Grand Master of Ceremonies
Encyclopedia
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
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...

 ("King's Household") 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...

. His function was to organize all public ceremonies of the crown.

The position was created by Henri III on January 1 1585, to relieve the Grand Master of France
Grand Master of France
The Grand Master of France was, during the Ancien Régime and Bourbon Restoration in France, one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France and head of the "Maison du Roi", the king's royal household...

 of part of his workload. The Grand Master of Ceremonies took his oath of office at the hands of the Grand Master of France.

The Grand Master of Ceremonies oversaw state ceremonies and not court etiquette or private functions. He played a role in ceremonies cerebrating or commemorating births, baptisms, marriages, and funerals for members of the royal family, royal feasts, ambassadorial receptions, the coronation
Coronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...

, royal entries
Royal Entry
The Royal Entry, also known by various other names, including Triumphal Entry and Joyous Entry, embraced the ceremonial and festivities accompanying a formal entry by a ruler or his representative into a city in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Period in Europe...

 into towns, lits de justice
Lit de Justice
Lit de Justice is an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. He was bred by Robert Sangster's Swettenham Stud, and purchased by the French racing operation Mise de Moratalla who named him for a famous Parlement of Paris known as the Lit de justice...

, meetings of the States General
French States-General
In France under the Old Regime, the States-General or Estates-General , was a legislative assembly of the different classes of French subjects. It had a separate assembly for each of the three estates, which were called and dismissed by the king...

 and important assemblies.

The duties of The Grand Master of Ceremonies were principally :
  • overseeing logistics of ceremonies (materials, workers, plans, menus);
  • carrying messages and convocations from the king to Parlement
    Parlement
    Parlements were regional legislative bodies in Ancien Régime France.The political institutions of the Parlement in Ancien Régime France developed out of the previous council of the king, the Conseil du roi or curia regis, and consequently had ancient and customary rights of consultation and...

    , the other sovereign courts or notable individuals;
  • accompanying the king and the queen , or foreign sovereigns, on their travels, so as to manage the ceremonies during the trip;
  • making official records of the ceremonies to serve as jurisprudence
    Jurisprudence
    Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. Scholars of jurisprudence, or legal theorists , hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, of legal reasoning, legal systems and of legal institutions...

     and to aid future ceremonies;
  • counselling the members of the court of their role in the ceremonies, and overseeing that the ceremonies unfold properly.


In the exercise of his functions, he was assisted by a "master of ceremonies" and an aide.

The Grand Master of Ceremonies carried a 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...

 covered in black velvet, with an ivory tip.

The position was eliminated in 1792, but was reinstated during the 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...

.

Grand Masters of Ceremonies

  • 1585-1603 Guillaume Pot de Rhodes
  • 1603-1616 Guillaume II Pot de Rhodes
  • 1616-1622 François Pot de Rhodes
  • 1622-1642 Claude Pot de Rhodes
  • 1642-1666 Henri de Rhodes
  • 1666-1684 Charles, marquis de Rhodes
  • 1684-1701 Jules, marquis de Blainville
  • 1701-1749 Thomas II, marquis de Dreux
  • 1749-1755 Michel, marquis de Brézé
  • 1755-1781 Joachim, marquis de Dreux
  • 1781-1792 Henri-Évrard, marquis de Dreux-Brézé
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