One of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

's Secretaries of State under the Ancien Régime was entrusted with control of the

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

(

Secretary of State of the Navy (France) The Secretary of State of the Navy () was one of the four or five specialised secretaries of state in France during the Ancien Régime. This officeholder was responsible for the French Navy and for all of the French colonies. In 1791, at the end ...

.) In 1791, this title was changed to Minister of the Navy. Before January 1893, this position also had responsibility for France's colonies, and was usually known as Minister of the Navy and Colonies, a role thereafter taken by the Minister of the Overseas. In 1947 the naval ministry was absorbed into the Ministry of Defence, with the exception of merchant marine affairs which had been split in 1929 to the separate Ministry of Merchant Marine.

History

The two French royal fleets (the Ponant fleet and Levant fleet) were put under the control of Colbert from 1662, whilst he was " intendant des finances" and "minister of state" – but not "secretary of state" : he only became secretary of state in 1669 after having bought his way into the post. From then on, right up to the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

, a secretary of state had responsibility for the fleet. The secretary of state was responsible for the administration of both the navy (the "marine royale") and civilian ( merchant marine) fleets, and for all France's ports, arsenals,

consulate A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of diplomatic mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth c ...

s, and colonies, as well as the guardianship for all her commercial companies. To his two original offices (the bureau du Ponant and bureau du Levant) other services were added over time: *archives department, 1669; *office of the Ponant consulates, 1709; *office of the colonies, 1710; *bureau des classes, 1711; *department of maps and plans, 1720; *Office of the Levant Consulates, 1738, which was in 1743 merged with the Office of the Ponant Consulates under the name of Office of Commerce and Consulates These different offices and departments were regrouped into four super-departments by marshal de Castries in 1786.

History

List of officeholders

Secretaries of State for the Navy, 1547–1790

Ministers of the Navy and the Colonies, 1790–1893

Naval Ministers, 1893–1947

See also

References