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 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 ...

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 ...

and Bourbon Restoration in charge of the Département de la Maison du Roi. The exact composition of the ministry and the secretary's duties changed several times over the Early Modern period, but in general, the Département de la Maison du Roi oversaw four main areas: 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 ...

" ("Household of the King"), the "

Bâtiments du Roi The Bâtiments du Roi (, "King's Buildings") was a division of the Maison du Roi ("King's Household") in France under the Ancien Régime. It was responsible for building works at the King's residences in and around Paris. History The Bâtiments ...

" ("Buildings of the King"), the General Affairs of the Clergy, (from 1749 on) Affairs of the RPR ("Religion Prétendue Réformée", i.e. the

Huguenots The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss politica ...

), and the administration of the capital city of Paris and the provinces. The post later reappeared as the

Minister for the Maison du Roi The Minister for the Maison du Roi was a cabinet role under the French monarchy, conferring leadership of the Maison du Roi. Ancien Régime Under the Ancien Régime the ministerial post at the head of the Maison du Roi was a '' Secrétaire d'� ...

History

Starting in the 16th century and then from the 17th century on, the "Maison du Roi" was overseen by a ministry, the "Département de la Maison du Roi", directed by a secretary of state, the "Secrétaire d'État à la Maison du Roi". Along with the " Department of War" ("département de la Guerre"), the "Département de la Maison du Roi" was the oldest of the specialized State Ministries, created in 1570 by Charles IX who reunited—under the control of Simon Fizes de Sauve—the "ordinaire des guerres" and the Military Maison du Roi. Both departments were dissociated in 1594:

Nicolas de Neufville, seigneur de Villeroy Nicolas IV de Neufville, seigneur de Villeroy (1543 – 12 November 1617) was a secretary of state under four kings of France: Charles IX, Henry III, Henry IV, and Louis XIII. The most distinguished of all sixteenth-century French secretaries, ...

took over the Département of Foreign Affairs and the Department of War, while Martin Ruzé de Beaulieu took over the Maison du Roi. In 1661, the département was expanded to include Religious Affairs. In 1669,

Jean-Baptiste Colbert Jean-Baptiste Colbert (; 29 August 1619 – 6 September 1683) was a French statesman who served as First Minister of State from 1661 until his death in 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. His lasting impact on the organization of the countr ...

bought the post from

Henri de Guénégaud du Plessis-Belleville Henri is an Estonian, Finnish, French, German and Luxembourgish form of the masculine given name Henry. People with this given name ; French noblemen :'' See the ' List of rulers named Henry' for Kings of France named Henri.'' * Henri I de Mon ...

, and thus combined under his control the Maison du Roi with the

Department of the Navy Navy Department or Department of the Navy may refer to: * United States Department of the Navy, * Navy Department (Ministry of Defence), in the United Kingdom, 1964-1997 * Confederate States Department of the Navy, 1861-1865 * Department of the ...

and the position of

Contrôleur général des 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 ('' ...

(chief financial officer of the realm). The Secretary of the Department of the Maison du Roi and Contrôleur général des finances would be linked only until 1699, but the Maison du roi and Religious Affairs would remain linked with Department of the Navy until 1749 (except for a brief separation from 1715–1718). After the downfall of

Maurepas Maurepas may refer to: * Jean-Frédéric Phélypeaux, Count of Maurepas, French statesman Count of Maurepas (Yvelines) * Fort Maurepas, also known as Old Biloxi, a settlement in Louisiana (New France) * Maurepas, Louisiana, an unincorporated comm ...

in 1749, the Department was broken apart: the Department of the Navy was made into its own Department and given to Rouillé while the Department of the Maison du Roi and of Religious Affairs was given over to comte de Saint-Florentin. The offices of the department were few: only four buildings in 1771, five in 1789. The department's archives are stored in two places: the "Grands Augustins" and the Palais du Louvre/Palace of the Louvre.

Oversight

The Maison du Roi

The "

" (Household of the King) was the name of the military, domestic and religious entourage around the Royal Family in the

Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France ( fro, Reaume de France; frm, Royaulme de France; french: link=yes, Royaume de France) is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the medieval and early modern period. ...

