The title Admiral of France is one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France, the naval equivalent of Marshal of France. The Great Officers of the Crown were appointed by the King of France and there were seven all told. ... The Marshal of France (maréchal de France) was one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France. ...

The title was created in 1270 by Louis IX of France, during the Eighth Crusade. At the time it was equivalent to the office of Constable of France. The Admiral was responsible for defending the coasts of Picardy, Normandy, Aunis, and Saintonge. In times of war, it was his responsibility to assemble French merchant ships into a navy. He had to arm, equip, and supply the ships for the course of the war, and give letters of marque to corsairs. In peacetime, he was responsible for the maintenance of the royal fleet (when one existed). He was also responsible for maritime commerce and the merchant fleet. For broader historical context, see 1270s and 13th century. ... Only representation of Saint Louis known to be true to life - Early 14th century statue from the church of Mainneville, Eure, France King Louis IX of France or Saint Louis (April 25, 1214/1215–August 25, 1270) was King of France from 1226 until his death. ... The Eighth Crusade was a crusade launched by Louis IX of France in 1270. ... The Constable of France (French connétable de France, from Latin comes stabulari for count of the stables), as the First Officer of the Crown, was one of the original five Great Officers of the Crown of France (along with seneschal, chamberlain, butler, and chancellor) and Commander in Chief of... Coat of arms of Picardy Picardy (French: Picardie) is an historical province of France, in the north of France. ... Normandy is a geographical region in northern France. ... Saintonge is a small region on the atlantic coast of France in the region of Poitou-Charentes (17- Charente-Maritime). ... A letter of marque and reprisal was an official warrant or commission from a national government authorizing the designated agent to search, seize, or destroy specified assets or personnel belonging to a party which had committed some offense under the laws of nations against the assets or citizens of the... Corsair can refer to: a pirate who used to operate in the Mediterranean Sea, see Corsair (pirate) a French airline, see: Corsair (airline) several aircraft of the US Navy: the O2U Corsair the F4U Corsair the A-7 Corsair II a kind of fireworks a poem, The Corsair, by Lord...

During the modern era, few admirals were sailors - moreover, with the exception of Claude d'Annebault, none of them actually commanded the fleet. It must be said that the actual power of the admiral was rather small, partly because of the creation of other admirals (the Admiral of the Levant for Provence, the Admiral of Brittany, and the Admiral of the West for Guyenne), and because of the creation of the General of the Galleys and the Secretary of State for the Navy. Provence is a former Roman province and is now a region of southeastern France, located on the Mediterranean Sea adjacent to Frances border with Italy. ... Traditional coat of arms This article is about the historical duchy and French province, as well as the cultural area of Brittany. ... Aquitaine (or Guyenne or Guienne) now forms a région in south-western France along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. ...

The title, like the title of Constable, had much more political importance (which would eventually lead to the suppression of both titles). It was also a lucrative position: the admiral was allocated a part of the fines and confiscations imposed by the admiralty, and he had a right to unclaimed ships and shipwrecks as well as a tenth of the spoils taken in battle. He also had juridicial rights, comparable to those exercised by the constable and the marshal. This was known as the Table de marbre, after the seat of the admiralty in Paris. A second headquarters of the admiralty was established at Rouen, and about 50 other headquarters were set up at various other places around the coast of France. These tribunals judged cases dealing with fishing disputes and any crimes committed in the country's ports. The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... Location within France Rouen (pronounced in French, sometimes also ) is the historical capital city of Normandy, in northern France, and presently the capital of the Upper Normandy région. ...

The Admiralty was suppressed in 1627 by Cardinal Richelieu, who had been named to the newly-created post of Grand Master of Navigation and who wanted to bring all naval authority under one position. The position was recreated in 1669, but was now only an honorific title. The first new admiral was Louis de Bourbon, comte de Vermandois, who at the time was only 2 years old. Thereafter, only Louis Alexandre de Bourbon, comte de Toulouse involved himself in maritime affairs. Events A Dutch ship makes the first recorded sighting of the coast of South Australia. ... Cardinal Richelieu was the French chief minister from 1624 until his death. ... // Events Samuel Pepys stopped writing his diary. ...

Sources

• B. Barbiche, Les institutions de la monarchie française à l'époque moderne, Presses unversitaires de France, 1999