Constable of France
Encyclopedia
The Constable of France ' onMouseout='HidePop("24429")' href="/topics/Latin">Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

 comes stabuli for 'count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...

 of the stables'), as the First Officer of the Crown, was one of the original five Great Officers of the Crown of France
Great Officers of the Crown of France
The Great Officers of the Crown of France, known as the Grand Dignitaries of the Empire during the French Empire, were the most important officers of state of the royal court in France during the Ancien Régime and Bourbon Restoration. They were appointed by the French monarch, with all but the...

 (along with seneschal
Seneschal
A seneschal was an officer in the houses of important nobles in the Middle Ages. In the French administrative system of the Middle Ages, the sénéchal was also a royal officer in charge of justice and control of the administration in southern provinces, equivalent to the northern French bailli...

, chamberlain
Grand Chamberlain of France
The Grand Chamberlain of France was one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France, a member of the Maison du Roi , and one of the Great Offices of the Maison du Roi during the Ancien Régime...

, butler
Butler
A butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its...

, and chancellor
Chancellor
Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...

) and Commander in Chief of the army. He, theoretically, as Lieutenant-general of the King, outranked all the nobles and was second-in-command only to the King. He was also responsible for military justice and served to regulate the Chivalry
Chivalry
Chivalry is a term related to the medieval institution of knighthood which has an aristocratic military origin of individual training and service to others. Chivalry was also the term used to refer to a group of mounted men-at-arms as well as to martial valour...

. His jurisdiction was called the connestablie. The office was established by King Philip I
Philip I of France
Philip I , called the Amorous, was King of France from 1060 to his death. His reign, like that of most of the early Direct Capetians, was extraordinarily long for the time...

 in 1060 with Alberic becoming the first Constable. The office was abolished in 1627 in accordance with the Edict of January 1627 by Cardinal Richelieu, upon the death of François de Bonne, duc de Lesdiguières
François de Bonne, duc de Lesdiguières
François de Bonne, duc de Lesdiguières was soldier of the French Wars of Religion and Constable of France.- Early life :He was born at Saint-Bonnet-en-Champsaur, to a family of notaries with pretensions to nobility...

, after his conversion from Protestantism
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...

 to Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....

 in 1622. The position was replaced by the Dean of Marshals (Doyen des maréchaux), in reality the most senior Marshal of France
Marshal of France
The Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...

 in a strictly ceremonial role. A few constables died in battle or were executed for treason, mostly for political intrigue.

Badge of Office

The badge of office was a highly elaborate sword called the 'Royal Sword' (Fr. 'de Charlemagne') surnamed 'Joyous'. This sword dated from the 14th century and was contained in a blue scabbard embellished with fleur-de-lis
Fleur-de-lis
The fleur-de-lis or fleur-de-lys is a stylized lily or iris that is used as a decorative design or symbol. It may be "at one and the same time, political, dynastic, artistic, emblematic, and symbolic", especially in heraldry...

 in column from hilt to point. Traditionally, the constable was presented with the sword on taking his office.

Authority

After the abolition of the office of Sénéchal in 1191, the Connétable became the most important officer in the army, and as First Officer of the Crown, he ranked in precedence immediately after the peers
Peerage of France
The Peerage of France was a distinction within the French nobility which appeared in the Middle Ages. It was abolished in 1789 during the French Revolution, but it reappeared in 1814 at the time of the Bourbon Restoration which followed the fall of the First French Empire...

. He had the position of Lieutenant-General of the King, both within and without the kingdom
Kingdom of France
The Kingdom of France was one of the most powerful states to exist in Europe during the second millennium.It originated from the Western portion of the Frankish empire, and consolidated significant power and influence over the next thousand years. Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, developed a...

. The constable had under his command all military officers, including the marechaux
Marshal
Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...

; he was also responsible for the financing of the army, administering military justice within the host (the name of the jurisdiction was the connétablie
Constabulary
Constabulary may have several definitions.*A civil, non-paramilitary force consisting of police officers called constables. This is the usual definition in Britain, in which all county police forces once bore the title...