. In essence, the Secretary's oversight was purely formal, as the officers of the "Maison du Roi" were under the direct authority of the

Grand Maître of France The Grand Master of France (french: Grand Maître de France) was, during the and Bourbon Restoration in France, one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France and head of the "", the king's royal household. The position is similar to that of L ...

(Chief Steward of France). Moreover, in practice, the military branch of the Maison du Roi was run by the Minister of War. The "Secrétaire d'État à la Maison du Roi" was however in charge of recruiting officers for the "Maison du Roi", and would receive prospective applications for posts and submit them to the king for his approval.

The King's Buildings

The Secrétaire d'État à la Maison du Roi oversaw the "

" (Buildings of the King), run by (at various periods) a superintendent or directeur général of buildings. The service was responsible for the royal residences and for royal patronage of architecture, painting and sculpture. It also ran the

Manufacture des Gobelins The Gobelins Manufactory () is a historic tapestry factory in Paris, France. It is located at 42 avenue des Gobelins, near Les Gobelins métro station in the 13th arrondissement of Paris. It was originally established on the site as a medieval ...

, the

Manufacture de la Savonnerie The Savonnerie manufactory was the most prestigious European manufactory of knotted-pile carpets, enjoying its greatest period c. 1650–1685; the cachet of its name is casually applied to many knotted-pile carpets made at other centers. The manuf ...

and the

Manufacture nationale de Sèvres The ''Manufacture nationale de Sèvres'' is one of the principal European porcelain factories. It is located in Sèvres, Hauts-de-Seine, France. It is the continuation of Vincennes porcelain, founded in 1740, which moved to Sèvres in 1756. It ...

. The Secretary also oversaw (either directly or through the service of the Bâtiments du Roi) cultural and scientific institutions such as the

Bibliothèque du Roi A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

, the

Paris Observatory The Paris Observatory (french: Observatoire de Paris ), a research institution of the Paris Sciences et Lettres University, is the foremost astronomical observatory of France, and one of the largest astronomical centers in the world. Its histor ...

, the Jardin des Plantes, the Collège royal,

French academies 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 France ...

and royal entertainment.

Religious Affairs

The Secrétaire d'État à la Maison du Roi was in charge of religious benefices. He oversaw the conduct of bishops, the elections of abbeys and of the heads of French religious orders. He was in charge of relations between the government and the clergy. In 1749 the Secretary of State of the Maison du Roi was combined with the

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 ...

in charge of the overseeing French Protestant affairs, although the two departments remained distinct.

Administration of Paris and the provinces

The Secrétaire d'État à la Maison du Roi was also in charge of the policing and general administration of French provinces (at first those with provincial estates or "pays d'état", and eventually over all other internal provinces), except for border regions (which were supervised by the Department of War). From 1589, and excepting the period 1749-1757, the position was also in charge of the city of

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

(lighting of streets, cleaning of streets, repression of beggars, oversight in moral affairs, foreigners, censorship of books, surveillance of newspapers and of public entertainment). In this role, he worked in collaboration with the lieutenant général de police and his administration.

Secretaries of State of the Maison du Roi

The Department of the "Maison du Roi" was dominated, from 1690 to 1775, by the

Phélypeaux Phélypeaux is the name of a French family from Blésois region (around Blois). Its two principal branches were those of the lords of Herbault, La Vrillière, and Saint Florentin, and of the counts of Pontchartrain and Maurepas. The family prod ...

family. # 1570–1579: Simon Fizes de Sauve # 1588–1613: Martin Ruzé de Beaulieu # 1606–1638:

Antoine de Loménie Antoine de Lomenie, lord of La Ville-aux-Clerics (1560 - 17 January 1638 Paris) was a Secretary of the Navy under Louis XIII of 7 November 1613 to 10 August 1615, and Ambassador Extraordinary of France to England. He was the son of Martial Lomenie ...

