France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

under the

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...

, the ''lit de justice'' (, "bed of justice") was a particular formal session of the Parliament of Paris, under the presidency of the king, for the compulsory registration of the royal edicts. It was named thus because the king would sit on a throne, under a

baldachin A baldachin, or baldaquin (from it, baldacchino), is a canopy of state typically placed over an altar or throne. It had its beginnings as a cloth canopy, but in other cases it is a sturdy, permanent architectural feature, particularly over hi ...

. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, not every appearance of the King of France in ''parlement'' occasioned a formal ''lit de justice''.

Description

A ''lit de justice'' in Paris was normally held in the ''Grand'Chambre du Parlement'' of the royal palace on the Île de la Cité, which remains the Palais de Justice even today. The king, fresh from his devotions in Sainte-Chapelle, would enter, accompanied by his chancellor, the '' princes du sang'', dukes and peers, cardinals and marshals, and take his place upon the cushions on a dais under a canopy of estate (the ''lit'') in a corner of the chamber. The records of a ''lit de justice'' of Charles V, May 21, 1375, gives an impression of the panoply of personages: the Dauphin, the duc d'Anjou brother of the King, the

Patriarch of Alexandria The Patriarch of Alexandria is the archbishop of Alexandria, Egypt. Historically, this office has included the designation "pope" (etymologically "Father", like "Abbot"). The Alexandrian episcopate was revered as one of the three major epis ...

, 4 archbishops, 7

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

s, 6

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. Th ...

s, the rector and several members of the

University of Paris The University of Paris (french: link=no, Université de Paris), Metonymy, metonymically known as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, active from 1150 to 1970, with the exception between 1793 and 1806 under the French Revo ...

, the Chancellor of France, 4 princes of the blood, several comtes and seigneurs, the Provost of Merchants and the ''echevins'' of the city of Paris, "several other wise and notable folk and a great crowd of people". Five cushions formed the ''lit'': the king sat on one, another formed a back, two more supported his arms and a cushion lay under his feet. Peers and prelates were ranged on benches at his right and left. Before the king, a large space was kept empty, that the king might discuss matters privately. To preserve order, it was forbidden for anyone to leave his seat or approach the ''lit'' without being called. The king needed only speak a few preliminary words, followed by the formula ''mon chancelier vous dira le reste'' ("my chancellor will tell you the rest"), whereupon the chancellor seated at his feet would read aloud the rest of the royal declaration, such as the declaration of a regency or of a king's majority, or declarations of war or peace. The ''lit de justice'' equally served to cow recalcitrant ''parlements'', imposing the sovereignty of the king.

Later practice

In the Middle Ages, a ''lit de justice'' was the setting for trials of great aristocrats for major crimes. From the 16th century onwards, it was used to enforce the registration of royal edicts. In the 17th century, it was a rare event but it was revived under

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached ...

, raising controversy among the parliamentary ''

noblesse de robe The concept of the Scottish Noblesse, a class of nobles of either peerage or non-peerage rank, was prominently advocated for by Sir Thomas Innes of Learney during his tenure as an officer of arms. Innes of Learney believed that Scottish armigers ...

'', mindful of their threatened prerogatives. The ''lit de justice'', as it was revived in 1527, was intended by the royal party as an expression of royal justice, with hazy and immemorial antecedents in the open-air gathering of nobles presided over by enthroned

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...

kings. In the king's presence the ''parlements'' lost its usual quality of judge, to take the role of counsellor following the principle ''adveniente principe, cessat magistratus'' ("with the arrival of the king, magistratures cease"). As relations between Henri III and the Parliament of Paris became strained, the king used his presence in the ''lit de justice'' to enforce his will upon a recalcitrant court. Absolutist propaganda asserted that a ''lit de justice'' in its origins could take place before any ''parlement'' though, in practice, the appearance of Charles IX before the Parliament of Rouen to enforce the enregistration of his Edict of Amboise (1563) was an innovation intended to discount the legislative role of the Parliament of Paris. He and the Queen Mother made a tour of ''parlements''—Dijon, Bordeaux, Toulouse—to enforce the registration of the Edict throughout France. From the reign of

Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown ...

it was confined to the Parliament of Paris. In his ''Memoirs'', the

Duc de Saint-Simon Duke of Saint-Simon (french: duc de Saint-Simon; es, duque de Saint-Simon) was a title in the Peerage of France and later in the Peerage of Spain. It was granted in 1635 to Claude de Rouvroy, comte de Rasse.. The title's name refers to the sei ...

describes in detail a ''lit de justice'' held during the Regency of the

Duke of Orléans Duke of Orléans (french: Duc d'Orléans) was a French royal title usually granted by the King of France to one of his close relatives (usually a younger brother or son), or otherwise inherited through the male line. First created in 1344 by King ...

on August 26, 1718 at the

Tuileries Palace The Tuileries Palace (french: Palais des Tuileries, ) was a royal and imperial palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the River Seine, directly in front of the Louvre. It was the usual Parisian residence of most French monarchs, fr ...

. The ''lit'' was used to enact an edict respecting the French currency over the ''parlements objection as well as stripping the Duke of Maine of his control over the child King Louis XV's education and of the rank of ''prince du sang''. The last such session was in May 8, 1788, under

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was e ...

, at

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...

Notes

External links

''Encyclopédie'':
"Lit de justice" article in the '' Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers''. Numerous individual ''lits de justice'' are described, and many dates given.

Description

Later practice

Notes

External links

Further reading