), which he exercised with the assistance of the maréchaux (marshals) of France. This paralleled the Court of the Lord Constable, later called curia militaris of Court of Chivalry
Court of Chivalry
Her Majesty's High Court of Chivalry of England and Wales is a civil court in England. It has had jurisdiction in cases of the misuse of heraldic arms since the fourteenth century....

, which existed in England at that time.

Persons Subordinate to the Constable of France

  • Marshal of France
    Marshal of France
    The Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...

     (Maréchaux de France) At times the Marshal of France was senior to the Constable.
    • Colonel-general
      Colonel General (France)
      A Colonel General was an officer of the French army during the Ancien Régime, Napoleonic era and the Bourbon Restoration.The positions were not military ranks, but rather offices of the crown. The position was first created under François I. The Colonels General served directly below the Marshals...

       - a special position in the French army, which commands all the regiment
      Regiment
      A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...

      s of the same branch of service (i.e. infantry, cavalry, Dragoons,...)
    • Lieutenant-general - the highest general rank of the French army
    • Maréchal de camp (Field Marshal
      Field Marshal
      Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...

      ) - the lowest general rank
  • Porte-Oriflamme - a very prestigious position, though unofficial, which carries the royal banner
    Oriflamme
    The Oriflamme was the battle standard of the King of France.It was originally the sacred banner of the Abbey of St. Denis, a monastery near Paris. The banner was red or orange-red and flown from a lance. It was suggested that the lance was originally the important object, with the banner a...

     in battle.
  • Grand Master of Archers
    Grand Master of Crossbowmen
    The Master of Crossbowmen or more precisely, Master of Arbalesters or Master of Archers was the title of a commander of the Infantry of the French army in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The position was an honorific title, not a military rank, created by Louis IX...

     (Grand-Maître des Arbalétriers - commander of the crossbow-men
    Crossbow
    A crossbow is a weapon consisting of a bow mounted on a stock that shoots projectiles, often called bolts or quarrels. The medieval crossbow was called by many names, most of which derived from the word ballista, a torsion engine resembling a crossbow in appearance.Historically, crossbows played a...

    )
  • Grand Master of Artillery
    Grand Master of Artillery
    The Grand Master of Artillery or Grand Maître de l'artillerie was one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France during the Ancien Régime....

     (Grand-Maître de l'artillerie). From the beginning of the 17th century, the Grand Master of the Artillery became a Great Officer of the Crown
    Great Officers of the Crown of France
    The Great Officers of the Crown of France, known as the Grand Dignitaries of the Empire during the French Empire, were the most important officers of state of the royal court in France during the Ancien Régime and Bourbon Restoration. They were appointed by the French monarch, with all but the...

     and was no longer subordinate to the Constable.
  • Lieutenant-general of the Realm - Occasionally appointed and served as a pseudo-viceroy
    Viceroy
    A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...

     to oversee royal business in a region and served directly under the King. As first officer he outranked all other Lieutenant Generals.

Constables of France

Note that there are gaps in the dates as the position was not always filled following the demise of its occupant.

Constables of the Kings of France

The Capétien
House of Capet
The House of Capet, or The Direct Capetian Dynasty, , also called The House of France , or simply the Capets, which ruled the Kingdom of France from 987 to 1328, was the most senior line of the Capetian dynasty – itself a derivative dynasty from the Robertians. As rulers of France, the dynasty...

 Dynasty
  • Alberic, 1060–1065
  • Balberic, 1065–1069
  • Gauthier, 1069–1071
  • Adelelme, 1071–1075
  • Adam, 1075–1085
  • Thibaut, Seigneur de Montmorency
    Montmorency family
    Montmorency, pronounced , the name of one of the oldest and most distinguished families in France, derived from the city of Montmorency, now in the Val-d'Oise département, in the immediate neighborhood of Enghien-les-Bains and Saint-Denis, about 9 miles northwest of Paris.The family, since its...

