The Maison du Roi was the name of the military, domestic and religious entourage around the royal family in France during the Ancien Régime and Bourbon Restoration; the exact composition and duties of its various divisions changed constantly over the Early Modern period. Officers of the Maison du Roi were directly responsible to the Grand maître de France (Chief Steward), although, starting in the 16th century and then from the 17th century on, the Maison du Roi was overseen by a ministry, the Département de la Maison du Roi, directed by a secretary of state, the Secrétaire d’État à la Maison du Roi. The structure of the Maison du Roi was officially reorganized under Henry III in 1578 and 1585; and in the 17th century by Jean-Baptiste Colbert.5, when the city was bombarded by Marshal de Villeroy, the Town Hall was destroyed by fire. Its reception rooms and alderman’s offices contain fine Brussels tapestries from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, sumptuous Gothic wooden panelling, the insignia of ancient guilds and paintings from the collections at the Town Hall Museum.
