Grand Master of France
Encyclopedia
The Grand Master of France (French: Grand Maître de France) was, during the Ancien Régime and Bourbon Restoration
Bourbon Restoration
The Bourbon Restoration is the name given to the period following the successive events of the French Revolution , the end of the First Republic , and then the forcible end of the First French Empire under Napoleon  – when a coalition of European powers restored by arms the monarchy to the...

 in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, one of the 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...

 and head of the "Maison du Roi
Maison du Roi
The Maison du Roi was the name of the military, domestic and religious entourage around the royal family in France during the Ancien Régime and Bourbon Restoration; the exact composition and duties of its various divisions changed constantly over the Early Modern period...

", the king's royal household. The position is similar to that of Lord Steward
Lord Steward
The Lord Steward or Lord Steward of the Household, in England, is an important official of the Royal Household. He is always a peer. Until 1924, he was always a member of the Government...

 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 (symbol)
The ceremonial baton is a short, thick stick, carried by select high-ranking military officers as a uniform article. The baton is distinguished from the swagger stick in being thicker and less functional . Unlike a staff of office, a baton is not rested on the ground...

 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
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...

, two being crossed in saltire
Saltire
A saltire, or Saint Andrew's Cross, is a heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross or letter ex . Saint Andrew is said to have been martyred on such a cross....

 behind the shield.

Duties

The position was a successor to the earlier positions of Mayor of the Palace
Mayor of the Palace
Mayor of the Palace was an early medieval title and office, also called majordomo, from the Latin title maior domus , used most notably in the Frankish kingdoms in the 7th and 8th centuries....

 and 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...

 of France. One of the highest posts in the French court, the "Grand maître" directed the Maison du Roi
Maison du Roi
The Maison du Roi was the name of the military, domestic and religious entourage around the royal family in France during the Ancien Régime and Bourbon Restoration; the exact composition and duties of its various divisions changed constantly over the Early Modern period...

, 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
Constable of France
The Constable of France , as the First Officer of the Crown, was one of the original five Great Officers of the Crown of France 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...

 or the Secretary of State for War
Secretary of State for War (France)
The Secretary of State for War was one of the four or five specialized secretaries of state in France during the Ancien Régime. The position was responsible for the Army and for overseeing French border provinces...

.

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
Early Modern France
Kingdom of France is the early modern period of French history from the end of the 15th century to the end of the 18th century...

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

 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
French nobility
The French nobility was the privileged order of France in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern periods.In the political system of the Estates General, the nobility made up the Second Estate...

 or to the king's close friends. Francis I
Francis I of France
Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...

 conferred it upon his former teacher Artus Gouffier
Gouffier
Gouffier, the name of a great French family, which owned the estate of Bonnivet in Poitou from the 14th century.*Guillaume Gouffier, chamberlain to Charles VII, was an inveterate enemy of Jacques Coeur, obtaining his condemnation and afterwards receiving his property...

, then to his uncle René de Savoie, the "grand bâtard de Savoie", then to his friend Anne, duc 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:...

.

In 1559, with the dismissal of Montmorency, the office fell into the hands of the Dukes of Guise, who used the position to increase their influence at court to such a point that Henry III
Henry III of France
Henry III was King of France from 1574 to 1589. As Henry of Valois, he was the first elected monarch of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with the dual titles of King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1573 to 1575.-Childhood:Henry was born at the Royal Château de Fontainebleau,...

 forced Henry I, Duke of Guise
Henry I, Duke of Guise
Henry I, Prince of Joinville, Duke of Guise, Count of Eu , sometimes called Le Balafré, "the scarred", was the eldest son of Francis, Duke of Guise, and Anna d'Este...

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

 and the Princes of Condé, who maintained control until the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...

 (except for the period 1654–1656, when it was held by Thomas of Savoy-Carignano
Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano
Thomas Francis of Savoy was an Italian military commander, the founder of the Savoy-Carignano branch of the House of Savoy which reigned as kings of Sardinia from 1831 to 1861, and as kings of Italy from 1861 until the...

, who had replaced the Guises as foremost of the princes étranger
Foreign Prince
Foreign Prince is the English translation of prince étranger, a high, though somewhat ambiguous, rank at the French royal court of the ancien régime.-Terminology:...

).

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
    Gui de Ceriz
    Gui de Ceriz . Title: Lord of Ceriz , Great Master of France , 1343...

     (died 1369)
  • 1347: Robert III de Dreux (1288–1351)
  • ca. 1350: Jean I 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, Duke of Bavaria
    Duke Louis VII of Bavaria was Duke of Bavaria-Ingolstadt from 1413 until 1443. He was a son of Stephen III and Taddea Visconti.-Biography:...

     (ca. 1368-1447)
  • 1409-1413: Guichard II (died 1415)
  • 1413-1422: Louis, Count of Vendôme
    Louis, Count of Vendôme
    Louis of Bourbon-La Marche , younger son of John I, Count of La Marche and Catherine de Vendôme, was Count of Vendôme from 1393 and Count of Castres from 1425 until his death....

     (1376–1446)
  • 1422-1440: Tanguy du Chastel (died 1449)
  • 1440-1451: Charles de Culant (died c. 1451)
  • 1451-1453: Jacques de Chabannes (died 1453)
  • 1456-1461: Raoul de Gaucourt (died 1461)
  • 1463: Antoine I de Croÿ
    Antoine I de Croÿ
    Antoine I de Croÿ , Seigneur de Croÿ, Renty and Le Roeulx, Count of Porcéan was a member of the House of Croÿ....