    , 1085–1107
  • Gaston de Chanmont, 1107–1108
  • Hugues le Borgne de Chanmont, 1108–1135
  • Mathieu de Montmorency (died 1160), 1138–?
  • Simon de Neauphle-le-Chateau, 1165–?
  • Raoul I de Clermont (died 1191), 1174–1191
  • Dreux IV de Mello (1148–1218), 1194–1218
  • Mathieu I le Grand, Baron de Montmorency (died 1231), 1218–1231
  • Amaury VI de Montfort (died 1241), 1231–1240
  • Humbert V de Beaujeu (died 1250), 1240–1248
  • Gilles II de Trasignies (died 1275), 1248–1277
  • Humbert VI de Beaujeu (died 1285), 1277
  • Raoul II de Clermont (died 1302), 1277–1307
  • Gaucher de Châtillon (1249–1329), 1307–1329

The Valois Dynasty
  • Raoul I of Brienne, Count of Eu
    Raoul I of Brienne, Count of Eu
    Raoul I of Brienne was the son of John II of Brienne, Count of Eu and Jeanne, Countess of Guînes.He succeeded his father as Count of Eu in 1302, and his mother as Count of Guînes in 1332. In 1329, he was named Constable of France, and he also held the office of Governor of Languedoc.In 1315, he...

     and Guînes (d. 1344), 1329–1344
  • Raoul II of Brienne, Count of Eu
    Raoul II of Brienne, Count of Eu
    Raoul II of Brienne was the son of Raoul I of Brienne, Count of Eu and Guînes and Jeanne de Mello. He succeeded his father in 1344 as Count of Eu and Guînes, as well as in his post as Constable of France....

     and Guînes (died 1350), 1344–1350
  • Charles de la Cerda
    Charles de la Cerda
    Charles de La Cerda , Franco-Castilian nobleman and soldier, was the son of Alfonso de la Cerda and Isabelle d'Antoing....

     (died 1354), 1350–1354
  • Jacques de Bourbon, Count of La Marche
    James I, Count of La Marche
    James of Bourbon-La Marche was the son of Louis I, Duke of Bourbon and Mary of Avesnes. He was Count of Ponthieu from 1351 to 1360, and Count of La Marche from 1356 to his death.-Hundred Years War:...

    , (1319–1362) 1354–1356
  • Walter VI of Brienne
    Walter VI of Brienne
    Walter VI of Brienne was Count of Brienne, Conversano, and Lecce, and titular Duke of Athens. Walter was the son of Walter V, Duke of Athens, and Jeanne de Châtillon , the daughter of the Count of Porcien, a constable to King Philip IV of France.As grandson of Hugh of Brienne Walter VI of Brienne...

     (c. 1304–1356), 1356
  • Robert Morean de Fiennes (1308–1372), 1356–1370
  • Bertrand du Guesclin
    Bertrand du Guesclin
    Bertrand du Guesclin , known as the Eagle of Brittany or the Black Dog of Brocéliande, was a Breton knight and French military commander during the Hundred Years' War. He was Constable of France from 1370 to his death...

     (1320–1380), 1370–1380
  • Olivier IV de Clisson (1336–1407), 1380–1392
  • Philip of Artois, Count of Eu
    Philip of Artois, Count of Eu
    Philip of Artois , son of John of Artois, Count of Eu and Isabeau of Melun, was Count of Eu from 1387 until his death, succeeding his brother Robert....

     (1358–1397), 1392–1397
  • Louis de Sancerre (1341–1402), 1397–1402
  • Charles d'Albret
    Charles d'Albret
    Charles d'Albret was Constable of France from 1402 until 1411, and again from 1413 until 1415. He was also the co-commander of the French army at the Battle of Agincourt where he was killed by the English forces led by King Henry V....

    , Comte de Dreux (died 1415), 1402–1411
  • Waleran, Count of Saint Pol
    Waleran III of Luxembourg, Count of Ligny
    Waleran III of Luxembourg , Count of Ligny and Saint Pol, was a French nobleman and soldier.He was the son of Guy of Luxembourg, Count of Ligny and Mahaut of Châtillon, Countess of Saint Pol. He succeeded his father in 1371, after his death at the Battle of Baesweiler...

