France

Legislative Bodies

The Estates General was still in its infancy. It could not meet on its own, but was summoned at the will of the king.

The audio giftaille had become customary in the later years of the war, and its regular levy removed the main need for convoking the Estates; namely, the need for money.

More important than the Estates General were the provincial estates. Their powers and make-up similar to the Estates General, but they were convened at a more local level, for this or that region. They could be called by the king or by the duke or count.

The parlements of France were not legislative bodies like the English Parliament, but were principally judicial and administrative in their duties. They existed in audio gifLanguedoc, the Dauphiné, Guyenne and Burgundy, audio gifProvence and Normandy. Their exact powers varied quite a bit, but in general they heard cases on appeal, heard petitions, and could be called to pass judgment on a complex question such as matters of jurisdiction.

The Parlement of Paris was the most prestigious of all the parlements. Being close to the court, it held a special position. It had come to be regarded as the highest judicial tribunal in the kingdom, able to overrule a regional parlement. Important for the future, though not of much significance at this time, the Parlement of Paris also legalized royal edicts by registering them in its records.

Those were the main agencies of royal government: the Royal Council, the estates, the parlements, and the crown itself. Just as a standing army had gradually proved necessary, the maintenance of which imposed heavy financial burdens, so too did a growing bureaucracy add the the growing need for royal income. Here, too, Louis' reign was important.