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