     (died 1413), 1411–1413
  • Charles d'Albret
    Charles d'Albret
    Charles d'Albret was Constable of France from 1402 until 1411, and again from 1413 until 1415. He was also the co-commander of the French army at the Battle of Agincourt where he was killed by the English forces led by King Henry V....

    , Comte de Dreux (died 1415), 1413–1415
  • Bernard VII, Count of Armagnac
    Bernard VII, Count of Armagnac
    Bernard VII, Count of Armagnac was the Count of Charolais, Count of Armagnac, and Constable of France. He was the son of John II and Jeanne de Périgord. He succeeded in Armagnac at the death of his brother, John III, in 1391...

     (died 1418), 1415–1418
  • Charles II, Duke of Lorraine
    Charles II, Duke of Lorraine
    Charles II , called the Bold was the duke of Lorraine from 1390 to his death and constable of France from 1418 to 1425....

     (1365–1431), 1418–1424
  • John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Buchan
    John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Buchan
    John Stewart, Earl of Buchan was a Scottish nobleman and soldier who fought alongside Scotland's French allies during the Hundred Years War. In 1419 he was sent to France by his father the Duke of Albany, Regent of Scotland, with an army of 6,000 men...

     (c. 1381–1424), 1424
  • Arthur III, Duke of Brittany
    Arthur III, Duke of Brittany
    Arthur III , known as the Justicier and as Arthur de Richemont, was Lord of Parthenay and titular Count of Richmond in England and for eleven months at the very end of his life, Duke of Brittany and Count of Montfort after inheriting those titles upon the death of his nephew.-Biography:Belonging...

     (1393–1458), 1425–?
  • John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury
    John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury
    John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and 1st Earl of Waterford KG , known as "Old Talbot" was an important English military commander during the Hundred Years' War, as well as the only Lancastrian Constable of France.-Origins:He was descended from Richard Talbot, a tenant in 1086 of Walter Giffard...

     (1384/1390–1453), 1445–1453 (appointed by Henry VI of England
    Henry VI of England
    Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...

     in his position as King of France)
  • Louis de Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol
    Louis de Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol
    Louis de Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol, of Brienne, de Ligny, and Conversano belonged to the Ligny branch of the House of Luxemburg and was Constable of France....

     (1418–1475), 1465–?
  • John II, Duke of Bourbon
    John II, Duke of Bourbon
    John de Bourbon, Duke of Bourbon , sometimes referred to as John the Good and The Scourge of the English, was a son of Charles I of Bourbon and Agnes of Burgundy...

     (1426–1488), 1483–1488

The Valois Angoulême Dynasty
  • Charles III, Duke of Bourbon
    Charles III, Duke of Bourbon
    Charles III, Duke of Bourbon was a French military leader, the Count of Montpensier and Dauphin of Auvergne. He commanded the Imperial troops of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in what became known as the Sack of Rome in 1527, where he was killed.-Biography:Charles was born at Montpensier...

     (1490–1527), 1518–1523
  • Anne de Montmorency
    Anne de Montmorency
    Anne de Montmorency, duc de Montmorency, Honorary Knight of the Garter was a French soldier, statesman and diplomat. He became Marshal of France and Constable of France.-Early life:...

    , Grand Maitre de France (1492–1567), 1538–1567

The Bourbons
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...

  • Henri I de Montmorency (1570–1621), 1593–1621
  • Charles d'Albert, duc de Luynes (1621), 1621
  • François de Bonne, duc de Lesdiguières
    François de Bonne, duc de Lesdiguières
    François de Bonne, duc de Lesdiguières was soldier of the French Wars of Religion and Constable of France.- Early life :He was born at Saint-Bonnet-en-Champsaur, to a family of notaries with pretensions to nobility...

     (1543–1636), 1622–1626

First Empire

During the First French Empire
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...

, the Bourbon
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...

 family, through the Comte d'Artois, allegedly offered Napoleon Bonaparte, as First Consul, the title of Constable of France if he would restore the Bourbons as kings of France. However, in 1808, Napoleon also appointed the Grand Dignitaries of the French Empire (Grands dignitaires de l'Empire Français). In doing this he appointed as Constable his younger brother Louis Bonaparte
Louis Bonaparte
Louis Napoléon Bonaparte, Prince Français, Comte de Saint-Leu , King of Holland , was the fifth surviving child and the fourth surviving son of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino...

