"René de Maupeou" redirects here. For his father, the French politician born in 1688, see René Charles de Maupeou.
René Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou[1] (French: [mopu]; 25 February 1714 – 29 July 1792) was a French lawyer, politician, and chancellor of France, whose attempts at reform signalled the failure of enlightened despotism in France. He is best known for his effort to destroy the system of parlements, which were powerful regional courts, in 1770–74. When King Louis XV died in 1774, the parlements were restored and Maupeou lost power.
In 1744 he married a rich heiress, Anne de Roncherolles (1725–1752), a cousin of Madame d'Épinay, the friend of Rousseau who moved in the circles of the Philosophes. Entering public life, he was his father's right hand in the conflicts between the parlement and Christophe de Beaumont, archbishop of Paris, who was supported by the court. Between 1763 and 1768, dates which cover the revision of the Calas case that Voltaire had championed and the trial of the comte de Lally, Maupeou was himself president of the parlement. In 1768,[2] he became chancellor in succession to his father, who had held the office for twenty-four hours only, largely in order to permit him to retire with the prestigious title. With the disgrace of Choiseul, 24 December 1770, Maupeou was the chief minister.
He determined to support the royal authority against the parlement, the perennial block to reforms of the tax farming system or the privileges of the propertied classes, which in league with the provincial magistratures was seeking to arrogate to itself the functions of the states-general. He allied himself with the duc d'Aiguillon and the king's mistress Madame du Barry, and secured for a creature of his own, the Abbé Terray, the office of comptroller-general. The struggle erupted over the trial of the case of the duc d'Aiguillon, ex-governor of Brittany, and of La Chalotais, procureur-général of the province, who had been imprisoned by the governor for accusations against his administration.
When the parlement showed signs of hostility against Aiguillon, Maupeou read letters patent from Louis XV annulling the proceedings. Louis replied to remonstrances from the parlement by a lit de justice, in which he demanded the surrender of the procedural minutes. On 27 November 1770 appeared the Édit de règlement et de discipline, which was promulgated by the chancellor, forbidding the union of the various branches of the parlement and correspondence with the provincial magistratures. It also made a strike on the part of the parlement punishable by confiscation of goods, and forbade further obstruction to the registration of royal decrees after the royal reply had been given to a first remonstrance. This edict the magistrates refused to register, and it was registered in a lit de justice held at Versailles on 7 December, whereupon the parlement was suspended in its functions.
CoupEdit
After five summonses to return to their duties, the magistrates were surprised individually on the night of 19 January 1771 by musketeers, who required them to sign yes or no to a further request to return. Thirty-eight magistrates gave an affirmative answer, but on the exile of their former colleagues by lettres de cachet, they retracted and were also exiled. Maupeou installed the council of state to administer justice pending the establishment of six superior courts in the provinces and of a new parlement in Paris, in which the magistrature would no longer be a hereditary prerogative but become salaried officials appointed by the Crown. The cour des aides was next suppressed. Maupeou proposed to make the judicial system more uniform throughout the country, which was a patchwork of local judicatures.[3]
Voltaire praised this revolution, applauding the suppression of the old hereditary magistrature, but by the aristocrats and the noblesse de robe, Maupeou's policy was regarded as the triumph of tyranny. The remonstrances of the princes, of the nobles, and of the minor courts, were met by exile and suppression, but by the end of 1771, the new system of the parlements de Maupeou was established, and the Bar, which had offered a passive resistance, recommenced to plead. A renewed attempt was made to tax the privileged and exempted groups. But it was not merely the death of Louis XV in May 1774 that ruined the chancellor: Durand Echeverria characterized the dismissal of Maupeou as "the inevitable liquidation of an exhausted expedient".[4]
FallEdit
The immediate restoration of the parlements by Louis XVI was followed by a renewal of the quarrels between the new king and the magistrature. Maupeou and Terray were replaced on 24 August 1774 by Miromesnil and then by Malesherbes, recalled from his exile in 1775 to be Secretary of State of the Maison du Roi, and by the economist Turgot. Maupeou is said to have remarked, "I had won for the king a case that has lasted three hundred years. He wishes to lose it again; he is the master of it."[5]
Maupeou lived in retreat, still holding the office of Chancellor (abolished 1 July 1790) until his death at Thuit (Eure) in 1792, having lived to see the overthrow of the ancien régime. His work, in so far as it was directed towards the separation of the judicial and political functions and to the reform of the abuses attaching to a hereditary magistrature, was subsequently endorsed by the Revolution. He had aimed at securing absolute power for Louis XV, but his intrigues and the violence of his judicial actions were in reality a serious blow to the monarchy. "By pressing the issue of sovereignty to an ultimate confrontation in this way," remarks Keith Michael Baker[6] of Maupeou's staffing his remodelled courts with men willing to exercise judicial functions within limits imposed by the royal will, "he undermined in practice exactly that belief in a constitutional middle ground between liberty and despotism that Guillaume-Joseph Saige had been concerned to deny in theory".
IssueEdit
He had two sons:
René Ange Augustin de Maupeou (1746–1794), who became maître de camp of the Royal-Burgundy cavalry regiment [fr].
