The Paris Parlements: How Judges Defied the King Before 1789

Before the French Revolution erupted, another institution spent centuries pushing back against royal authority: the parlements. These sovereign courts of the Ancien Régime weren't just judges — they were political powerhouses that could refuse to register a king's law, block tax edicts, and issue remonstrances that turned royal decrees into national debates. This episode explores how the Parlement of Paris evolved from a medieval curia regis into a check on monarchical power, clashing with Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI alike. We trace the dramatic story of the Maupeou coup of 1771, when Chancellor René Nicolas de Maupeau abolished the parlements overnight, and their triumphant restoration after Louis XVI's coronation. Through the lens of the 1788 Day of Tiles in Grenoble and the subsequent Assembly of Vizille, we see how the parlements' defiance fueled the Revolution they never intended. Featuring figures like Malesherbes, d'Aguesseau, and the duc de Choiseul, this episode uncovers the constitutional struggle that shaped France's path to 1789. #ParlementOfParis #AncienRégime #Maupeou #LouisXV #LouisXVI #DayOfTiles #AssemblyOfVizille #Remonstrances #FrenchRevolution #ConstitutionalHistory #Malesherbes #ReneMaupeou #HenriFrançoisDAguesseau #DucDeChoiseul #HistoryOfFrance #LegalHistory #18thCentury #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo