1570
17 avril 1791
À la fin de l’Ancien Régime, le secrétaire d’État de la Maison du roi [du Clergé et de la RPR] avait en charge la tutelle d’un vaste domaine administratif :
1) Secrétaire des commandements, expédition des actes royaux et correspondance avec les agents du roi
Dans ses domaines de compétence (thématiques et géographiques), il préparait les actes en commandement – décisions, ordres et instructions pris par le souverain – et procédait à leur expédition, dûment signée par le roi (ou un secrétaire de la main) et revêtue de sa signature obligatoirement autographe de secrétaire d’État. Ces deux signatures validaient toutes sortes d’actes : les lettres closes (ordres aux officiers royaux, juridictions, municipalités, etc.), les lettres missives de caractère politique ou administratif, les lettres de sceau plaqué, passeports, lettres de retenue (pour les nominations à des charges de la Maison du roi) ou simples brevets accordant des faveurs particulières (survivance, résignation, bénéfice ecclésiastique, don de terrain à bâtir, pensions, gratifications, etc.).
Notamment comme membre de l’un des conseils de gouvernement – présidés par le roi –, le Conseil des dépêches, qui traitait des affaires intérieures du royaume, il était l’un des rapporteurs préparant et expédiant les arrêts du Conseil – arrêts en commandement, dont l’expédition était validée par sa signature – et les dépêches transmettant les ordres du roi dans les provinces de son département. Il avait la charge de garder les originaux-minutes de ces arrêts en commandement. Il entretenait avec les agents du roi une correspondance privée parallèle à celle officielle de son ressort afin d’expliciter les ordres et de donner ses directives et toute lettre d’un de ces agents destinée au roi se devait de passer par son intermédiaire.
Enfin, hors de ses domaines spécifiques de compétence, il avait la charge partagée par quartier (trimestre) avec les autres secrétaires d’État de l’examen et de l’instruction des placets adressés au roi par ses sujets et l’expédition de la correspondance y relative.
2) Maison du roi proprement dite
Comme « ministre de la Cour », il veillait au bon fonctionnement des services organisés autour de la personne du roi, du dauphin, de la reine et des enfants royaux, c’est-à-dire de leurs maisons civiles et militaires. La gestion financière de ces dernières relevait de la Guerre. Il avait sous sa responsabilité les services dirigés par les grands officiers de la Maison du roi : la Chapelle, la Maison-Bouche, la Chambre, la Garde-robe, le Garde-meuble, l’Argenterie, Menus Plaisirs et Affaires de la Chambre – les Menus Plaisirs – , le grand maître des Cérémonies, l’Écurie et la Vénerie.
Il avait, par ailleurs, la tutelle de la direction générale des Bâtiments du roi, important service administratif jouissant d’une large autonomie financière, dont le titulaire gérait également le mécénat royal et jouait le rôle de ministre des Beaux-Arts. Il supervisait à ce titre l’administration des académies de sculpture, de peinture et d’architecture, ainsi que des manufactures de la Couronne (Gobelins, Glaces, Savonnerie, Aubusson, Beauvais, porcelaines), du jardin du roi (Jardin des plantes), de l’académie des Inscriptions et Belles lettres (1715) et de l’académie de France à Rome.
3) Police et administration générale de la grande majorité des provinces
Dans le ressort des provinces qui lui étaient attribuées, il était en charge de la police (au sens large qu’avait le terme à l’époque) et de l’administration générale. Outre l’expédition des ordres du roi, dont il a été question au-dessus (incluant les demandes d’enregistrement des actes royaux par les cours souveraines), il devait veiller au maintien de l’ordre et à la santé publique, à l’assistance aux indigents, aux aménagements urbanistiques et aux travaux publics
Pour la plupart des provinces, le contrôleur général des finances avait un pouvoir décisionnel plus important que le sien. En revanche, à Paris et dans sa généralité – capitale et ville la plus peuplée du royaume où résidait le souverain, la cour et les organes gouvernementaux–, son rôle était prépondérant.
4) Religion prétendue réformée
À partir de 1749, la religion prétendue réformée et la maison du roi sont réunies en un même département.
