Conseiller d'État
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A Conseiller d'État (Counsellor of State) is, in France, a high level civil servant in the government administration.
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[edit] Under the Ancien Régime
The Conseillers d'État were among the highest dignitaries of the French monarchy during the "Ancien Régime". 30 in number, the Conseillers d'État were made up of 3 members from the clergy, 3 from the old nobility (nobility "of the sword" or "d'épée") and 24 from the "noblesse de robe" (or "administrative nobility"). 90% of the Conseillers d'État "de robe" were chosen from among the "maîtres des requêtes", while the rest were chosen from among the magistrates of High Courts; often they had formerly been intendants.
In 1789, their number was increased to 42: 25 full-time "conseillers ordinaires", 16 part-time consellors who functioned on a semester schedule, and the eldest of the maîtres des requêtes).
Their title gave them great power, and in the administrative hierarchy they were considered directly below Princes of the royal family ("princes du sang"), cardinals and Dukes with peerage ("Ducs et pairs"). The pay was minimal (3,300 to 5,100 livres by year, depending on the duration of service), but could be augmented by an additional 4,000 livres per year through pensions or by service on financial cmmmissions.
The Conseillers d'État were commissioned positions (i.e. not purchased and hereditary offices) appointed by the king by "lettres patentes". These prestigious positions conferred immediate nobility on their commission-holder, if he was not noble before. Their official job description stated that they were to be "consulted by the king on any matter and on any occsion as the king saw fit". In practice, their role was a combination of the duties of present-day Conseillers d'État and judges on the Court of Cassation.
There was no age limit on these commissions, although in general the king appointed mature men. René-Louis de Voyer de Paulmy d'Argenson became Conseiller d'État at the age of 24, and Marc-Pierre de Voyer de Paulmy d'Argenson at the age of 22.
The Conseillers d'État often combined their function with other administrative positions, such as ambassador, First President of the High Court, etc.
All the Conseillers d'État sat on the king's Privy Counsel ("Conseil privé", "Conseil des parties" or "Conseil d'État"): concerned with the judicial system, officially instituted in 1557, this was the largest of the royal counsels, composed of the chancellor, the dukes with peerage, the ministers and secretaries of state, the contrôleur général des finances, the 30 counsellors of state, the 80 maître des requêtes and the intendants of finance. The Conseillers d'État could also be called before other of the king's Counsels on affairs under their charge.
[edit] After the Revolution
The Conseillers d'État are high civil servants on the Conseil d'État. A "Conseiller d'État" is one of the six ranks of the members of the Conseil d'État (these ranks are: auditeur de 2e classe, auditeur de 1ère classe, maître des requêtes, conseiller d'État, président de section and vice-président).
[edit] References
- This article is based on a translation of the the article Conseiller d'État from the French Wikipedia on 13 August 2006.
- Bluche, François. L'Ancien régime: Institutions et société. Collection: Livre de poche. Paris: Editions de Fallois, 1993.
