Louis XIV's France supplied its galley system through the courts. Judges were encouraged to sentence men to the galleys in peace as well as war, and death sentences could be commuted to lifetime rowing service. Even a nominal ten-year term could become a life sentence because dangerous conditions killed prisoners and officials could fail to mark when a prisoner's time was complete. The policy gave the navy cheap propulsion by transferring much of its human cost to prisoners.
Notable Point · 7:53-9:02
How Louis XIV's courts supplied galley labor
French sentencing policy made galley manpower an extension of criminal justice, with nominal terms often becoming de facto life sentences.