Grand cupbearer of France
The Grand Cupbearer of France ( French Grand bouteiller de France ) was one of the four oldest grand crown offices in France in the Middle Ages and during the Ancien Régime . From the day of inauguration, the incumbent received a hereditary title of nobility of the first degree (nobility through a state office). The origins go back to the Merovingian era.
The grand cupbearer had the cellar, i.e. the wine and later also the spirits cellar of the monarch as his area of responsibility, which is why he was also dubbed cellar master in German-speaking countries (title of Reich cellar master, cupbearer or groomer), as well as the supervision of the vineyards and the wine trade . He always had to ensure full barrels and sufficient supplies of the desired drinks, and also supervised the serving and serving at the royal table. Later he was also the custodian of the state treasure ( Trésor Royal ), i.e. crown treasurer and chief financial officer, together with the grand chamberlain of France . The office was not consistently represented in the list of major offices of the crown at the French royal court. This meant that the king had a cupbearer, but that his powers were reduced to the original activities and the office was not hereditary. From the French term bouteiller = dt. (Literally) "Flaschner" from neulat. "Buticularius" = gift and buticula = bottle in the Carolingian era , today's English term "butler" is derived from the Irish family le Botiler , who held the office of cupbearer there exercised for generations (Theobald Le Botiler or Butler, Grand Cupid of Ireland (Eng. Chief Butler of Ireland) under King Henry II. 1177 ; Name variations: "Botelere", "Butelere", "Buteller", "Botyler", "Bottler") .
literature
- Erich Bayer (Hrsg.): Dictionary of history. Terms and technical terms (= Kröner's pocket edition . Volume 289). 3rd, revised edition. Kröner, Stuttgart 1974, ISBN 3-520-28903-2 .