Descartes was the lead ship of the Descartes class of protected cruisers built for the French Navy in the 1890s. The Descartes-class cruisers were ordered as part of a construction program directed at strengthening the fleet's cruiser force. At the time, France was concerned with the growing naval threat of the Italian and German fleets, and the new cruisers were intended to serve with the main fleet, and overseas in the French colonial empire. Descartes was armed with a main battery of four 164 mm (6.5 in) guns, was protected by an armor deck that was 30 to 60 mm (1.2 to 2.4 in) thick, and was capable of steaming at a top speed of 19.5 knots (36.1 km/h; 22.4 mph).