Grand Chamberlain of France

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The Grand Chamberlain of France (

.

At its origin, the position of Grand Chamberlain entailed oversight of the king's chamber and his wardrobe, but in October 1545, the position absorbed the duties of the position of Grand Chambrier, which was suppressed by François I, and the Grand Chamberlain became responsible for signing charters and certain royal documents, assisting at the trial of peers, and recording the oaths of homage to the Crown, among other duties.

The Grand Chamberlain also played an important role during

or royal awakening, he presented the king with a shirt. The position played a key role in state affairs in the sixteenth century, but became merely honorific in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

The political importance of the Grand Chamberlain stemmed from his having permanent access to the King's Chamber. His symbol of office was the keys to the royal apartments, which he always carried; in token of which, he was permitted to place two gold keys in saltire behind his

, he sat at the king's feet.

In the first half of the 16th century, the position was always held by a member of the Orléans-Longueville family, then by the

Duke of Guise

, and finally – until the end of the monarchy – by a member of the La Tour d'Auvergne-Bouillon family.

List of Grand Chamberlains of France

• Renaud de Clermont (b. 1010, d. 1087; Served ?–1087, Reign of King Henry I of France)
• Pierre de La Broce
  (?–1278)
• Raoul of Clermont (1283–1302)
• Enguerrand de Marigny (?–1315)
• Hugues III de Bouville (?–1331)
• Louis I, Duke of Bourbon (1310–1342)
• Peter I, Duke of Bourbon (1342–1356)
• Arnaud Amanieu, Lord of Albret
  (1381–1401)
• James II, Count of La Marche (1397–1438)
• Louis, Count of Vendôme (1408–1427)
• Georges de la Trémoïlle
  (1427–1439)
• Jean Dunois
  , Count of Dunois and Longueville (1439–1468)
• Jean V de Bueil (1469–1474)
• Pierre de Guenand, seigneur de La Celle-Guenand (?–1486)
• Jean Dax, seigneur d'Axat, (1487–1495)
• Louis I d'Orléans, duc de Longueville (1512–1516)
• Francis, Duke of Guise (1551–1563)
• Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne
  (1563–1589)
• Henry I of Orléans, Duke of Longueville
  (1589–1595)
• Henry of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne (1596–1621)
• Claude, Duke of Chevreuse (1621–1643)
• Louis, Duke of Joyeuse (1643–1654)
• Henry II, Duke of Guise (1655–1658)
• Godefroy-Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne
  , duc de Bouillon (1658–1715)
• Emmanuel Théodose de La Tour d'Auvergne, duc de Bouillon (1715–1728)
• Charles-Godefroy La Tour d'Auvergne
  , duc de Bouillon (1728–1747)
• Godefroy-Charles-Henri La Tour d'Auvergne
  , duc de Bouillon (1747–1775)
• Henri Louis Marie de Rohan
  , duc de Montbazon (1775–1782)
• Godefroy-Charles-Henri La Tour d'Auvergne
  , duc de Bouillon (1782–1789)
• Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord
  , prince de Talleyrand (1815–1830)

See also

• Great Officers of the Crown of France
• Maison du Roi
• Gentleman of the bedchamber
• Alexandre Bontemps - Premier valet to Louis XIV

External links

• Great Officers of the Crown
• Officers at the Coronation