The Maison du Roi (, 'King's Household') was the royal household of the

King of France France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I, king of the Fra ...

. It comprised the military, domestic, and religious entourage of the French royal family during the

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...

and

Bourbon Restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to: France under the House of Bourbon: * Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815) Spain under the Spanish Bourbons: * Ab ...

Organisation

The exact composition and duties of its various divisions changed constantly during the early modern period in France. Officers of the Maison du Roi were directly responsible to the ''

Grand maître de France The Grand Master of France () was, during the and Bourbon Restoration in France, one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France and head of the "", the king's royal household. The position is similar to that of Lord Steward in England. Histo ...

'' (Chief Steward). 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''. The structure of the Maison du Roi was officially reorganized under Henry III in 1578 and 1585, and in the 17th century by

Jean-Baptiste Colbert Jean-Baptiste Colbert (; 29 August 1619 – 6 September 1683) was a French statesman who served as First Minister of State from 1661 until his death in 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. His lasting impact on the organization of the countr ...

The Military Maison du Roi

The military branch of the Maison du Roi was the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

Lifeguard brigade, made up of cavalry and infantry units. Officer rank was only open to gentlemen, though some of its units were drawn from elite troops among commoners in the rest of the army. It was not ceremonial and participated in all of France's 16th- and 17th-century campaigns.

The Religious Maison du Roi

The Ecclesiastical Household of the king was headed by the

Grand Almoner of France The Grand Almoner of France () was an officer of the French monarchy and a member of the ''Maison du Roi'' ("King's Household") during the ''Ancien Régime''. He directed the religious branch of the royal household (the Ecclesiastical Household, ) ...

(''Grand aumônier de France'') (created by

Francis I Francis I or Francis the First may refer to: People Kings and emperors * Francis I of France (1494–1547), King of France, reigned 1515–1547 * Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor (1708–1765), reigned 1745–1765 * Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor ...

), most often a

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

. The king's chapel (''la chapelle du roi'')—which did not originally refer to a building, but to the religious entourage of the king—was in charge of the Mass and religious ceremonies (marriages, baptisms) for the sovereign and the royal family and the king's

alms Alms (, ) are money, food, or other material goods donated to people living in poverty. Providing alms is often considered an act of Charity (practice), charity. The act of providing alms is called almsgiving. Etymology The word ''alms'' come ...

and public charities. It was headed by the Grand Almoner, who was assisted by the First Almoner, who fulfilled the duties of the Grand Almoner when the latter was unable to. Other officers of the ''Maison ecclésiastique'' included several ''aumôniers ordinaires'' (who maintained the regular service of the chapel), the ''prédicateur du roi'' (or "king's preacher"), who preached in the presence of the king, and the king's

confessor In a number of Christian traditions, including Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Lutheranism and Anglicanism, a confessor is a priest who hears the confessions of penitents and pronounces absolution. History During the Diocletianic Persecut ...

. The royal chapel also included a group of ecclesiastics and musicians for the religious services, divided into two sections: the chapel and oratory (''chapelle et oratoire'')—directed by the master of the Oratory (''sous-maître de l'Oratoire'')—which celebrated spoken Masses, and the ''grande chapelle''—directed by the master of the chapel (''maître de la chapelle'')—which celebrated Masses in

plainchant Plainsong or plainchant (calque from the French ; ) is a body of chants used in the liturgies of the Western Church. When referring to the term plainsong, it is those sacred pieces that are composed in Latin text. Plainsong was the exclusive for ...

. In the reign of

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

, the musicians of the two chapels were united. Oversight was eventually transferred (in 1761) from the Ecclesiastical household to the King's Chamber, and the position of master of the chapel was eliminated.

The Domestic Maison du Roi

The ''Maison du Roi civile'', or domestic entourage of the king, was divided into a number of departments, whose number varied over the years. Under

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

it consisted of 22 departments. Each department was directed by the ''grands officiers de la maison du roi de France'' (a title similar to, but not the same as, ''grand officier de la couronne de France''). From the 16th to the 17th centuries, the ''Maison du Roi civile'' consisted of around 1000–2000 individuals. The most important departments were the following:

The "Bouche du roi"

The largest of the departments, the ''Bouche du roi'' oversaw the meals of the king. It was run by the ''Premier Maître d'hôtel''. The seven offices of the department were: * ''gobelet'': wine and drink, run by the Grand Bouteiller * ''cuisine-bouche'': cuisine * ''paneterie'': bakers * ''échansonnerie'' * ''cuisine-commun'' * ''fruiterie'': fruits * ''fourrière'' Officers included the ''Maître d'hôtel ordinaire'', the 12 ''Maîtres d'hôtel servant par quartier'', the '' Grand panetier'', the ''Premier écuyer tranchant'' and the ''Grand échanson'' (three offices that had become purely honorific in the Early Modern period), and the 36 gentleman servants.