À partir de Colbert, la liste des secrétaires d’État de la Maison du roi s’établit de la manière suivante (sans tenir compte des survivances pour les dates) : Colbert (1669-1683), Jean-Baptiste Colbert, marquis de Seignelay (1683-1690), Louis Phelypeaux, comte de Pontchartrain (1690-1699), Jérôme Phelypeaux, comte de Pontchartrain (1699-1715), Louis Phelypeaux, marquis de La Vrillière (1715-1718), Jean Frédéric Phelypeaux, comte de Maurepas (1718-1749), Louis Phelypeaux, comte de Saint-Florentin puis duc de La Vrillière (1749-1775), Chrétien Guillaume de Lamoignon de Malesherbes (1775-1776), Antoine Jean Amelot de Chaillou (1776-1783), Louis Auguste Le Tonnellier, baron de Breteuil (1783-1788), Pierre Charles Laurent de Villedeuil (1788-1789) et François Emmanuel de Guignard, comte de Saint-Priest (1789-1790).
L’histoire du secrétariat d’État de la Maison du roi illustre le lent processus ayant mené un secrétaire des commandements chargé, au milieu du XVIe siècle, de la correspondance politique du souverain à assumer, à la veille de la Révolution, la direction de l’une des grandes administrations centrales de l’État. Après la création en 1547 de quatre secrétaires des commandements et finances, chargés de l’expédition des affaires de l’État et des actes ordonnés par le souverain (ouverture des dépêches, rôle de greffier des séances du Conseil, examen des placets remis par les particuliers, etc.), entre lesquels étaient répartis des départements strictement géographiques (pays étrangers et provinces françaises) et leur qualification, à partir de 1558, de secrétaires d’État, ces puissants personnages se virent également attribuer, en 1570, des domaines spécifiques de compétence. Simon Fizes, baron de Sauve, fut le premier à recevoir en 1570 la gestion et le contrôle financier de la gendarmerie (compagnies d’ordonnance) et de la Maison du roi. En 1589, la charge concerne les « états de la maison du roi, ce qui est pour celle de la reine et les états de la guerre ».
Au gré des événements politiques et religieux (méfiance de Henri III au moment de la Ligue, opportunité politique de Henri IV pour asseoir son pouvoir, etc.), les attributions des secrétaires d’État furent fortement réglementées et réorganisées. En 1588, Martin Ruzé de Beaulieu cumula les départements de la Guerre et de la Maison du roi puis, de 1594 à 1613, ne garda que la Maison du roi, comme ses successeurs Antoine de Loménie de La Ville-aux-Clercs (1613-1638) puis Henri Auguste de Loménie de Brienne (1638-1643). Henri de Guénégaud du Plessis-Belleville (1643-1669) ajouta à la Maison du roi les affaires du Clergé à partir de 1661. Jean-Baptiste Colbert lui racheta en 1669 ces charges qu’il ajouta à celles de la Marine et du Contrôle général des finances.
Pour les vicissitudes de regroupement et séparation des domaines de compétence, on notera que :
- les affaires du Clergé restèrent liées à la Maison du roi de 1661 à 1789, sauf pendant la parenthèse de la polysynodie (1715-1723) ;
- Maison du roi, Clergé et Marine furent réunis de 1723 à 1749 ;
- à la disgrâce de Maurepas en 1749, Maison du roi et Clergé furent rattachés aux affaires protestantes ou de la « religion prétendue réformée » (RPR).
Comme cela a été dit plus haut, la répartition des compétences des secrétaires d’État se fit d’abord sur une base géographique. La répartition (« département ») des pays étrangers et des provinces françaises ne cessa d’être modifiée entre le milieu du XVIe et la fin du XVIIIe siècle. À titre d’exemple, le premier titulaire, Simon Fizes, avait en 1570 en charge, outre la Maison du roi et de la reine et la Guerre, les affaires relatives au Levant, à l’Italie et à quatre provinces, le Dauphiné, la Provence, le Languedoc et l’Auvergne. En 1588, Martin Ruzé avait Paris, l’Île-de-France et le Berry. Du fait du regroupement des affaires protestantes et de la Maison du roi, c’est à partir de 1749 que se stabilisèrent globalement les attributions géographiques du secrétaire d’État de la Maison du roi qui, en 1787, exerçait concurremment avec le contrôleur général des finances, des fonctions de police et d’administration générale sur les quatre cinquièmes du royaume (dont Paris et l’Île-de-France), son collègue de la Guerre ayant les provinces frontalières. Lorsque furent créés les ministères en 1791, celui de l’Intérieur hérita donc de l’essentiel des prérogatives de la Maison du roi.
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