Conseil du Sceau
The Conseil du Sceau ( German : Siegelrat), with its full name Conseil du Sceau des titres, was an institution of the French Empire .
Function and history
The Conseil du Sceau was established on March 1, 1808 by a decree by Napoléon Bonaparte . It was composed of the Prince-Arch-Chancellor Jean-Jacques Régis de Cambacérès , three senators , two members of the Conseil d'État , a procurator and a general secretary .
The main task of Conseils was the advice of the emperor in the award of Imperial noble titles and inextricably associated with them majorats and the overall supervision of the management and transfer of title. In addition, the Conseil was responsible for determining the coats of arms of French cities.
With the restoration , the Conseil du Sceau was repealed on July 15, 1814; its functions were taken over by various other state institutions in the course of the following decades.
Napoleon III brought the Conseil du Sceau back to life on January 8, 1859 by decree. Since no more majorates were awarded, the tasks of the new council changed. It was now responsible for advising the emperor on the foundation, confirmation and recognition of titles, with the monarch making the final decision. It was also obliged to check any existing title for correctness at the request of any French citizen.
After the end of the Second Empire , the Conseil du Sceau was finally abolished on January 10, 1872, and its remaining functions were transferred to the Ministry of Justice , which it still performs today.
literature
- Wilhelm Wachsmuth and Johann Heinrich Möller: History of France in the Revolutionary Age , 1843 (p. 540)
- Friedrich Arnold Brockhaus: General German Real Encyclopedia for the educated classes , 1827 (p. 343)
- Jenaische Allgemeine Literatur-Zeitung , issue no.299 from December 25, 1809