The King's Chamber

Directed by the

Grand Chambrier of France The Great Officers of the Crown of France () were the most important officers of state in the French royal court during the ''Ancien Régime'' and Bourbon Restoration. They were appointed by the King of France, with all but the Keeper of the Sea ...

or Grand Chambellan of France, this department oversaw the king's rooms and his personal escort. After the ''Bouche du roi'', it was the second largest. It consisted of four First Gentlemen of the chambre, the gentlemen of the chambre, the

valets de chambre ''Valet de chambre'' (), or ''varlet de chambre'', was a noble court, court appointment introduced in the late Middle Ages, common from the 14th century onwards. Royal households had many persons appointed at any time. While some valets simply ...

, the

page Page most commonly refers to: * Page (paper), one side of a leaf of paper, as in a book Page, PAGE, pages, or paging may also refer to: Roles * Page (assistance occupation), a professional occupation * Page (servant), traditionally a young m ...

s, the

huissier The French word ''huissier'' ("Doorman (profession), doorman", from ''huis'', an archaic term for a door) designates ceremonial offices in France and Switzerland. France In French government ministries and Parliament, a ''huissier'' is an emp ...

s and the children of honor. Their proximity to the king made these charges particularly esteemed.

The "Menus-Plaisirs"

The complete name of this department was ''argenterie, menus plaisirs et affaires de la chambre du roi'' ("silver, small entertainments and affairs of the king's chamber"). The ''

Menus-Plaisirs du Roi The Menus-Plaisirs du Roi () was, in the organisation of the France, French royal household under the Ancien Régime, the department of the Maison du Roi responsible for the "lesser pleasures of the King", which meant in practice that it was in ...

'' was in charge of theater decor, costumes and props for plays, ballets and other court entertainments. It was run by an intendant.

The Ceremonies

Created in 1585 by Henry III, this service was in charge of public ceremonies such as:

baptism Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...

marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

s and royal funerals,

coronation A coronation ceremony marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power using a crown. In addition to the crowning, this ceremony may include the presentation of other items of regalia, and other rituals such as the taking of special v ...

s and the "sacre" (or anointment), royal entries into towns, royal festivals, ambassadorial receptions,

États généraux In France under the Ancien Régime, the Estates General ( ) or States-General was a legislative and consultative assembly of the different classes (or estates) of French subjects. It had a separate assembly for each of the three estates (clergy, ...

, etc. It was run by the Grand maître des cérémonies, assisted by the ''maître'' and the ''aide'' of ''cérémonies''.

The Royal Stables

Divided in 1582 into two parts: * the ''Grande Écurie'', run by the

Grand écuyer of France The Grand Écuyer de France or Grand Squire of France or Grand Equerry of France was one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France and a member of the Maison du Roi ("King's Household") during the Ancien Régime. The name "écuyer", the French ...

, called « M. le Grand », who oversaw the transport of the king and his ceremonial entourage (heralds, men of arms, musicians, etc.) * the ''Petite Écurie'', run by the ''premier écuyer'', called « M. le Premier », comprising squires, pages, foot valets, coaches, harnesses, saddles and coachmen.

The Venery

This was the king's hunting service, run by the Grand Veneur (the Master of the Hunt and Royal Game Warden), consisted of the ''vénerie'' (hunting on horseback), ''louveterie'' (

wolf hunting Wolf hunting is the practice of hunting Wolf (disambiguation), wolves. Wolves are mainly hunted for sport, for their skins, to protect livestock and, in some rare cases, to protect humans. Wolves have been actively hunted since 8,000 to 10,000&n ...

, run by the Grand Louvetier), falcon hunting (run by the Grand Falconer) and the ''vautrait'' (

boar hunting Boar hunting is the practice of hunting wild boar, feral pigs, warthogs, and peccaries. Boar hunting was historically a dangerous exercise due to the tusked animal's ambush tactics as well as its thick hide and dense bones rendering them difficu ...

, run by the ''Capitaine du vautrait'' or ''Capitaine des toiles'').

Great Officers of the Royal Household

The major offices of the royal household are sometimes listed as the ''grands officiers de la maison du roi de France'', not to be confused with the

Great Officers of the Crown of France The Great Officers of the Crown of France () were the most important officers of state in the French royal court during the ''Ancien Régime'' and Bourbon Restoration. They were appointed by the King of France, with all but the Keeper of the S ...

, with which it overlaps in part. Although lists of the Great Officers vary, the following are generally considered Great Officers of the Royal Household: Domestic household: *

Grand Maître de France The Grand Master of France () was, during the and Bourbon Restoration in France, one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France and head of the "", the king's royal household. The position is similar to that of Lord Steward in England. Histo ...

