The move was motivated by an apparent overload of the Interior department.

[1] The first minister, Philippe-Antoine Merlin, was appointed two days later, as Armand-Gaston Camus refused the office.

The most famous minister was Joseph Fouché, whose service spanned over a decade.

It was a major French ministerial position under the Directory, Consulate, First Empire, and Restored Bourbon Dynasty.

The position was merged into the Ministry of Interior in 1818, although it was briefly restored by Napoleon III in 1852.