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 The Maison du Roi (, "King's Household") was the royal household of the King of France. It comprised the military, domestic, and religious entourage of the French royal family during the Ancien Régime and Bourbon Restoration. Organisation ...

("King's Household") 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 ...

. The name "écuyer", the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

word for squire, is the origin for the French word "écurie" (

stable A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...

) and the English word

equerry An equerry (; from French ' stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attendant, usually up ...

. The position was roughly equivalent to the United Kingdom positions of Master of the Horse and the

Crown Equerry The Crown Equerry is the operational head of the Royal Mews of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. He is responsible for the provision of vehicular transport for the Sovereign, both cars and horse-drawn carriages. Train tr ...

. The position of Grand Écuyer was made an Officer of the Crown by Henri III for the benefit of his favorite Roger de Saint-Lary de Bellegarde. The Grand Écuyer was commonly referred to as "Monsieur le Grand". He was in charge of the royal stables, the transport of the king and his ceremonial entourage (heralds, men of arms, musicians, etc.). As well as the superintendence of the royal stables, he had that of the retinue of the

sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin , meaning 'above'. The roles of a sovereign vary from monarch, ruler or ...

, also the charge of the funds set aside for the religious functions of the court, coronations, etc. On the death of a sovereign he had the right to all the horses and their equipment in the royal stables. He oversaw personally the "Great Stable" ("grande écurie"). The authority of the Grand Écuyer also extended across the realm, as he oversaw horse breeding and provincial military academies created to educate young nobles. Distinct from this officer and independent of him, was the first equerry ("Premier Écuyer de France"), who had charge of the horses which the sovereign used personally (the "Little Stable" or "petite écurie"), and who attended on him when he rode out. The office of Grand Squire existed down to the reign of Louis XVI. Under Louis XVIII and Charles X the duties were discharged by the first equerry, but under

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

and Napoleon III the office was revived with much of its old importance. The Grand Écuyer had the privilege of bearing the king's sword in ceremonies outside of royal residences. From 1643 to the French Revolution, the Grand Écuyer was chosen from the house of Lorraine.

List of Grands Écuyers of France

*1526–1546: Jacques de Genouillac (Galiot de Genouillac), Seigneur of Assier *1595–1611: Roger de Saint-Lary, Duke of Bellegarde *1611–1621: César-Auguste de Saint-Lary, Baron of Termes *1621–1639: Roger de Saint-Lary, Duke of Bellegarde *1639–1642: Henri de Coëffier de Ruzé d'Effiat, Marquis of Cinq-Mars *1642–1658:

Henri de Lorraine, Count of Harcourt Henri de Lorraine (20 March 1601 – 25 July 1666, Royaumont Abbey), known as ''Cadet la Perle'', was a French nobleman. He was count of Harcourt, count of Armagnac, count of Brionne and viscount of Marsan. He was the younger son of Charles I, ...

*1666–1677: Louis de Lorraine, Count of Armagnac *1677–1718: Henri de Lorraine, Count of Brionne *1718–1752: Charles de Lorraine, Count of Armagnac ("le prince Charles") *1752–1761: Louis Charles de Lorraine, Count of Brionne *1761–1790: Charles Eugène de Lorraine, Prince of Lambesc

Grand écuyer de l'Empereur

Under the First French Empire, the title was bestowed on Armand-Augustin-Louis de Caulaincourt in June 1804.

References

:''This article is based in part on the article Grand écuyer de France and

écuyer Écuyer or Ecuyer is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Al Ecuyer Allen Joseph Ecuyer (October 15, 1937 – April 28, 2012) was an American football player. Ecuyer was born in New Orleans in 1937 and attended Jesuit ...

from the French Wikipedia, retrieved on September 6, 2006.''

Citations

{{reflist

External links

Great Officers of the Crown
Court titles in the Ancien Régime Horse history and evolution 1526 establishments in France

List of Grands Écuyers of France

Grand écuyer de l'Empereur

See also

References

Citations

External links