Parlement
Parlement refers to a governing body that operated during the ancien régime in France, which lasted until the French Revolution. Unlike modern legislative bodies, parlements acted more like supreme courts, reviewing and registering royal decrees before they became law. There were up to thirteen parlements across various regions, with the Parlement of Paris being the most influential. These bodies were composed of officials often from the nobility, some of whom were appointed or purchased their positions. Parlements played a critical role in challenging royal authority, frequently protesting against royal edicts that contradicted traditional social principles.
The relationship between the king and the parlements was complex; while monarchs sought to exert absolute power, they relied on the support of these governing bodies to implement their laws. Notably, during the reign of Louis XV and Louis XVI, parlements opposed taxation and financial reforms, leading to multiple disbandments and reinstatements. Their resistance ultimately contributed to the tensions that fueled the French Revolution, changing the political landscape of France. Understanding the role of parlements offers insight into the historical power dynamics of pre-revolutionary France and the challenges faced by the monarchy.
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Parlement
A parlement was a governing body that existed during the ancien régime in France. Parlements were known for resisting monarchs and asserting that they had a right to protest the king's declarations. In most cases, they protested any royal edicts that moved against the "essential principles of the traditional social order." During the ancien régime, France had up to thirteen parlements for various districts.
The Ancien Régime
The ancien régime refers to the government and politics of France prior to the French Revolution. During this era, France was ruled as a monarchy. It is best known for its distinctive and restrictive social classes. During the ancien régime, the three social classes were called estates. Each estate had its own rules, restrictions, and social obligations. Social mobility, or the ability to move from one estate to another, was extremely low.
The First Estate was composed exclusively of members of the clergy. France was a predominately Catholic nation throughout much of its history, and the Catholic Church was extremely influential throughout the country. Church officials were very wealthy, and high-ranking officials served as advisers to kings and other nobles. The Church was immune to taxation of any kind and collected dues and donations from parishioners.
The Second Estate was made up of the nobility, including the ruling family. Most nobles were wealthy landowners. Titles, such as Baron, Count, and Chevalier, were hereditary, allowing noble families to create dynasties. Some noble families earned their rank through military service, while others were purchased for large amounts of money. Most noble families were also immune from taxation
The common people made up the Third Estate. Among them were workers, small business owners, merchants, and craftsmen. More than 95 percent of the French population belonged to the Third Estate. Members of the Third Estate were heavily taxed and supported most of the French economy. However, the Third Estate had very little political representation.
In the ancien régime, peasants were ranked below the Third Estate. They had very few rights and usually worked as laborers or beggars. Some worked farmland on property owned by the nobility in exchange for food and shelter. Peasants were heavily taxed.
Overview
The ancien régime was characterized by a delicate balance of power among the king, the lower nobility, and the clergy. While French kings often believed they held absolute power over their nation, they required the consistent support of the lower nobility and the clergy to successfully enact their declarations.
Parlements were enacted during the ancien régime as a way to further check the king's power. They were designed to be regional governing bodies with jurisdiction over specific areas of France. At one point, the nation employed as many as thirteen separate parlements.
Unlike their modern namesakes (parliaments), which function as legislative bodies composed of elected representatives, parlements functioned like modern supreme courts. They included officials appointed by the nobility or seats purchased by the extremely wealthy. During the later years, many parlementary seats were sold for large sums of money or were gifted to a seat holder's son. While several areas of France enacted laws to make parlementary seats democratically elected, these laws were rarely enforced.
The parlement's primary job was to review new laws declared by the government. The parlement of Paris, the most powerful parlement, held this authority over royal declarations. Royal declarations did not officially become law until they were registered by the parlement of Paris. The Paris parlement could refuse to register a declaration, thereby stopping it from becoming a law. It would then issue a remonstrance, a written explanation of its objections to the new declaration or law. If the king addressed these concerns, the Paris parlement might then choose to register the law. If the parlement still refused, the king had to call a royal parlementary session called a lit de justice, during which he could override the parlement and register the law himself.
During the reign of Louis XV, the Paris parlement routinely refused to register laws favored by the king. They all but neutralized the king's power to directly exercise his legislative powers. When Louis XV wanted to impose a tax on the nobility to reduce that national debt, the parlements refused to allow it. The members of parlements, who were mostly of the Second Estate, believed that the nobility should serve the country through military service or domestic leadership, not through conventional means like taxes.
In frustration, King Louis XV disbanded the parlements and replaced them with a council of officials directly appointed by the crown. His successor, Louis XVI, reinstated the parlements. However, they remained critical of royal policy. The parlements vocally opposed new taxes and loans and criticized royal spending. They refused to register new laws that would remove tax exemptions from the clergy and nobility. Following in his predecessor's footsteps, Louis XVI formally disbanded the Paris parlement and exiled many prominent members. The exiled members of parlement immediately wrote letters to influential figures in France, urging them to resist further financial reforms. The former parlement members succeeded, and Louis XVI returned them to power within months.
The parlements continued in an adversarial relationship with the crown throughout Louis XVI's reign. They refused to compromise on taxation or loans. The Paris parlement attempted to make the formal decrees used to exile members of parlements illegal. While the Paris parlement registered the law, it was quickly blocked by the king. The parlement then attempted to declare itself an independent court that could not be judged or controlled by the monarchy. A national conference was declared to address its claims. However, the national conference soon devolved into the French Revolution, which drastically altered French governmental structure.
Bibliography
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