Secretary of State of the Maison du Roi
The Secretary of State of the Maison du Roi (
History
Starting in the 16th century and then from the 17th century on, the "Maison du Roi" was overseen by a ministry, the "Département de la Maison du Roi", directed by a secretary of state, the "Secrétaire d'État à la Maison du Roi". Along with the "Department of War" ("département de la Guerre"), the "Département de la Maison du Roi" was the oldest of the specialized State Ministries, created in 1570 by Charles IX who reunited—under the control of Simon Fizes de Sauve—the "ordinaire des guerres" and the Military Maison du Roi. Both departments were dissociated in 1594: Nicolas de Neufville, seigneur de Villeroy took over the Département of Foreign Affairs and the Department of War, while Martin Ruzé de Beaulieu took over the Maison du Roi.
In 1661, the département was expanded to include Religious Affairs. In 1669,
After the downfall of
The offices of the department were few: only four buildings in 1771, five in 1789. The department's archives are stored in two places: the "Grands Augustins" and the
Oversight
The Maison du Roi
The "
The King's Buildings
The Secrétaire d'État à la Maison du Roi oversaw the "
The Secretary also oversaw (either directly or through the service of the Bâtiments du Roi) cultural and scientific institutions such as the
Religious Affairs
The Secrétaire d'État à la Maison du Roi was in charge of religious benefices. He oversaw the conduct of bishops, the elections of abbeys and of the heads of French religious orders. He was in charge of relations between the government and the clergy.
In 1749 the Secretary of State of the Maison du Roi was combined with the Secretary of State for Protestant Affairs in charge of the overseeing French Protestant affairs, although the two departments remained distinct.
Administration of Paris and the provinces
The Secrétaire d'État à la Maison du Roi was also in charge of the policing and general administration of French provinces (at first those with provincial estates or "pays d'état", and eventually over all other internal provinces), except for border regions (which were supervised by the Department of War).
From 1589, and excepting the period 1749-1757, the position was also in charge of the city of
Secretaries of State of the Maison du Roi
The Department of the "Maison du Roi" was dominated, from 1690 to 1775, by the
- 1570–1579: Simon Fizes de Sauve
- 1588–1613: Martin Ruzé de Beaulieu
- 1606–1638: Antoine de Loménie
- 1615–1643: Henri-Auguste de Loménie, comte de Brienne
- 1643–1669: Henry de Guénegaud
- 1669–1683: Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619–1683), who was also Contrôleur général des finances, Secrétaire d'État à la Marine, Surintendant des bâtiments, arts et manufactures.
- 1672–1690: Jean-Baptiste Colbert, marquis de Seignelay
- 1690–1699: Louis Phélypeaux, comte de Pontchartrain(1643–1727), who was also Contrôleur général des finances and Secrétaire d'État à la Marine.
- 1699–1715: Jérôme Phélypeaux (1674–1747), comte de Pontchartrain, who was also Secrétaire d'État à la Marine
- 1715–1718: Louis Phélypeaux, marquis de La Vrillière(1672–1725)
- 1718–1749: Jean-Frédéric Phélypeaux, comte de Maurepas(1701–1781), who was also Secrétaire d'État à la Marine (1723–1749)
- 1749–1775: Louis Phélypeaux, comte de Saint-Florentin (1705–1777)
- 1775–1776: Guillaume-Chrétien de Lamoignon de Malesherbes
- 1776–1783: Antoine-Jean Amelot de Chaillou
- 1783–1787: Louis Auguste Le Tonnelier de Breteuil
- 1788–1789: Pierre-Charles Laurent de Villedeuil
- 1789–1791: François-Emmanuel Guignard, comte de Saint-Priest
References
- Bernard Barbiche, Les institutions de la monarchie française à l'époque moderne, XVIe - XVIIIe siècle, Paris : PUF, 1999, 2nd ed. 2001.
- Père Anselme de Sainte-Marie (o.c.m.), Histoire généalogique et chronologique de la Maison royale de France, des pairs et grands officiers de la Couronne et de la Maison du Roi, Compagnie des Libraires associés, 1737.
- Jean-François Solnon, art. « Maison du roi », Dictionnaire du Grand Siècle, s. dir, François Bluche, Fayard, 1990.
- La Maison du roi on www.heraldica.org
See also
- Great Officers of the Crown of France
- French nobility
- Early Modern France
- Ancien Régime in France