The Grand Master of France () was, during the and

Bourbon Restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to: France under the House of Bourbon: * Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815) Spain under the Spanish Bourbons: * Ab ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, one of the

Great Officers of the Crown of France The Great Officers of the Crown of 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 King of France, with all but the Keeper of the S ...

and head of the "", the king's royal household. The position is similar to that of

Lord Steward The Lord Steward or Lord Steward of the Household is one of the three Great Officers of the Household of the British monarch. He is, by tradition, the first great officer of the Court and he takes precedence over all other officers of the househ ...

in England.

History

The original name of the office was Sovereign Master of the Hotel of the King (French: ''Souverain Maître d'hôtel du Roi), until 1380, then becoming Grand Master of the Hotel of the King (French: ''Grand Maître d'hôtel du Roi''), until 1463, before finally becoming Grand Master of France. The symbol of the Grand Master was a blue

baton Baton may refer to: Stick-like objects *Baton, a type of club *Baton (law enforcement) *Baston (weapon), a type of baton used in Arnis and Filipino Martial Arts *Baton charge, a coordinated tactic for dispersing crowds of people *Baton (conducti ...

charged with golden fleur-de-lis, similar to the royal coat of arms of France, capped with a golden representation of the French royal crown. The Grand Master was entitled to bear this symbol of his office in his

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

, two being crossed in

saltire A saltire, also called Saint Andrew's Cross or the crux decussata, is a Heraldry, heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross. The word comes from the Middle French , Medieval Latin ("stirrup"). From its use as field sign, the saltire cam ...

behind the shield.

Duties

The position was a successor to the earlier positions of

Mayor of the Palace Under the Merovingian dynasty, the mayor of the palace or majordomo, ( or ) was the manager of the household of the Frankish king. He was the head of the Merovingian administrative ladder and orchestrated the operation of the entire court. He ...

and

Seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...

of France. One of the highest posts in the French court, the "Grand maître" directed 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 in France, Bourbon R ...

, appointed new officers to the "Maison" (who would swear an oath of service in his hands) and managed the budget of the "Maison". He was also responsible for policing the court and he managed the king's lands (which made him a sort of Minister of the Interior). In practice however, the military branch of the Maison du Roi was frequently run by the

Constable of France The Constable of France (, from Latin for 'count of the stables') was lieutenant to the King of France, the first of the original five Great Officers of the Crown (along with seneschal, chamberlain, butler, and chancellor) and the commander-in ...

or the

Secretary of State for War The secretary of state for war, commonly called the 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 Offic ...

. He had numerous ceremonial duties. At the death of the king he would lead the funeral procession and, at the king's tomb, he would break his baton, throw it into the tomb and intone "Gentlemen, the King is dead; you are free from his service"; he would then take a new baton and intone "Gentlemen, the King lives, and gives you your posts." In the

Early Modern period The early modern period is a Periodization, historical period that is defined either as part of or as immediately preceding the modern period, with divisions based primarily on the history of Europe and the broader concept of modernity. There i ...

, most of the real work of the Grand maître was accomplished by his secretaries, and not by himself personally. His role was thus generally symbolic, although he often took personal charge of his ceremonial duties. Furthermore, with the creation of the

Secretary of State of the Maison du Roi The secretary of state of the Maison du Roi () was the Secretary of State (Ancien Régime), secretary of state in France during the Ancien Régime and Bourbon Restoration in France, Bourbon Restoration in charge of the Département de la Maison du ...

in the 16th century, the Grand maître was forced to share some of his duties: in general 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; yet, the "Secrétaire d'État à la Maison du Roi" was 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.

Officeholders

The position was frequently given to the highest of the

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

or to the king's close friends. Francis I conferred it upon his former teacher Artus Gouffier, then to his uncle René de Savoie, the "grand bâtard de Savoie", then to his friend Anne, duc de Montmorency. In 1559, with the dismissal of Montmorency, the office fell into the hands of the

Dukes of Guise Count of Guise and Duke of Guise ( , ) were titles in the French nobility. Originally a Fiefdom, seigneurie, in 1417 Guise was erected into a county for René I of Naples, René, a younger son of Louis II of Anjou. While disputed by the House of ...

, who used the position to increase their influence at court to such a point that Henry III forced

Henry I, Duke of Guise Henri I de Lorraine, Duke of Guise, Prince of Joinville, Count of Eu (31 December 1550 – 23 December 1588), sometimes called ('Scarface'), was the eldest son of François, Duke of Guise, and Anna d'Este. His maternal grandparents were Ercole ...

to reduce his scope of authority. In 1594, the position passed into the control of the

House of Bourbon The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a dynasty that originated in the Kingdom of France as a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Kingdom of Navarre, Navarre in the 16th century. A br ...

and the

Princes of Condé The Most Serene House of Bourbon-Condé (), named after Condé-en-Brie (now in the Aisne ), was a French princely house and a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon. The name of the house was derived from the title of Prince of Condé (French: '' ...

, who maintained control until the French Revolution (except for the period 1654–1656, when it was held by Thomas of Savoy-Carignano, who had replaced the Guises as foremost of the '' princes étrangers'').

