The Grand Chamberlain of France (french: Grand Chambellan de France) was one of the
Great Officers of the Crown of France, a member of the ''
Maison du Roi'' ("King's Household"), and one of the
Great Offices of the Maison du Roi during the
Ancien Régime
''Ancien'' may refer to
* the French word for " ancient, old"
** Société des anciens textes français
* the French for "former, senior"
** Virelai ancien
** Ancien Régime
** Ancien Régime in France
{{disambig ...
. It is similar in name, but should not be confused with, the office of
Grand Chamberman of France ({{Lang, fr, Grand Chambrier de France), although both positions could accurately be translated by the word
chamberlain.
At its origin, the position of Grand Chamberlain entailed oversight of the king's chamber and his wardrobe, but in October 1545, the position absorbed the duties of the position of Grand Chambrier, which was suppressed by
François I, and the Grand Chamberlain became responsible for signing charters and certain royal documents, assisting at the trial of
peers, and recording the oaths of homage to the Crown, among other duties.
The Grand Chamberlain also played an important role during
coronation
A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of o ...
: he ceremonially admitted the clerical peers to the room of the king, and fitted the king with boots,
dalmatic
The dalmatic is a long, wide-sleeved tunic, which serves as a liturgical vestment in the Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, United Methodist, and some other churches. When used, it is the proper vestment of a deacon at Mass, Holy Communion or othe ...
, and
mantle
A mantle is a piece of clothing, a type of cloak. Several other meanings are derived from that.
Mantle may refer to:
*Mantle (clothing), a cloak-like garment worn mainly by women as fashionable outerwear
**Mantle (vesture), an Eastern Orthodox ve ...
for coronation. In the protocol of the reign of
Louis XIV
, house = Bourbon
, father = Louis XIII
, mother = Anne of Austria
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
, death_date =
, death_place = Palace of Ve ...
, the Grand Chamberlain was in the second rank during ambassadorial receptions, he served the king at table, and, at the ceremony of the
Levée or royal awakening, he presented the king with a shirt. The position played a key role in state affairs in the sixteenth century, but became merely honorific in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
The political importance of the Grand Chamberlain stemmed from his having permanent access to the King's Chamber. His symbol of office was the keys to the royal apartments, which he always carried; in token of which, he was permitted to place two gold keys in saltire behind his
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in it ...
. He also was entitled to carry the banner of France. In rank, the position was between the
Grand Maître de France and the
Grand Écuyer The Grand Écuyer de France or Grand Squire of France or Grand Equerry of France was one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France and a member of the Maison du Roi ("King's Household") during the Ancien Régime. The name "écuyer", the French w ...
. During a
lit de justice
In France under the Ancien Régime, the ''lit de justice'' (, "bed of justice") was a particular formal session of the Parliament of Paris, under the presidency of the king, for the compulsory registration of the royal edicts. It was named thu ...
, he sat at the king's feet.
In the first half of the 16th century, the position was always held by a member of the Orléans-Longueville family, then by the
Duke of Guise
Count of Guise and Duke of Guise (pronounced ¡É¥iz were titles in the French nobility.
Originally a seigneurie, in 1417 Guise was erected into a county for René, a younger son of Louis II of Anjou.
While disputed by the House of Luxembourg ...
, and finally – until the end of the monarchy – by a member of the La Tour d'Auvergne-Bouillon family.
List of Grand Chamberlains of France
*
Renaud de Clermont
Renaud Pierre Manuel Séchan (), known as Renaud (), born 11 May 1952, is a French singer, songwriter and actor. His characteristically 'broken' voice makes for a very distinctive vocal style. Several of his songs are popular classics in F ...
(b. 1010, d. 1087; Served ?–1087, Reign of King Henry I of France)
*
Pierre de La Broce (?–1278)
*
Raoul of Clermont (1283–1302)
*
Enguerrand de Marigny (?–1315)
*
Hugues III de Bouville
Hugues III de Bouville (1275–1331) was the chamberlain of Philip IV of France.
Biography
The son of Hugues II de Bouville (d. 1304) and Marie de Chambly, he is the brother of John IV de Bouville. His father Hugues II was also chamberlain and sec ...
(?–1331)
*
Louis I, Duke of Bourbon
Louis I, called the Lame (1279 – 22 January 1341) was a French '' prince du sang'', Count of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis and La Marche and the first Duke of Bourbon, as well as briefly the titular King of Thessalonica from 1320 to 1321.
Life ...
(1310–1342)
*
Peter I, Duke of Bourbon (1342–1356)
*
Arnaud Amanieu, Lord of Albret (1381–1401)
*
James II, Count of La Marche
James II of Bourbon-La Marche (1370 – 1438 in Besançon) was count of La Marche. He was captured at the battle of Nicopolis in 1396, later being ransomed. In 1403, James led an attack on English soil and burned Plymouth. He married Joanna o ...
