The Secretary of State was the name of several official governmental positions – supervising war, foreign affairs, the navy, the king's household, the clergy, Paris, and Protestant affairs – 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 ...

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 ...

, roughly equivalent to the positions of governmental ministers today. The positions were created in 1547, but gained in importance only after 1588. The various secretaries of state were considered part of the

Great Officers of the Crown of France The Great Officers of the Crown of France (french: Grands officiers de la couronne de France) were the most important officers of state in the French royal court during the ''Ancien Régime'' and Bourbon Restoration. They were appointed by the ...

History

Secretaries of State first appeared in 1547 under the reign of Henry II, but only gained in importance from 1588 on. The various secretaries of state were from that point on considered part of the

. At their creation, there were four secretaries of state, but at various times in their history there appeared five. Under

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reache ...

there were five secretaries in September 1718 (at the death of

Guillaume Dubois Guillaume Dubois (6 September 1656 – 10 August 1723) was a French cardinal and statesman. Life and government Early years Dubois, the third of the four great Cardinal-Ministers ( Richelieu, Mazarin, Dubois, and Fleury), was born in Brive-l ...

) and again from 1763 to 1780, when fifth department was created for Henri Léonard Jean Baptiste Bertin dealing with financial affairs. At the death of Louis XIV, the Regent

Philippe II, Duke of Orléans Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (Philippe Charles; 2 August 1674 – 2 December 1723), was a French prince, soldier, and statesman who served as Regent of the Kingdom of France from 1715 to 1723. He is referred to in French as ''le Régent''. ...

suppressed the secretaries of state, relying instead on a collegial system of government, called the

Polysynody {{Unreferenced, date=December 2009 Polysynody (from Greek πολυς numerous, several, and Greek συνοδος meeting, assembly) was the system of government in use in France between 1715 and 1718 and in which each minister (secretary of state) ...

, which lasted from 1715-1718. Instead of secretaries, their duties were handled by a Council of State, composed of various subcouncils of war, foreign affairs, the navy, etc. The slowness of this system proved ineffective, and the secretaries of state were brought back.

Organization

Each secretary of state was the head of a specialized department of state with a functional area of expertise (War, Foreign Affairs, the Navy, 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 ...

, Protestant Affairs) and a geographical area of expertise (several

provinces A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

). The secretaries gave council to the king, and countersigned (or co-signed) and expedited royal decisions (edicts and declarations). The secretaries of state were members of the king's "Conseil privé", but rarely attended its sessions. The secretaries of war and of foreign affairs attended the "Conseil royal de commerce". All secretaries of state were members of the "Conseil des Dépêches". ''For more on these councils, see the article Conseil du Roi.'' The secretary of state for foreign affairs was traditionally named by the honorific title " ministre d'État" upon assuming his position. The other secretaries usually gained this title over time. The secretaries of state were appointed by the king and their positions were revocable. Nevertheless, their offices required purchase (between 500,000 and 900,000

livres The (; ; abbreviation: ₶.) was one of numerous currencies used in medieval France, and a unit of account (i.e., a monetary unit used in accounting) used in Early Modern France. The 1262 monetary reform established the as 20 , or 80.88 gr ...

), and this fee usually included a certificate, or "brevet de retenue", permitting reimbursement in the case of demission.

Positions

There were generally four, sometimes five, secretaries of state: *

Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs The secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, known as the foreign secretary, is a minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom and head of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Seen as ...

Secretary of State for War The Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, which existed from 1794 to 1801 and from 1854 to 1964. The Secretary of State for War headed the War Office and ...

* Secretary of State of the Navy *

Secretary of State of the Maison du Roi The Secretary of State of the Maison du Roi (french: Secrétaire d'État à la Maison du Roi) was the secretary of state in France during the Ancien Régime and Bourbon Restoration in charge of the Département de la Maison du Roi. The exact com ...

(the "

" was the king's royal entourage and personal military guard), who also oversaw the clergy, the affairs of Paris, and the

king's buildings The King's Buildings (colloquially known as just King's or KB) is a campus of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Located in the suburb of Blackford, the site contains most of the schools within the College of Science and Engineering, ex ...

. *

Secretary of State for Protestant Affairs The Secretary of State for Protestant Affairs (french: link=no, Secrétaire d'État de la Religion Prétendue Réformée, or R.P.R., the "So-called Reformed Religion"), was the secretary of state in France during the "Ancien Régime" and Bourbon ...

(combined with the secretary of the Maison du Roi in 1749). The positions of Secretary of State of Foreign Affairs and of War were constant, but the attributes and number of the other secretaries varied over time. There was no Secretary of the Interior, as the secretaries of state divided administration of the

between themselves: * the Secretary of State for War oversaw border provinces. * the Secretary of State of the Maison du Roi oversaw provinces that had provincial estates, or "pays d'états" (see

taille The ''taille'' () was a direct land tax on the French peasantry and non-nobles in ''Ancien Régime'' France. The tax was imposed on each household and was based on how much land it held, and was directly paid to the state. History Originally o ...

) and, from 1747 on, the other internal provinces of France (after several Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs had refused to take on administration of provinces). * the Secretary of State of the Navy oversaw colonies, except between 1749 and 1754. There was no secretary of state of justice (this was fulfilled by the Chancellor of France) nor of Finances (overseen by the position of

Controller-General of Finances The Controller-General or Comptroller-General of Finances (french: Contrôleur général des finances) was the name of the minister in charge of finances in France from 1661 to 1791. It replaced the former position of Superintendent of Finances ('' ...

References

:''This article is based on the article Secrétaire d'État (Ancien Régime) 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 articl ...

, retrieved on September 4, 2006.''

History

Organization

Positions

References

See also