GLOSSARY

appel comme d'abus an appeal used to evoke a legal case from a church court to Parlement by accusing the ecclesiastical judge of exceeding his authority

avocat général one of the two "attorney generals" representing the interests of the king and the commonwealth in Parlement

Basoche the name applied collectively to the clerks, ushers, and other lesser officials of the courts

Bureau de Ville the governing body for the city of Paris; headed by the prévôt des marchands and four échevins , with advice and counsel from twenty-four conseillers de ville

Chambre Ardente the name commonly given the special chamber of Parlement created in 1547 to hear heresy cases

Chambre des Comptes the sovereign court responsible for auditing the accounts of the king's financial officials and judging cases involving fiscal matters

Chambre des Enquêes the special section, or chamber, of Parlement that heard appeals on the basis of written evidence (the Parlement of Paris had two Chambres des Enquêes in the early sixteenth century; after 1568, it had five)

Chambre des Requêes the special section, or chamber, of Parlement that heard special petitions and judged civil suits involving persons privileged to have their cases heard directly in Parlement (a second Chambre des Requêes was added to the Parlement of Paris in 1580)

Chancellor the chief civil officer of the crown and head of the French magistracy

Conseil Privé a special section of the king's council that heard appeals from ordinary lawsuits

conseiller au Parlement a magistrate in the Parlement of Paris; in principle some offices were reserved for clerics (conseillers-clercs ), but the number so reserved tended to diminish in the sixteenth century, while the total number of offices grew

Cour des Aides the sovereign court that heard cases dealing with tax matters

Cour des Monnaies the sovereign court that heard cases involving coinage and currency

échevin one of the four officers who assisted the prévôt des marchands in running the Paris municipal government; elected from among the local elite for a two-year term, subject to the king's approval

général des finances the officer responsible for the collection of taxes in a tax district, or généralité

gens du roi the collective term for the procureur du roi and avocats généraux of Parlement

Grand' Chambre the highest chamber of the Parlement of Paris, composed of the most senior magistrates and entrusted with the most important cases

grands jours special court sessions held at (irregular) intervals in provincial cities at which delegations from Parlement delivered civil and criminal justice; usually occasioned in the sixteenth century by the civil and religious turmoil

greffier civil the chief scribe, or secretary, responsible for the recording and keeping of all of Parlement's records

lieutenant civil (or criminel ) the chief magistrate responsible for judging civil (criminal) cases in the jurisdiction of the prévôté of Paris

maître des comptes a magistrate in the Chambre des Comptes

maître des requêtes a magistrate assigned to the Grand Conseil or special investigatory commissions, superior in rank to the conseillers of Parlement, but not to the présidents ; frequently sent on missions in the provinces

parquet a term applied collectively to the gens du roi and derived from their customary presence on the floor of the court

premier président the chief justice of the Parlement of Paris; unlike other

positions in the court, this office was not venal and was conferred directly by the king

prévôt des marchands the head of the municipal government, or Bureau de Ville, in Paris; elected from among the local elite for a two-year term, subject to the king's approval

Prévôté de Paris the bailliage , or administrative and judicial district of the first instance, for Paris; the prévôt de Paris was an honorific title given to a nobleman, and the chief magistrates for the prévôté were, in practice, the lieutenant civil the lieutenant criminel , and (when necessary) the lieutenants particuliers appointed to assist them

procureur général the public prosecutor and principal representative of the king's interests in Parlement

Seize "the Sixteen" —the leaders of the radical faction that seized control in Paris during the League

Tournelle the special chamber in Parlement appointed to hear criminal cases; judges from other chambers served by rotation in the Tournelle