(1397–1438)
*
Louis, Count of Vendôme
Louis de Bourbon (Louis I, Count of Vendôme) (1376 – December 21, 1446), younger son of John I, Count of La Marche and Catherine de Vendôme, was a French '' prince du sang'', as well as Count of Vendôme from 1393, and Count of Castres from 142 ...
(1408–1427)
*
Georges de la Trémoïlle (1427–1439)
*
Jean Dunois, Count of Dunois and Longueville (1439–1468)
*
Jean V de Bueil
Jean V de Bueil (after 17 August 1405 and before 18 August 1406 - 1478), called ''le Fléau des Anglais'' "plague of the English", count of Sancerre, viscount of Carentan, lord of Montrésor, Château-en-Anjou, Saint-Calais, Vaujours, Ussé an ...
(1469–1474)
* Pierre de Guenand, seigneur de
La Celle-Guenand (?–1486)
*
Jean Dax, seigneur d'Axat
Jean may refer to:
People
* Jean (female given name)
* Jean (male given name)
* Jean (surname)
Fictional characters
* Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character
* Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations
* Je ...
, (1487–1495)
*
Louis I d'Orléans, duc de Longueville (1512–1516)
*
Francis, Duke of Guise (1551–1563)
*
Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne
Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne (26 March 1554 – 3 October 1611), or Charles de Guise, was a French nobleman of the house of Guise and a military leader of the Catholic League, which he headed during the French Wars of Religion, followi ...
(1563–1589)
*
Henry I of Orléans, Duke of Longueville (1589–1595)
*
Henry of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne
Henry of Mayenne or Henry of Lorraine, (Dijon, 20 December 1578 – Montauban, 20 September 1621) was a French noble from the House of Lorraine and more particularly from the House of Guise.
He was the eldest son of Charles, Duke of Mayenne and ...
(1596–1621)
*
Claude, Duke of Chevreuse (1621–1643)
*
Louis, Duke of Joyeuse (1643–1654)
*
Henry II, Duke of Guise (1655–1658)
*
Godefroy-Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne
Godefroy Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne, Duke of Bouillon (21 June 1636 – 26 July 1721) was a French nobleman and member of the House of La Tour d'Auvergne, one of the most important families in France at the time. He married Marie Anne Man ...
, duc de Bouillon (1658–1715)
*
Emmanuel Théodose de La Tour d'Auvergne
Emmanuel-Théodose de La Tour d'Auvergne, cardinal de Bouillon (24 August 1643 – 2 March 1715, Rome) was a French prelate and diplomat.
Biography
Originally known as the Duc d'Albret, he was the son of Frédéric Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne ...
, duc de Bouillon (1715–1728)
*
Charles-Godefroy La Tour d'Auvergne
Charles Godefroy de La Tour d'Auvergne (16 July 1706 – 24 October 1771) was a French nobleman and member of the powerful House of La Tour d'Auvergne.
Biography
His parents, Emmanuel Théodose de La Tour d'Auvergne (1668–1730) and Marie Arma ...
, duc de Bouillon (1728–1747)
*
Godefroy-Charles-Henri La Tour d'Auvergne
Godefroy de La Tour d'Auvergne (Godefroy Charles Henri; 26 January 1728, Paris – 3 December 1792) was a member of the House of La Tour d'Auvergne, the Sovereign Dukes of Bouillon. He was subsequently the penultimate Duke of Bouillon succe ...
, duc de Bouillon (1747–1775)
*
Henri Louis Marie de Rohan, duc de Montbazon (1775–1782)
*
Godefroy-Charles-Henri La Tour d'Auvergne
Godefroy de La Tour d'Auvergne (Godefroy Charles Henri; 26 January 1728, Paris – 3 December 1792) was a member of the House of La Tour d'Auvergne, the Sovereign Dukes of Bouillon. He was subsequently the penultimate Duke of Bouillon succe ...
, duc de Bouillon (1782–1789)
See also
*
Great Officers of the Crown of France
*
Maison du Roi
*
Gentleman of the bedchamber
Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a title in the royal household of the Kingdom of England from the 11th century, later used also in the Kingdom of Great Britain. A Lord of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Household; the term being fir ...
*
Alexandre Bontemps - Premier valet to Louis XIV
References
:''This article is based in part on the articles
Grand chambellan de France
The Grand Chamberlain of France (french: Grand Chambellan de France) was one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France, a member of the ''Maison du Roi'' ("King's Household"), and one of the Maison du Roi#Great Officers of the Royal Household ...
and
Liste des grands chambellans de France from the
French Wikipedia
The French Wikipedia (french: Wikipédia en français) is the French-language edition of Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia. This edition was started on 23 March 2001, two months after the official creation of Wikipedia. It has article ...
, retrieved on September 6, 2006.''
External links
Great Officers of the Crown
Court titles in the Ancien Régime