Grand Chancellor of France

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

In France, under the Ancien Régime, the officer of state responsible for the judiciary was the Grand Chancellor of France (French: Grand Chancelier de 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 (French: Garde des sceaux de France).

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. The modern Minister of Justice is ceremonially known by both titles. See also Royal Administration of Merovingian and Carolingian Dynasties.

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

Chancellors of France until 1699

989 – 991 : Renaud de Vendôme, bishop of Paris
991 – 998 : Gerbert d'Aurillac, later Pope Sylvester II
998 – 1005 : Roger de Blois
1005 – 1015 : Francon
1018 : Arnoul, archbishop of Tours
1030 – c.1059 : Baudouin
1059 – 1067 : Gervais de Château-du-Loir, bishop of Le Mans
1067 – 1073 : Pierre de Loiselève
1073 : Guillaume
1074 – 1080 : Roger II, bishop of Beauvais
1074 – 1085 : Geoffroy de Boulogne, bishop of Paris
1085 – 1090 : Gilbert
1090 : Ourson or Ursion, bishop of Senlis
1091 – 1092 : Hubert, bishop of Senlis
1094 – 1106 : Gilbert
1106 – 1118 : Étienne de Senlis, bishop of Paris
1118 – 1127 : Étienne de Garlande
1127 – 1132 : Simon
1132 – 1137 : Étienne de Garlande
1137 – 1140 : Algrin
1140 : Noël, abbot of Rebais
1140 – 1147 : Cadurc
1147 – 1149 : Barthélemy
1150 : Simon
1150 – 1172 : Hugues de Champfleury, bishop of Soissons
1179 – 1185 : Hugues du Puiset
1203 – 1227 : Guérin, monk and bishop of Senlis
1227 – 1231 : Philippe d'Antogny
1231 – 1236 : Aubry Cornu
1236 – 1244 : Jean de la Cour
1244 – 1249 : Nicolas Le Chien,
1249 – 1252 : Gilles, archbishop of Tyros
1252 – 1259 : Raoul de Grosparmy
avant 1260 : Guy Faucoi, later Pope Clement IV
1259 – 1261 : Simon de Brie, later Pope Martin IV
1262 – 1270 : Philippe de Cahors, prior of Saint-Frambaud de Senlis
1270 : Guillaume de Rampillon, archdeacon of Paris
1270 : Guillaume de Chartres, Dominican monk
1271 – 1273 : Pierre Barbet
1273 – 1282 : Henri de Vézélay
1282 – 1290 : Pierre Chalon
1291 – 1292 : Jean de Vassoigne
1293 – 1296 : Guillaume de Crépy
1296 – 1297 : Thibaut de Pouancé, bishop of Dol
1297 – 1302 : Pierre Flote, knight
1302 – 1304 : Étienne de Suizy
1304 – 1306 : Pierre de Mornay, bishop of Auxerre
1306 : Pierre de Grez
1306 – 1307 : Pierre de Belleperche, bishop of Auxerre
1307 – 1310 : Guillaume de Nogaret, knight
1310 – 1311 : Gilles I Aycelin de Montaigu, Archbishop of Narbonne
1311 – 1313 : Guillaume de Nogaret
1313 – 1314 : Pierre de Latilly, bishop of Châlons
1314 – 1316 : Étienne de Mornay
1316 : Pierre d'Arabloy
1317 – 1321 : Pierre de Chappes
1320 – 1321 : Jean de Cherchemont
1321 – 1323 : Pierre Rodier
1323 – 1328 : Jean de Cherchemont
1328 – 1329 : Mathieu Ferrand
1329 : Jean de Marigny, bishop of Beauvais
1329 – 1334 : Guillaume de Saint-Maure
1334 : Roger, bishop of Arras, later pope Clement VI
1335 – 1338 : Guy Baudet, bishop of Langres
1338 – 1339 : Étienne de Vissac, knight
1339 – 1347 : Guillaume Flote
1347 – 1349 : Firmin de Coquerel, bishop of Noyon
1349 – 1357 : Pierre de la Forest, archbishop of Rouen
1357 – 1358 : Gilles Aycelin de Montaigut, bishop of Thérouanne
1357 – 1359 : Foulques Bardoul, bishop of Avranches
1358 : Jean de Dormans, bishop of Lisieux
1359 – 1361 : Pierre de la Forest, cardinal, archbishop of Rouen
1361 : Gilles Aycelin de Montaigut, bishop of Thérouanne
18 September 1361 – 1372 : Jean de Dormans, bishop of Beauvais (1359–1368)^[1]
1372 – 1373 : Guillaume de Dormans
1373 : Jean de Dormans,
20 November 1373 – 1380 : Pierre d'Orgemont (First President of the Parlement de Paris)^[2]
October 1380 – 1383 : Miles de Dormans, bishop of Beauvais
1383 – décembre 1388 : Pierre de Giac
décembre 1388 – 1398 : Arnaud de Corbie
1398 – 1400 : Nicolas du Bosc, bishop of Bayeux
1400 – 1405 : Arnaud de Corbie
1405 – 1413 : Jean de Montagu, archbishop of Sens
1409 – 8 August 1413 : Arnaud de Corbie
1413 : Eustache de Laistre
août 1413 – 29 May 1418 : Henri de Marle (-1418)
1418 : Robert le Maçon
1418 – 1420 : Eustache de Laistre
1419 – 1421 : Robert le Maçon
1420 – 1424 : Jean Le Clerc, Burgundian party. Chancellor for Henry VI position as king of France.
1421 – 1425 : Martin Gouge, bishop of Clermont, Charles VII's faction
1424 – 1435 : Louis de Luxembourg, bishop of Thérouanne, Burgundian party
1425 – 1445 : Renault de Chartres, archbishop of Reims, Charles VII's factions
1445 – 1461 : Guillaume Jouvenel des Ursins
1461 – 1465 : Pierre de Morvilliers
1465 – 1472 : Guillaume Jouvenel des Ursins
1472 – 1483 : Pierre Doriole
1483 – 12 August 1492 : Guillaume de Rochefort
1492 – November 1494 : Adam Fumée
August 1495 – 1497 : Robert Briçonnet, archbishop of Reims
1497 – 1507/1508 : Guy de Rochefort
1508 – 1512 : Jean de Ganay
1515 – 1535 : Antoine Duprat, cardinal, archbishop of Sens and bishop of Albi.
1535 – 1538 : Antoine du Bourg
1538 – 1545 : Guillaume Poyet
1545 – 1560 : François Olivier
1560 – 1568 : Michel de l'Hospital
1568 – 1571 : Jean de Morvilliers, bishop of Orléans
1573 – 1583 : René de Birague, cardinal
1583 – 1599 : Philippe Hurault, comte de Cheverny
2 August 1599 – 9 September 1607 : Pomponne de Bellièvre
10 September 1607 – 1 October 1624 : Nicolas Brûlart de Sillery
3 October 1624 – 11 December 1635 : Étienne I d'Aligre
19 December 1635 – 28 January 1672 : Pierre Séguier
8 January 1674 – 28 October 1677 : Étienne II d'Aligre
29 October 1677 – 30 October 1685 : Michel Le Tellier
1 November 1685 – 2 September 1699 : Louis Boucherat, Count of Compans

Chancellors of France

Chancellor	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	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

Notes

↑ Conradus Eubel, Hierarchia catholica medii aevi Tomus I, editio altera (Monasterii 1913), p. 132.
↑ The only chancellor to have been elected by an assembly gathered by Charles V.

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[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.