Grand Masters of France

* ca. 1300: Arnould de Wesemal * 1310: Mathieu II de Trie * 1321: Jean de Beaumont (died c. 1344) * 1343: Gui de Ceriz (died 1369) * 1347: Robert III de Dreux (1288–1351) * ca. 1350: Jean II de Châtillon (died 1363) * ca. 1350: Jean II de Melun (died 1381) * ca. 1350: Pierre I de Villiers (died c. 1390) * ca. 1350: Gui IV Damas (1288–1351) * ca. 1380: Jean le Mercier * 1388-1408: Jean de Montagu (died 1409) * 1408-1409:

Louis VII, Duke of Bavaria Louis VII (c. 1368 – 1 May 1447), called the Bearded (German: ''Ludwig der Bärtige'') was the Duke of Bavaria-Ingolstadt from 1413 until 1443. He was a son of Duke Stephen III and Taddea Visconti. Biography As brother of Isabella of Bava ...

(ca. 1368–1447) * 1409-1413: Guichard II (died 1415) * 1413-1422:

Louis, Count of Vendôme Louis de Bourbon (Louis I, Count of Vendôme) (1376 – December 21, 1446), younger son of John I, Count of La Marche and Catherine de Vendôme, was a French '' prince du sang'', as well as Count of Vendôme from 1393, and Count of Castres from ...

(1376–1446) * 1422-1440: Tanguy du Chastel (died 1449) * 1440-1451: Charles de Culant (died c. 1451) * 1451-1453:

Jacques de Chabannes Jacques de Chabannes (ca. 1400-1453) was a French nobleman and military commander during the reign of Charles VII of France, King Charles VII. The elder brother of Antoine de Chabannes, he is most notable for his significant role at the Battle of ...

(died 1453) * 1456-1461: Raoul de Gaucourt (died 1461) * 1463: Antoine I de Croÿ (1385–1475) * 1465-1467: Charles Ier de Melun (executed on 22 August 1468) * 1467:

Antoine de Chabannes Antoine de Chabannes (1408–1488), from 1439 Counts of Dammartin, Count of Dammartin (with a gap in 1463–1465), was a significant military and political figure of 15th-century France. An indefatigable fighter, during his long career he joined ...

(1408–1488) * ca. 1483: François Guy XV, comte de Laval et Monfort (1435–1500) * 1485-ca. 1496 :

Philip II, Duke of Savoy Philip II (5 February 1438 – 7 November 1497), surnamed the Landless, was the Duke of Savoy for a brief reign from 1496 to 1497. Biography Philip was the granduncle of the previous duke Charles II, and the youngest surviving son of Duke L ...

(1438–1497) * 1502-1511:

Charles II d'Amboise Charles II d'Amboise, Seigneur de Chaumont (1473 – 11 March 1511) was a French nobleman, who acted as French governor of Milan (1503–1511) during the reign of Louis XII and as a French commander during the War of the League of Cambrai. ...

(1473–1511) * 1511-1515: Jacques II de Chabannes-La Palice (ca.1470-1525) * 1515-1519: Artus Gouffier, duc de Roannais (died 1519) * 1519-1525:

René of Savoy René of Savoy (1473 – 31 March 1525) was a French nobleman and soldier. He was count of Villars (1497) and of Tende (1501). Known as "the Great Bastard of Savoy", he was the illegitimate son of Philip II, Duke of Savoy and Libera Portoneri - thi ...

, comte de Villars (died 1525) * 1526-1558:

Anne de Montmorency Anne de Montmorency, duc de Montmorency ( – 12 November 1567) was a French noble, governor, royal favourite and Constable of France during the mid to late Italian Wars and early French Wars of Religion. He served under five French kings (Loui ...

(1492–1567) * 1558-1559:

François de Montmorency François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * François Amoudruz (1926–2020), French resistance fighter * François-Marie Arouet (better known as Voltaire; 1 ...

(died 1579) * 1559-1563: François of Lorraine, duc de Guise (1520–1563) * 1563-1588:

(1550–1588) * 1588-1594: Charles, Duke of Guise (1571–1640) * 1594-1612: Charles de Bourbon, comte de Soissons (1566–1612) * 1612-1641:

Louis de Bourbon, comte de Soissons Louis de Bourbon, Comte de Soissons (May 1604 – 6 July 1641) was the son of Charles de Bourbon, Count of Soissons and his wife, Anne de Montafié, Countess of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis. A second cousin of Louis XIII of France he was a '' princ ...

(1604–1641) * 1643-1646: Henry II de Bourbon, prince de Condé (1588–1646) * 1647-1654(?):

Louis II de Bourbon, prince de Condé Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also * ...

, ''le Grand Condé'' (1621–1686) * 1654-1656: Thomas of Savoy, prince of Carignano (1596–1656) * 1656-1660:

Armand de Bourbon, prince de Conti Armand de Bourbon, Prince of Conti (11 October 162926 February 1666), was a French nobleman, the younger son of Henri, Prince of Condé (1588–1646), Henri II, Prince of Condé and Charlotte Marguerite de Montmorency, daughter of Henri I de Mont ...

(1629–1666) * 1660-1685: Henri Jules de Bourbon, prince de Condé (1643–1709) * 1685-1710: Louis III, prince de Condé (1668–1710) * 1710-1740: Louis Henri, duc de Bourbon, prince de Condé (1692–1740) * 1740-1790 and 1814-1818:

Louis Joseph de Bourbon, prince de Condé Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also ...

(1736–1818)

References

* Bernard Barbiche, ''Les Institutions de la monarchie française à l’époque moderne, XVIIe–XVIIIe siècles'', Presses universitaires de France, coll. « Premier cycle », 2001 (2nd edition). * Jean-François Solnon, ''La Cour de France'', Livre de Poche, coll. « Références », 1996 (1st edition 1987).

Notes

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grand Master Of France Court titles in the Ancien Régime