| Post: | Secretary of State for War |
| Department: | Department of War |
| Member Of: | Conseil du Roi
|
| Reports To: | King of France |
| Termlength: | No fixed term |
| First: | Guillaume Bochetel |
| Last: | Louis Lebègue Duportail |
| Succession: | Minister of War |
The Secretary of State for War, later Secretary of State, Minister for War, was one of the four or five specialized secretaries of state in France during the Ancien Régime. The position was responsible for the Army, for the Marshalcy and for overseeing French border provinces. In 1791, during the French Revolution, the Secretary of State for War became titled Minister of War.[1]
| Portrait | Name | Term | King | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||
| Appointment of the first four Secretaries of State by Henry II on 1 April 1547. | ||||||||
| 1 | Guillaume Bochetel Seigneur de Sassy, de Brouillamenon, de Laforest-Thaumyer | Henry II | [2] | |||||
| 2 | Claude II de l'Aubespine Seigneur de Hauterive, Baron de Châteauneuf | Henry II Francis II Charles IX | ||||||
| 3 | Côme Clausse Seigneur de Marchaumont, de Fleury, de Courances | Henry II | ||||||
| 4 | Jean du Thier Seigneur de Beauvoir | Henry II Francis II | [3] | |||||
| 5 | Jacques Bourdin Seigneur de Villeines | Henry II Francis II Charles IX | ||||||
| 6 | Florimond II Robertet Seigneur de Fresne | Henry II Francis II Charles IX | ||||||
| 7 | Florimond III Robertet Baron d'Alluye | Francis II Charles IX | ||||||
| 8 | Claude III de l'Aubespine Seigneur de Hauterive, Baron de Châteauneuf | Charles IX | ||||||
| 9 | Simon Fizes Baron de Sauves | Charles IX Henry III | [4] | |||||
| 10 | Nicolas de Neufville Marquis de Villeroy | Charles IX Henry III | ||||||
| 11 | Pierre de Brûlart Seigneur de Genlis, Seigneur de Crosne | Charles IX Henry III | ||||||
| 12 | Claude Pinart Baron de Cremailles, Baron de Malines, Baron de Valois | Charles IX Henry III | ||||||
| Effective creation of the office in 1588. Previous holders were Secretaries of State, but the offices indistincts. | ||||||||
| 13 | Louis de Revol | Henry III Henry IV | [5] | |||||
| (10) | Nicolas de Neufville Marquis de Villeroy | Henry IV | [6] | |||||
| 14 | Pierre de Brûlart Marquis de Sillery, Vicomte de Puisieux, Baron du Grand-Pressigny | Henry IV Louis XIII | ||||||
| Interim by Claude Mangot, Seigneur de Villeran, d'Orgères, de Villarceaux, from 9 August to 25 November 1616. | [7] | |||||||
| Interim by Cardinal Armand Jean du Plessis, Duc de Richelieu, Duc de Fronsac, on 25 November 1616 to 24 April 1617. | ||||||||
| (14) | Pierre de Brûlart Marquis de Sillery, Vicomte de Puisieux, Baron du Grand-Pressigny | Louis XIII | ||||||
| 15 | Charles Le Beauclerc Seigneur d'Achères, Seigneur de Rougemont | Louis XIII | ||||||
| 16 | Abel Servien Marquis de Sablé, Marquis de Boisdauphin, Comte de La Roche des Aubiers | Louis XIII | ||||||
| 17 | François Sublet Baron de Dangu, Seigneur de Noyers | Louis XIII | ||||||
| 18 | Michel Le Tellier Marquis de Barbezieux, Seigneur de Chaville, d'Étang, de Viroflay | Louis XIII Louis XIV | [8] | |||||
| 19 | François Michel Le Tellier Marquis de Louvois | Louis XIV | [9] | |||||
| 20 | Louis François Marie Le Tellier Marquis de Barbezieux | Louis XIV | [10] | |||||
| 21 | Michel de Chamillart Seigneur de Montfermeil | Louis XIV | [11] [12] [13] | |||||
| 22 | Daniel François Voysin Seigneur de Mesnil-Voysin, de Bouray, du Plessis, de La Noiraye, de Janville, de Lardy | Louis XIV Louis XV Régence | [14] [15] | |||||
| Interim by Claude Louis Hector, Prince de Martigues, Duc de Villars, Vicomte de Melun, on 26 November 1715. | ||||||||
| Interim by Louis Phélypeaux, Marquis de La Vrillière, on 14 October 1715. | ||||||||
| Interim by Joseph Jean Baptiste Fleuriau, Marquis d'Armenonville, on 14 February 1716. | ||||||||
| 23 | Claude le Blanc | Louis XV Régence | [16] [17] [18] | |||||
| 24 | François Victor Le Tonnelier Marquis de Fontenay-Trésigny, Marquis de Breteuil | Louis XV | [19] | |||||
| (23) | Claude le Blanc | Louis XV | ||||||
| 25 | Nicolas Prosper Bauyn Seigneur d’Angervilliers | Louis XV | [20] | |||||
| 26 | François Victor Le Tonnelier Marquis de Fontenay-Trésigny, Marquis de Breteuil | Louis XV | [21] | |||||
| 27 | Marc Pierre de Voyer Marquis de Paulmy, Comte d'Argenson | Louis XV | [22] | |||||
| 28 | Marc Antoine René de Voyer Marquis de Paulmy, Marquis d'Argenson | Louis XV | [23] | |||||
| 29 | Charles Louis Auguste Fouquet Duc de Belle-Isle | Louis XV | [24] | |||||
| 30 | Étienne François Marquis de Stainville, Duc de Choiseul | Louis XV | [25] | |||||
| Interim by Louis Phélypeaux, Comte de Saint-Florentin, Duc de La Vrillière, Secretary of State for the King's Household, from 24 December 1770 to 4 January 1771. | ||||||||
| 31 | Louis François Marquis de Monteynard | Louis XV | [26] [27] | |||||
| 32 | Emmanuel Armand de Vignerot du Plessis-Richelieu Duc d'Aiguillon, Duc d'Agénois | Louis XV Louis XVI | [28] | |||||
| 33 | Louis Nicolas Victor de Félix d'Ollières Comte du Muy, Comte de Grignan | Louis XVI | [29] | |||||
| 34 | Claude Louis Robert Comte de Saint-Germain | Louis XVI | [30] [31] | |||||
| 35 | Alexandre Marie Léonor de Saint-Mauris Comte de Montbarrey | Louis XVI | [32] | |||||
| Interim by Charles Gravier, Comte de Vergennes, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, from 15 December to 23 December 1780. | ||||||||
| 36 | Philippe Henri Marquis de Ségur | Louis XVI | [33] [34] | |||||
| Interim by Louis Auguste Le Tonnelier, Baron de Breteuil, Baron de Preuilly, Secretary of State for the King's Household, from 27 August to 23 September 1787. | ||||||||
| 37 | Athanase Louis Marie de Loménie Comte de Brienne | Louis XVI | [35] | |||||
| 38 | Louis Pierre de Chastenet Comte de Puységur | Louis XVI | ||||||
| 39 | Victor François Duc de Broglie | Louis XVI | ||||||
| Office vacant from 16 July to 4 August 1789. | ||||||||
| 40 | Jean-Frédéric de la Tour du Pin de Gouvernet Comte de Paulin | Louis XVI | [36] | |||||
| 41 | Louis Lebègue Duportail | Louis XVI | [37] | |||||