One of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

's Secretaries of State under 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 ...

was entrusted with control of the

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

(

Secretary of State of the Navy (France) The Secretary of State of the Navy () was one of the four or five specialised secretaries of state in France during the Ancien Régime. This officeholder was responsible for the French Navy and for all of the French colonies. In 1791, at the end o ...

.) In 1791, this title was changed to Minister of the Navy. Before January 1893, this position also had responsibility for France's colonies, and was usually known as Minister of the Navy and Colonies, a role thereafter taken by the Minister of the Overseas. In 1947 the naval ministry was absorbed into the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

, with the exception of merchant marine affairs which had been split in 1929 to the separate Ministry of Merchant Marine.

History

The two French royal fleets (the

Ponant fleet The ''Flotte du Ponant'' was the designation under the Ancien Regime for the naval vessels of the Royal French Navy in the English Channel, Atlantic Ocean and Americas, the latter principally in the French West Indies and New France. The fleet ca ...

and Levant fleet) were put under the control of Colbert from 1662, whilst he was "

intendant des finances The Intendants des finances were intendants or agents of France's financial administration under the Ancien Régime. History The role of intendant des finances was created in 1552 as a 'commission' or committee, to manage the subsidies raised for ...

" and "minister of state" – but not "secretary of state" : he only became secretary of state in 1669 after having bought his way into the post. From then on, right up to the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

, a secretary of state had responsibility for the fleet. The secretary of state was responsible for the administration of both the navy (the "marine royale") and civilian ( merchant marine) fleets, and for all France's

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

consulate A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of diplomatic mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth coun ...

s, and

colonies In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state'' ...

, as well as the guardianship for all her commercial companies. To his two original offices (the bureau du Ponant and bureau du Levant) other services were added over time: *archives department, 1669; *office of the Ponant consulates, 1709; *office of the colonies, 1710; *bureau des classes, 1711; *department of maps and plans, 1720; *Office of the Levant Consulates, 1738, which was in 1743 merged with the Office of the Ponant Consulates under the name of Office of Commerce and Consulates These different offices and departments were regrouped into four super-departments by

marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

History

List of officeholders

Secretaries of State for the Navy, 1547–1790

Ministers of the Navy and the Colonies, 1790–1893

Naval Ministers, 1893–1947

See also

References