The ''président à mortier'' () was one of the most important legal posts of the French ''

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 ''présidents'' were principal magistrates of the highest juridical institutions, the ''

parlement A ''parlement'' (), under the French Ancien Régime, was a provincial appellate court of the Kingdom of France. In 1789, France had 13 parlements, the oldest and most important of which was the Parlement of Paris. While both the modern Fr ...

s'', which were the

appeal court A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of t ...

s. They numbered 11 in 1789. They were spread over chambers, comprising those who were

counsellor to the parliament Counselor or counsellor may refer to: A professional In diplomacy and government * Counsellor of State, senior member of the British royal family to whom the Monarch can delegate some functions in case of unavailability * Counselor (dipl ...

, who assessed and dispensed justice, and ''présidents'' who chaired sessions. The most important chamber was the ''Grand'Chambre''. Its presidents, to mark their status as superior to that the presidents of lower chambers, took the ''mortier'', a black velvet ''

toque A toque ( or ) is a type of hat with a narrow brim or no brim at all. Toques were popular from the 13th to the 16th century in Europe, especially France. The mode was revived in the 1930s. Now it is primarily known as the traditional headgear ...

'' with two gold braid ribbons. The position was

venal Venality is a vice associated with being bribeable or willing to sell one's services or power, especially when people are intended to act in a decent way instead. In its most recognizable form, venality causes people to lie and steal for their own ...

, being freely bought, sold and inherited, subject to payments to the King. In practice, the ''parlements consent was needed, and a law examination was required. This limited candidates to those with an academic background in law. After 20 years, the position brought entry to the ''

noblesse 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 armige ...

'', but in fact, the purchase of the office ensured that it was held only by nobles. Typically, the presidents served under a ''premier président'', who was a royal appointee, not a purchaser of the office. This led to constant tensions.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:President A Mortier Legal history of the Ancien Régime Offices in the Ancien Régime