(also one of the

) :* the First Maître d'hôtel (Chief Butler) - overseeing the king's table and the ''bouches du roi'' ::* the

Grand Panetier of France The Grand Panetier of France (roughly "Great Breadmaster", sometimes rendered as Panter) was one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France, a member of the Maison du Roi ("King's Household"), one of the Great Offices of the Maison du Roi, and f ...

, overseeing bread ::* the

Grand Échanson Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor Places * Grand, Oklahoma, USA * Grand, Vosges, village and commune in France with Gallo-Roman amphitheatre * Grand County (disambiguation), s ...

de France, overseeing wine ::* the First "Écuyer tranchant", who cuts the meat of the king :* the

or the Grand Chambellan of France, head of the King's chambre, (also one of the

) ::*the four First gentlemen of the King's Chamber, who oversee the King's chambre ::*the four First Valets of the King's Chamber, who oversee, under the direction of the first gentlemen, the King's chambre :* the Grand Maître de la garde-robe, who oversees the King's wardrobe :*the

Grand Écuyer de France The Grand Écuyer de France or Grand Squire of France or Grand Equerry of France was one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France and a member of the Maison du Roi ("King's Household") during the Ancien Régime. The name "écuyer", the French ...

, the head stablemaster (also one of the

) ::* the first écuyer de France, who seconds the Grand écuyer :* the

Grand Huntsman of France The Grand Huntsman of France () was a position in the King's Household in France during the Ancien Régime. The position, which is sometimes grouped with the Great Officers of the Crown of France, was one of the " Great Offices of the Maison du R ...

(''Grand Veneur''), who directs royal hunts, especially the stag hunt :* the

Grand Falconer of France The Grand Falconer of France ({{langx, fr, Grand Fauconnier de France) was a position in the King's Household in France from the Middle Ages to the French Revolution. History The position first appeared in 1250 as "Master Falconer of the King" ...

, who directs royal hunts using

birds of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...

:* the Grand Louvetier of France, who directs royal hunts of wolves and boar :* the

Grand Master of Ceremonies of France The Grand Master of Ceremonies of France or Grand maître des cérémonies de France was one of the Great Officers of the Maison du Roi ("King's Household") during the Ancien Régime and Bourbon Restoration. His function was to organize all public ...

(''grand maître des cérémonies''), who directs court ceremonies and protocol :* the Grand Marshal of lodging (''maréchal des logis''), who oversees lodging of the king, of the court and of the royal household :* the Grand Provost of France, who heads the court police, and for this purpose, has jurisdiction over the military troops of the Maison du Roi :* the

, at the head of the royal chapel and the head of the Ecclesiastical House of the King (the ''maison ecclésiastique du roi de France'') ::*the first Almoner of France, who aids the Grand Almoner Military household: :Captain of the bodyguard :Captain-colonel of the

Cent-Suisses The Cent-Suisses (, ''Hundred Swiss'') were an elite infantry company of Swiss mercenaries that served the French kings from 1471 to 1792 and from 1814 to 1830. History The unit was created in 1471 by King Louis XI. Originally, the company was ...

Colonel General Colonel general is a military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically General officer#Old European system, general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, ...

of the Suisses et Grisons :Captain-colonel of the guards of the king's door :Captain-lieutenant of the gendarmes of the guard :Captain-lieutenant of the chevau-légers (

light cavalry Light cavalry comprised lightly armed and body armor, armored cavalry troops mounted on fast horses, as opposed to heavy cavalry, where the mounted riders (and sometimes the warhorses) were heavily armored. The purpose of light cavalry was p ...

) of the guard :

of the

Musketeers A musketeer ( ) was a type of soldier equipped with a musket. Musketeers were an important part of early modern warfare, particularly in Europe, as they normally comprised the majority of their infantry. The musketeer was a precursor to the riflem ...

of the guard ::Captain-lieutenant of the first company of the Musketeers of the guard :Captain-lieutenant of the grenadiers à cheval of the guard

The Secretary of State of the Maison du Roi

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''. This ministry was directed by a secretary of state, the Secrétaire d'État à la Maison du Roi, although this oversight was purely formal, as the officers of the Maison du Roi were under the direct authority of the

(Chief Steward of France). In practice, the military branch of the Maison du Roi was run by the Minister of War. The Secrétaire d'État à la Maison du Roi was, however, 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.

References

* Bernard Barbiche, ''Les institutions de la monarchie française à l'époque moderne, XVIe - XVIIIe siècle'', Paris : PUF, 1999, 2nd edition. 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. * Louis Susane, ''Histoire de la cavalerie française (3 vols).'' Reprinted C. Terana, Paris, 1984. . {{refend

External links

La Maison du Roi on www.heraldica.org
(in English)

(in French) - Grand Officers of the Crown and Grand Officers of the Household

(in French) - Maison du roi civile
Maison du Roi - Emerging Designer Fashion Store named after the name
(in English) Royal households