From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The
Grand Dignitaries of the French Empire
(
French
:
Grands Dignitaires de l'Empire Francais
) were created in 1804 by the
Constitution of the Year XII
, which established
Napoleon Bonaparte
, previously
First Consul for Life
, as
Emperor of the French
. The seven Grand Dignitaries broadly paralleled the
Great Officers of the Crown
which had existed under the
Ancien Regime
and were essentially
honorific
, although several limited functions were ascribed to them in the new
constitution
of the
Empire
. In the
imperial nobility
, the Grand Dignitaries ranked in status directly behind the Princes of France, although in practice, most Grand Dignitaries also held the title of Prince.
In 1807, two new dignitaries were created, a further two in 1809, and another in 1810, raising the final number to twelve. Many of the dignitaries were also members of the
Imperial Family
, with those that were not being high-ranking figures in the imperial administration. The Grand Dignitaries were abolished along with the First Empire in 1814 upon the
Bourbon Restoration
, the
Great Officers of the Crown
being reinstated, and were not restored under the
Second Empire
.
Grand Dignitaries of the Empire
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Appointed in 1804
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Appointed in 1805
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Appointed in 1807
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Appointed in 1809
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Appointed in 1810
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- Charles-Francois Lebrun, Governor-General of the Departments of Holland
Gallery
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References
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- ^
H. A. L. Fisher
, "The French Dependencies and Switzerland", in A. Ward
et al.
(eds.),
Cambridge Modern History, IX: Napoleon
(Cambridge, 1934), p. 399.
- ^
Jackson-Laufer, Guida Myrl:
Women Rulers Throughout the Ages: An Illustrated Guide
, ABC-CLIO, 1999,
ISBN
978-1-57607-091-8
, p 142
Bibliography
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External links
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