The Grand Master of Ceremonies of France or Grand maître des cérémonies de France was one of the Great Officers 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 ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for ...

and Bourbon Restoration. His function was to organize all public ceremonies of the crown. The position was created by

Henri III Henry III (french: Henri III, né Alexandre Édouard; pl, Henryk Walezy; lt, Henrikas Valua; 19 September 1551 – 2 August 1589) was King of France from 1574 until his assassination in 1589, as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of L ...

on January 1, 1585, to relieve the

Grand Master 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 ...

of part of his workload. The Grand Master of Ceremonies took his oath of office at the hands of the Grand Master of France. The Grand Master of Ceremonies oversaw state ceremonies and not court etiquette or private functions. He played a role in ceremonies celebrating or commemorating births, baptisms, marriages, and funerals for members of the royal family, royal feasts, ambassadorial receptions, the

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of ot ...

, royal entries into towns, lits de justice, meetings of the

States General The word States-General, or Estates-General, may refer to: Currently in use * Estates-General on the Situation and Future of the French Language in Quebec, the name of a commission set up by the government of Quebec on June 29, 2000 * States Gener ...

and important assemblies. The duties of The Grand Master of Ceremonies were principally : * overseeing logistics of ceremonies (materials, workers, plans, menus); * carrying messages and convocations from the king to Parlement, the other sovereign courts or notable individuals; * accompanying the king and the queen, or foreign sovereigns, on their travels, so as to manage the ceremonies during the trip; * making official records of the ceremonies to serve as

jurisprudence Jurisprudence, or legal theory, is the theoretical study of the propriety of law. Scholars of jurisprudence seek to explain the nature of law in its most general form and they also seek to achieve a deeper understanding of legal reasoning a ...

and to aid future ceremonies; * counselling the members of the court of their role in the ceremonies, and overseeing that the ceremonies unfold properly. In the exercise of his functions, he was assisted by a "master of ceremonies" and an aide. The Grand Master of Ceremonies carried a baton covered in black velvet, with an ivory tip. The position was eliminated in 1792, but was reinstated during the Bourbon Restoration.

Grand Masters of Ceremonies

* 1585-1603 Guillaume Pot de Rhodes * 1603-1616 Guillaume II Pot de Rhodes * 1616-1622 François Pot de Rhodes * 1622-1642 Claude Pot de Rhodes * 1642-1666 Henri de Rhodes * 1666-1684 Charles, marquis de Rhodes * 1684-1701 Jules-Armand Colbert, marquis de Blainville * 1701-1749 Thomas II, marquis de Dreux * 1749-1755 Michel, marquis de Brézé * 1755-1781 Joachim, marquis de Dreux * 1781-1792 & 1814-1829 Henri-Évrard, marquis de Dreux-Brézé * 1829-1830 Scipion, marquis de Dreux-Brézé

References

:''This article is based in part on the article Grand maître des cérémonies de France 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 9, 2006.''

Grand Masters of Ceremonies

References

See also