J. H. Shennan - The Parlement of Paris

First published in 1968

by Eyre & Spottiswode Ltd

This edition first published in 2021 by Routledge

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1968 J.H.Shennan

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A Library of Congress record exists at LCCN: 68115268

ISBN 13: 978-1-032-01352-7 (hbk)

ISBN 13: 978-1-003-17831-6 (ebk)

ISBN 13: 978-1-032-01365-7 (pbk)

DOI: 10.4324/9781003178316

Introduction

BOOK ONE THE COURT OF LAW

1. Structure and Organization

3. The Parlement in Paris

4. The Members of the Parlement

BOOK TWO THE POLITICAL INSTITUTION

5. The Medieval Parlement

6. The Parlement in the Sixteenth Century

7. The League, Henry IV and Richelieu

8. The Reign of Louis XIV

9. The Parlement in the Eighteenth Century

Conclusion

A number of distinguished French historians writing around the turn of the last century Aubert, Maugis, Ducoudray, Glasson have amply demonstrated the importance of the Parlement of Paris; indeed, that importance may be readily deduced from the frequency of references to the Parlement which appear in volumes dealing with widely differing aspects of the history of France. Yet this book is the first in any language, so far as I know, that attempts to synthesize the Parlemens multifarious activities and to offer an assessment and an interpretation of its overall significance in French history. That this should be so is no doubt less testimony to the authors pioneering spirit than to his temerity in seeking to compress such a vast theme into a single volume. Nevertheless, despite the flaws inherent in such a venture, it is to be hoped that the importance of the subject may justify the endeavour.

Many historians have assisted me in my work on the Parlement. In particular, I am grateful to Professor A. R. Myers, Professor of Medieval History in the University of Liverpool and to Mr A. N. Ryan, senior lecturer in the Modern History department of the same university, who between them have read the whole book in typescript and have proffered much valuable advice; and to Professor J.-F. Bluche of the University of Besanon, who, in a number of conversations, has made available to me his unrivalled knowledge of the eighteenth-century French magistracy. To the late Professor M. A. Thomson of University College, London, I owe an especial debt. He supervised my first steps in this particular field and until his death maintained a keen interest in my later researches. If there is merit in this volume, much of the credit should be his. Finally, I am deeply indebted to my wife, for her cogent professional criticism and for her labours at the typewriter. None of these people, of course, bears any responsibility for the imperfections of the final version.

J. H. SHENNANBrookhouse, Lancaster

7 November 1967

DOI: 10.4324/9781003178316-1

Until the thirteenth century, the king, aided by his advisers, personally handled all aspects of French government. Moving about his realm from one royal residence to the next, he dealt with problems of justice, economy and administration as they arose. But as the monarchy became more powerful, the need for a more efficient centralized government became apparent and by the middle of the long reign of St Louis (Louis IX, 122670) the growing complexity of government had brought about substantial changes in the structure of the Kings Court. Justice, for example, was no longer a simple matter of deciding the guilt or innocence of the accused; it was becoming a specialized field with its own forms of procedure, requiring expert knowledge. The king himself therefore was no longer equipped to dispense justice adequately. As a result, by the end of the thirteenth century a new organism had come into existence in France concerned with the administration of justice and called the Parlement. It was permanently installed in Paris in a royal residence which the king soon afterwards vacated. The present Palais de Justice in the French capital stands on the same site as the original home of the Parlement and, indeed, it is still possible to find there traces of that palace, dating from