Chancellor of France

The Chancellor of France (French: Chancelier de France), also known as the Grand Chancellor or Lord Chancellor,^{[citation needed]} was the officer of state responsible for the judiciary of the Kingdom of France. The Chancellor was responsible for seeing that royal decrees were enrolled and registered by the sundry parlements, provincial appellate courts. However, since the Chancellor was appointed for life, and might fall from favour, or be too ill to carry out his duties, his duties would occasionally fall to his deputy, the Keeper of the Seals of France (Garde des sceaux de France).

Guillaume Jouvenel des Ursins, by Jean Fouquet, Musée du Louvre, Paris.

The last Chancellor died in 1790, by which time the French Revolution was well underway, and the position was left vacant. Instead, in 1791, the Chancellor's portfolio and responsibilities were assigned to the Keeper of the Seals who was accordingly given the additional title of Minister of Justice under the Revolutionary government. After the Bourbon Restoration in 1814, the position of the Chancellor was divorced from its judicial responsibilities and re-established as president of the Chamber of Peers, the upper house of the French parliament until 1848. The last Chancellor was Etienne-Denis Pasquier, appointed by King Louis Philippe I in 1837.

Frankish chancellors under the Merovingians and Carolingians

• 496–533: Rémi de Reims, known as Saint Rémi (Référendaire of France)
• 561: Siggo, référendaire to Sigebert I, then to Chilperic I and to Childebert II
• 618–638: Romain de Rouen, known as Saint Romain, bishop of Rouen
• 638–657: Dadon, known as Saint Ouen, grand référendaire to Dagobert I and also to Clovis II
• 657–695: Ansbert, bishop of Rouen, référendaire
• 695–710: Saint Bonit, bishop of Auvergne, référendaire to Sigebert III, king of Austrasia
• 652–673: Robert II, référendaire to Clotaire III
• 750–768: Fulard, Abbot of St. Denis, chancellor to Pepin the Short
• 796–800: Alcuin, Abbot of Tours, chancellor to Charlemagne as king of the Franks, prepared the Capitulaire De Villis
• 800–819: Fridgise, chancellor to Charlemagne, then to Louis the Pious
• 819–832: Adalard, chancellor to Louis the Pious

See also Royal Administration of Merovingian and Carolingian Dynasties.