, King of Holland, and as Vice-Constable, Marshal of the Empire
Marshal of France
The Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...

 Louis Alexandre Berthier
Louis Alexandre Berthier
Louis Alexandre Berthier, 1st Prince de Wagram, 1st Duc de Valangin, 1st Sovereign Prince de Neuchâtel , was a Marshal of France, Vice-Constable of France beginning in 1808, and Chief of Staff under Napoleon.-Early life:Alexandre was born at Versailles to Lieutenant-Colonel Jean Baptiste Berthier ,...

, the French Army
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...

 Chief of staff and Prince of Neuchâtel. Both titles were strictly honorific.

Movies

If I Were King
If I Were King
If I Were King is a 1938 American biographical historical drama film starring Ronald Colman as medieval poet François Villon, and featuring Basil Rathbone and Frances Dee...

, 1938, with François Villon
François Villon
François Villon was a French poet, thief, and vagabond. He is perhaps best known for his Testaments and his Ballade des Pendus, written while in prison...

 (played by Ronald Colman
Ronald Colman
Ronald Charles Colman was an English actor.-Early years:He was born in Richmond, Surrey, England, the second son and fourth child of Charles Colman and his wife Marjory Read Fraser. His siblings included Eric, Edith, and Marjorie. He was educated at boarding school in Littlehampton, where he...

), who was appointed by Louis XI
Louis XI of France
Louis XI , called the Prudent , was the King of France from 1461 to 1483. He was the son of Charles VII of France and Mary of Anjou, a member of the House of Valois....

, King of France (played by Basil Rathbone
Basil Rathbone
Sir Basil Rathbone, KBE, MC, Kt was an English actor. He rose to prominence in England as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in over 70 films, primarily costume dramas, swashbucklers, and, occasionally, horror films...

) to be Constable of France for one week.

Henry V
Henry V (1989 film)
Henry V is a 1989 film directed by Kenneth Branagh, based on William Shakespeare's play The Life of Henry the Fifth about the famous English king. Branagh stars in the title role, and wrote the screenplay. The film was highly acclaimed on its release....

, with Charles d'Albret
Charles d'Albret
Charles d'Albret was Constable of France from 1402 until 1411, and again from 1413 until 1415. He was also the co-commander of the French army at the Battle of Agincourt where he was killed by the English forces led by King Henry V....

, Comte de Dreux (played by Richard Easton
Richard Easton
Richard Easton is a Canadian actor. He is best known in for his portrayal of Brian Hammond in the 1970s BBC serial The Brothers.-Biography:...

), who was appointed by Charles VI of France
Charles VI of France
Charles VI , called the Beloved and the Mad , was the King of France from 1380 to 1422, as a member of the House of Valois. His bouts with madness, which seem to have begun in 1392, led to quarrels among the French royal family, which were exploited by the neighbouring powers of England and Burgundy...

, (played by Paul Scofield
Paul Scofield
David Paul Scofield, CH, CBE , better known as Paul Scofield, was an English actor of stage and screen...

), killed in the Battle of Agincourt
Battle of Agincourt
The Battle of Agincourt was a major English victory against a numerically superior French army in the Hundred Years' War. The battle occurred on Friday, 25 October 1415 , near modern-day Azincourt, in northern France...

 (1415) in one of the major scenes in the movie, depicted as falling from his horse into the mud (historical tradition holds he was drowned in the mud due to the weight of his armor, disabled by having his horse fall on him).

See also

  • Constable
    Constable
    A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...

  • Lord High Constable
    Lord High Constable
    There are two current and one former royal offices in the United Kingdom of Lord High Constable:* The Lord High Constable of England, the seventh of the Great Officers of State, ranking beneath the Lord Great Chamberlain and above the Earl Marshal...

  • Joan of Arc
    Joan of Arc
    Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...

     - Believed by some to have been appointed Constable of France by Charles VII
    Charles VII of France
    Charles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France including the capital, Paris...


External links

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