     (1385–1475)
  • 1465-1467: Charles Ier de Melun (died 1468)
  • 1467: Antoine de Chabannes (1411–1488)
  • ca. 1483: François Guy XV, comte de Laval et Monfort (1435–1500)
  • 1485-ca. 1496 : Philip II, Duke of Savoy
    Philip II, Duke of Savoy
    Philip II , surnamed the Landless was the Duke of Savoy for the brief reign from 1496 to 1497.-Biography:...

     (1438–1497)
  • 1502-1511: Charles d'Amboise
    Charles d'Amboise
    Charles d'Amboise, Seigneur de Chaumont was a French politician and military figure, who was the French governor of Milan during the reign of Louis XII, and a French commander during the War of the League of Cambrai.-Biography:...

     (1473–1511)
  • 1511-1515: Jacques II de Chabannes-La Palice
    Jacques de la Palice
    Jacques de la Palice was a French nobleman and military officer. His full name and titles are Jacques II de Chabannes, Lord of La Palice, of Pacy, of Chauverothe, of Bort-le-Comte and of Héron...

     (ca.1470-1525)
  • 1515-1519: Artus Gouffier, duc de Roannais
    Gouffier
    Gouffier, the name of a great French family, which owned the estate of Bonnivet in Poitou from the 14th century.*Guillaume Gouffier, chamberlain to Charles VII, was an inveterate enemy of Jacques Coeur, obtaining his condemnation and afterwards receiving his property...

     (died 1519)
  • 1519-1525: René of Savoy
    René of Savoy
    René of Savoy was a French nobleman and soldier. He was count of Villars and of Tende . Known as "the Great Bastard of Savoy", he was the illegitimate son of Philip II, Duke of Savoy and Libera Portoneri - this made him the originator of the Savoie-Villars branch of the House of...

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

     (1492–1567)
  • 1558-1559: François de Montmorency
    François de Montmorency
    François, Duc de Montmorency was the eldest son of the first Duc de Montmorency, Anne.He was Duke of Montmorency, Count of Dammartin, Baron of Chateaubriant and Lord of L'Isle-Adam. Grand Master of France and Peer of France....

     (died 1579)
  • 1559-1563: François of Lorraine, duc de Guise
    Francis, Duke of Guise
    Francis de Lorraine II, Prince of Joinville, Duke of Guise, Duke of Aumale , called Balafré , was a French soldier and politician.-Early life:...

     (1520–1563)
  • 1563-1588: Henry I, Duke of Guise
    Henry I, Duke of Guise
    Henry I, Prince of Joinville, Duke of Guise, Count of Eu , sometimes called Le Balafré, "the scarred", was the eldest son of Francis, Duke of Guise, and Anna d'Este...

     (1550–1588)
  • 1588-1594: Charles, Duke of Guise
    Charles, Duke of Guise
    Charles de Lorraine, 4th Duke of Guise was the son of Henry I, Duke of Guise and Catherine of Cleves.-Biography:...

     (1571–1640)
  • 1594-1612: Charles de Bourbon, comte de Soissons
    Charles de Bourbon, comte de Soissons
    Charles de Bourbon was a French prince du sang and military commander during the struggles over religion and the throne in late 16th century France. A first cousin of King Henry IV of France, he was the son of the Huguenot leader Louis I de Bourbon, prince de Condé and his second wife, Françoise...

     (1566–1612)
  • 1612-1641: Louis de Bourbon, comte de Soissons
    Louis de Bourbon, comte de Soissons
    Louis de Bourbon, Count of Soissons , was a French nobleman, the son of Charles de Bourbon, Count of Soissons and Anne de Montafié...

     (1604–1641)
  • 1643-1646: Henry II de Bourbon, prince de Condé
    Henry II de Bourbon, prince de Condé
    Henri de Bourbon became Prince of Condé shortly after his birth, following the death of his father Henri I...

     (1588–1646)
  • 1647-1654(?): Louis II de Bourbon, prince de Condé
    Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé
    Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Condé was a French general and the most famous representative of the Condé branch of the House of Bourbon. Prior to his father's death in 1646, he was styled the Duc d'Enghien...

    , le Grand Condé (1621–1686)
  • 1654-1656: Thomas of Savoy, prince of Carignano
    Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano
    Thomas Francis of Savoy was an Italian military commander, the founder of the Savoy-Carignano branch of the House of Savoy which reigned as kings of Sardinia from 1831 to 1861, and as kings of Italy from 1861 until the...

     (1596–1656)
  • 1656-1660: Armand de Bourbon, prince de Conti
    Armand de Bourbon, prince de Conti
    Armand de Bourbon, Prince de Conti was a French nobleman, the second son of Henry II, Prince of Condé and brother of Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé and Anne Genevieve, Duchess of Longueville. As a member of the reigning House of Bourbon, he was a Prince du Sang.The title of Prince de Conti...

     (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
    Louis Henri, Duc de Bourbon
    Louis Henri de Bourbon, Duke of Bourbon, Prince of Condé was head of the cadet Bourbon-Condé branch of the French royal House of Bourbon from 1710 to his death, and served as prime minister to his kinsman Louis XV from 1723 to 1726.Despite...

    , prince de Condé (1692–1740)
  • 1740-1790 and 1814-1818: Louis Joseph de Bourbon, prince de Condé
    Louis Joseph de Bourbon, prince de Condé
    Louis Joseph de Bourbon was Prince of Condé from 1740 to his death. A member of the House of Bourbon, he held the prestigious rank of Prince du Sang.-Biography:...

    (1736–1818)

External links

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