Chancellors of France

Chancellor	Began	Ended
Renaud de Vendôme, Bishop of Paris	989	991
Gerbert d'Aurillac, later Pope Sylvester II	991	998
Roger de Blois	998	1005
Francon	1005	1015
Arnoul, Archbishop of Tours	1018
Baudouin	1030	circa 1059
Gervais de Château-du-Loir, Bishop of Le Mans	1059	1067
Pierre de Loiselève	1067	1073
Guillaume	1073
Roger II, Bishop of Beauvais	1074	1080
Geoffroy de Boulogne, Bishop of Paris	1074	1085
Gilbert	1085	1090
Ourson or Ursion, Bishop of Senlis	1090
Hubert, Bishop of Senlis	1091	1092
Gilbert	1094	1106
Étienne de Senlis, Bishop of Paris	1106	1118
Étienne de Garlande	1118	1127
Simon	1127	1132
Étienne de Garlande	1132	1137
Algrin	1137	1140
Noël, abbot of Rebais	1140
Cadurc	1140	1147
Barthélemy	1147	1149
Simon	1150
Hugues de Champfleury, Bishop of Soissons	1150	1172
Hugues du Puiset	1179	1185
Guérin, monk and Bishop of Senlis	1203	1227
Philippe d'Antogny	1227	1231
Aubry Cornu	1231	1236
Jean de la Cour	1236	1244
Nicolas Le Chien,	1244	1249
Gilles, Archbishop of Tyros	1249	1252
Raoul de Grosparmy	1252	1259
Guy Faucoi, later Pope Clement IV	before 1260
Simon de Brie, later Pope Martin IV	1259	1261
Philippe de Cahors, Prior of Saint-Frambaud de Senlis	1262	1270
Guillaume de Rampillon, Archdeacon of Paris	1270
Guillaume de Chartres, Dominican friar	1270
Pierre Barbet	1271	1273
Henri de Vézélay	1273	1282
Pierre Chalon	1282	1290
Jean de Vassoigne	1291	1292
Guillaume de Crépy	1293	1296
Thibaut de Pouancé, Bishop of Dol	1296	1297
Pierre Flote, knight	1297	1302
Étienne de Suizy	1302	1304
Pierre de Mornay, Bishop of Auxerre	1304	1306
Pierre de Grez	1306
Pierre de Belleperche, Bishop of Auxerre	1306	1307
Guillaume de Nogaret, knight	1307	1310
Gilles I Aycelin de Montaigu, Archbishop of Narbonne	1310	1311
Guillaume de Nogaret	1311	1313
Pierre de Latilly, Bishop of Châlons	1313	1314
Étienne de Mornay	1314	1316
Pierre d'Arabloy	1316
Pierre de Chappes	1317	1321
Jean de Cherchemont	1320	1321
Pierre Rodier	1321	1323
Jean de Cherchemont	1323	1328
Mathieu Ferrand	1328	1329
Jean de Marigny, Bishop of Beauvais	1329
Guillaume de Saint-Maure	1329	1334
Roger, Bishop of Arras, later Pope Clement VI	1334
Guy Baudet, bishop of Langres	1335	1338
Étienne de Vissac, knight	1338	1339
Guillaume Flote	1339	1347
Firmin de Coquerel, Bishop of Noyon	1347	1349
Pierre de la Forest, Archbishop of Rouen	1349	1357
Gilles Aycelin de Montaigut, Bishop of Thérouanne	1357	1358
Foulques Bardoul, Bishop of Avranches	1357	1359
Jean de Dormans, Bishop of Lisieux	1358
Pierre de la Forest, cardinal, Archbishop of Rouen	1359	1361
Gilles Aycelin de Montaigut, Bishop of Thérouanne	1361
Jean de Dormans, Bishop of Beauvais[1]	18 September 1361	1372
Guillaume de Dormans	1372	1373
Jean de Dormans,	1373
Pierre d'Orgemont (First President of the Parlement of Paris)[2]	20 November 1373	1380
Miles de Dormans, Bishop of Beauvais	October 1380	1383
Pierre de Giac	1383	December 1388
Arnaud de Corbie	December 1388	1398
Nicolas du Bosc, Bishop of Bayeux	1398	1400
Arnaud de Corbie	1400	1405
Jean de Montagu, Archbishop of Sens	1405	1413
Arnaud de Corbie	1409	8 August 1413
Eustache de Laistre	1413
Henri de Marie	August 1413	29 May 1418
Robert le Maçon	1418
Eustache de Laistre	1418	1420
Robert le Maçon	1419	1421
Jean Le Clerc, Burgundian party.[3]	1420	1424
Martin Gouge, Bishop of Clermont, Charles VII's faction	1421	1425
Lewis of Luxembourg, Bishop of Thérouanne, Burgundian party	1424	1435
Renault de Chartres, Archbishop of Reims, Charles VII's faction	1425	1445
Guillaume Jouvenel des Ursins	1445	1461
Pierre de Morvilliers	1461	1465
Guillaume Jouvenel des Ursins	1465	1472
Pierre Doriole	1472	1483
Guillaume de Rochefort	1483	12 August 1492
Adam Fumée	1492	November 1494
Robert Briçonnet, Archbishop of Reims	August 1495	1497
Guy de Rochefort	1497	1507/1508
Jean de Ganay	1508	1512
Antoine Duprat, Cardinal, Archbishop of Sens and Bishop of Albi	1515	1535
Antoine du Bourg	1535	1538
Guillaume Poyet	1538	1545
François Olivier	1545	1560
Michel de l'Hôpital	1560	1573
René de Birague, Cardinal	1573	1583
Philippe Hurault, comte de Cheverny	1583	1599
Pomponne de Bellièvre	2 August 1599	9 September 1607
Nicolas Brûlart de Sillery	10 September 1607	1 October 1624
Étienne I d'Aligre	3 October 1624	11 December 1635
Pierre Séguier	19 December 1635	28 January 1672
Étienne II d'Aligre	8 January 1674	28 October 1677
Michel Le Tellier	29 October 1677	30 October 1685
Louis Boucherat, Count of Compans	1 November 1685	2 September 1699
Louis Phélypeaux, Comte de Pontchartrain	5 September 1699	1 July 1714
Daniel Voysin de La Noiraye	2 July 1714	2 February 1717
Henri François d'Aguesseau	3 February 1717	27 October 1750
Guillaume de Lamoignon de Blancmesnil	10 December 1750	14 September 1768
René Charles de Maupeou	15 September 1768	16 September 1768
René Nicolas de Maupeou	16 September 1768	1 July 1790

Keepers of the Seals, 1699–1790

Keeper of the Seals	Began	Ended
Louis Phélypeaux, Comte de Pontchartrain	5 September 1699	1 July 1714
Daniel Voysin de La Noiraye	2 July 1714	2 February 1717
Henri François d'Aguesseau	3 February 1717	28 January 1718
Marc René de Voyer de Paulmy, Marquis d'Argenson	28 January 1718	7 June 1720
Henri François d'Aguesseau	8 June 1720	28 February 1722
Joseph Jean Baptiste Fleuriau d'Armenonville	28 February 1722	17 August 1727
Germain Louis Chauvelin	23 August 1727	20 February 1737
Henri François d'Aguesseau	20 February 1737	27 November 1750
Jean-Baptiste de Machault d'Arnouville	27 November 1750	1 February 1757
vacant	1 February 1757	13 October 1761
Nicolas René Berryer	13 October 1761	15 September 1762
Paul Esprit Feydeau de Brou	27 September 1762	3 October 1763
René Charles de Maupeou	3 October 1763	18 September 1768
René Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou	18 September 1768	24 August 1774
Armand Thomas Hue de Miromesnil	24 August 1774	8 April 1787
Chrétien François de Lamoignon de Basville	8 April 1787	14 September 1788
Charles Louis François de Paule de Barentin	17 September 1788	3 August 1789
Jérôme Champion de Cicé	4 August 1789	21 November 1790

See also

• Royal household under the Merovingians and Carolingians

Notes

1. Conradus Eubel, Hierarchia catholica medii aevi Tomus I, editio altera (Monasterii 1913), p. 132.
2. The only chancellor to have been elected by an assembly gathered by Charles V.
3. Chancellor for Henry VI's position as king of France.