century, the merchants still had considerable control of commercial matters and disputes, but in the second half of the century most of these rights were taken away. In 1563 a system commercial