# 1615–1643:

Henri-Auguste de Loménie, comte de Brienne Henri-Auguste de Loménie (1594 – 3 November 1666), Count of Brienne, Seigneur de La Ville-aux-Clercs was a French politician. He was secretary of state for the navy from 1615 to February 1643, and then secretary of state for foreign affairs ...

# 1643–1669:

Henry de Guénegaud Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

# 1669–1683:

(1619–1683), who was also ''Contrôleur général des finances'', ''Secrétaire d'État à la Marine, ''Surintendant des bâtiments, arts et manufactures''. # 1672–1690:

Jean-Baptiste Colbert, marquis de Seignelay Jean-Baptiste Antoine Colbert, Marquis de Seignelay (1 November 1651 – 3 November 1690) was a French politician. He was the eldest son of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, nephew of Charles Colbert de Croissy and cousin of Jean-Baptiste Colbert de Torc ...

# 1690–1699:

Louis Phélypeaux, comte de Pontchartrain Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis ( ...

(1643–1727), who was also ''Contrôleur général des finances'' and ''Secrétaire d'État à la Marine''. # 1699–1715: Jérôme Phélypeaux (1674–1747), comte de Pontchartrain, who was also ''Secrétaire d'État à la Marine'' # 1715–1718:

Louis Phélypeaux, marquis de La Vrillière Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis (d ...

(1672–1725) # 1718–1749: Jean-Frédéric Phélypeaux, comte de Maurepas (1701–1781), who was also ''Secrétaire d'État à la Marine'' (1723–1749) # 1749–1775:

Louis Phélypeaux, comte de Saint-Florentin Louis Phélypeaux (18 August 1705 – 27 February 1777) Count of Saint-Florentin, Marquis (1725) and Duke of La Vrillière (1770), was a French politician. Biography Son of Louis Phélypeaux, Marquis de La Vrillière, and Françoise de Mail ...

(1705–1777) # 1775–1776:

Guillaume-Chrétien de Lamoignon de Malesherbes Guillaume-Chrétien de Lamoignon de Malesherbes (, 6 December 1721 – 22 April 1794), often referred to as Malesherbes or Lamoignon-Malesherbes, was a French statesman and minister in the Ancien Régime, and later counsel for the defense of Lou ...

# 1776–1783:

Antoine-Jean Amelot de Chaillou Antoine-Jean Amelot de Chaillou (19 November 1732 – 20 April 1795, the 1st of Floréal in year III of the Revolutionary calendar) was a French politician. The son of Jean-Jacques Amelot de Chaillou and Marie Anne de Vougny, he held a number o ...

# 1783–1787:

Louis Auguste Le Tonnelier de Breteuil Louis Charles Auguste Le Tonnelier, Baron de Breteuil, Baron de Preuilly (7 March 1730 – 2 November 1807) was a French aristocrat, diplomat and statesman. He was the last chief minister of the Bourbon Monarchy, appointed by King Louis XVI ...

# 1788–1789:

Pierre-Charles Laurent de Villedeuil Pierre-Charles Laurent de Villedeuil (11 October 1742, Bouchain - 28 April 1828, Paris) was Controller-General of Finances under Louis XVI of France. His father, the engineer Pierre-Joseph Laurent, became rich thanks to his part in founding the co ...

# 1789–1791: François-Emmanuel Guignard, comte de Saint-Priest

References

*''This article is based on a translation of the articles Département de la Maison du Roi and Secrétaire d'État à la Maison du Roi 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 ...

on 11 August 2006.'' * Bernard Barbiche, ''Les institutions de la monarchie française à l'époque moderne, XVIe - XVIIIe siècle'', Paris : PUF, 1999, 2nd ed. 2001. * Père Anselme de Sainte-Marie (o.c.m.), ''Histoire généalogique et chronologique de la Maison royale de France, des pairs et grands officiers de la Couronne et de la Maison du Roi'', Compagnie des Libraires associés, 1737. * Jean-François Solnon, art. « Maison du roi », ''Dictionnaire du Grand Siècle'', s. dir, François Bluche, Fayard, 1990.
La Maison du roi on www.heraldica.org