Grand marshal of the palace ( French: ''Grand maréchal du palais'') was the title used by the leader of the

Military Household of the Emperor The Military Household of the Emperor (French: ''Maison Militaire de l'Empereur'') was the immediate entourage of the Emperor of the French during the First French Empire. At the end of December 1806, no less than 800 men were members of the Milita ...

, during the

First French Empire The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental E ...

. The responsibilities of this position included: keeping accounts of the expenses (food, scouting, security, servants, etc.), policing and ensuring the security of the household, during wartime as well as during peacetime.Alain Pigeard, „Dictionnaire de la Grande Armée”, Tallandier, Bibliothèque Napoléonienne, 2004, , p. 304 General

Géraud Duroc Géraud Christophe Michel Duroc (born de Michel du Roc; 25 October 1772 – 23 May 1813), 1st Duke of Frioul (''Duc de Frioul''), was a French general and diplomat who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted ...

held the position from the moment when

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 ...

became

Emperor of the French Emperor of the French (French: ''Empereur des Français'') was the title of the monarch and supreme ruler of the First and the Second French Empires. Details A title and office used by the House of Bonaparte starting when Napoleon was procla ...

(18 May 1804) until the his death in battle on 23 May 1813. Then, from 25 May, General

Armand de Caulaincourt Armand-Augustin-Louis de Caulaincourt, Duke of Vicenza (, 9 December 177319 February 1827), was a French military officer, diplomat and close advisor to Napoleon I. Early life and family Armand de Caulaincourt was born into a noble family in the ...

replaced Duroc but the position was again vacant later that year, when Caulaincourt became foreign minister (20 November). From that date, General Bertrand became grand marshal, exercising his duties during the last days of the empire, as well as in exile on the islands of

Elba Elba ( it, isola d'Elba, ; la, Ilva) is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano Nationa ...

and Saint Helena, up until the death of the emperor on 5 May 1821.

References

{{reflist, 1 Military Household of the Emperor