^Durand Echeverria, The Maupeou Revolution: A Study in the History of Libertarianism, France, 1770-1774 (1985)
^Echeverria's assessment "rings true", according to Bailey Stone, Reinterpreting the French Revolution: a global-historical perspective 2002:36.
^"J'avais fait gagner au roi un procès qui dure depuis trois cents ans. Il veut le reperdre, il en est le maître."
^Baker, Inventing the French Revolution: essays on French political culture in the eighteenth century, 2nd ed. 1990 :139.
Further readingEdit
Bell, David A. "Lawyers into Demagogues: Chancellor Maupeou and the Transformation of Legal Practice in France 1771-1789." Past and Present (1991): 107–141. in JSTOR
Doyle, William. "The Parlements of France and the Breakdown of the Old Regime 1771-1788." French Historical Studies (1970): 415-458 in JSTOR.
Echeverria, Durand. The Maupeou Revolution: A Study in the History of Libertarianism, France, 1770-1774 (Louisiana State University Press, 1985)
Jones, Colin. The Great Nation: France from Louis XV to Napoleon (2003) pp 280–98
Swann, Julian. Politics and the Parlement of Paris under Louis XV, 1754-1774 (Cambridge University Press, 1995)
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Maupeou, René Nicolas Charles Augustin". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 906–907.
August 31, 2023
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Rene de Maupeou redirects here For his father the French politician born in 1688 see Rene Charles de Maupeou Rene Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou 1 French mopu 25 February 1714 29 July 1792 was a French lawyer politician and chancellor of France whose attempts at reform signalled the failure of enlightened despotism in France He is best known for his effort to destroy the system of parlements which were powerful regional courts in 1770 74 When King Louis XV died in 1774 the parlements were restored and Maupeou lost power Rene Nicolas de MaupeouPortrait by Pierre LacourChancellor of FranceIn office 16 September 1768 1768 09 16 1 July 1790 1790 07 01 Preceded byRene Charles de MaupeouFirst president of the parlement of ParisIn office 12 October 1763 1763 10 12 15 September 1768 1768 09 15 Preceded byMathieu Francois MoleSucceeded byEtienne Francois d AligrePersonal detailsBorn 1714 02 25 25 February 1714Montpellier FranceDied29 July 1792 1792 07 29 aged 78 Le Thuit FrancePolitical partyBourbon CrownProfessionStatesman magistrateChief Minister of France Duke of Choiseul Turgot Contents 1 Early life 2 Coup 3 Fall 4 Issue 5 See also 6 Notes 7 Further readingEarly life EditHe was born in Montpellier to a family ennobled in the sixteenth century as noblesse de robe the eldest son of Rene Charles de Maupeou 1688 1775 who was president of the parlement of Paris from 1743 to 1757 In 1744 he married a rich heiress Anne de Roncherolles 1725 1752 a cousin of Madame d Epinay the friend of Rousseau who moved in the circles of the Philosophes Entering public life he was his father s right hand in the conflicts between the parlement and Christophe de Beaumont archbishop of Paris who was supported by the court Between 1763 and 1768 dates which cover the revision of the Calas case that Voltaire had championed and the trial of the comte de Lally Maupeou was himself president of the parlement In 1768 2 he became chancellor in succession to his father who had held the office for twenty four hours only largely in order to permit him to retire with the prestigious title With the disgrace of Choiseul 24 December 1770 Maupeou was the chief minister He determined to support the royal authority against the parlement the perennial block to reforms of the tax farming system or the privileges of the propertied classes which in league with the provincial magistratures was seeking to arrogate to itself the functions of the states general He allied himself with the duc d Aiguillon and the king s mistress Madame du Barry and secured for a creature of his own the Abbe Terray the office of comptroller general The struggle erupted over the trial of the case of the duc d Aiguillon ex governor of Brittany and of La Chalotais procureur general of the province who had been imprisoned by the governor for accusations against his administration When the parlement showed signs of hostility against Aiguillon Maupeou read letters patent from Louis XV annulling the proceedings Louis replied to remonstrances from the parlement by a lit de justice in which he demanded the surrender of the procedural minutes On 27 November 1770 appeared the Edit de reglement et de discipline which was promulgated by the chancellor forbidding the union of the various branches of the parlement and correspondence with the provincial magistratures It also made a strike on the part of the parlement punishable by confiscation of goods and forbade further obstruction to the registration of royal decrees after the royal reply had been given to a first remonstrance This edict the magistrates refused to register and it was registered in a lit de justice held at Versailles on 7 December whereupon the parlement was suspended in its functions Coup EditAfter five summonses to return to their duties the magistrates were surprised individually on the night of 19 January 1771 by musketeers who required them to sign yes or no to a further request to return Thirty eight magistrates gave an affirmative answer but on the exile of their former colleagues by lettres de cachet they retracted and were also exiled Maupeou installed the council of state to administer justice pending the establishment of six superior courts in the provinces and of a new parlement in Paris in which the magistrature would no longer be a hereditary prerogative but become salaried officials appointed by the Crown The cour des aides was next suppressed Maupeou proposed to make the judicial system more uniform throughout the country which was a patchwork of local judicatures 3 Voltaire praised this revolution applauding the suppression of the old hereditary magistrature but by the aristocrats and the noblesse de robe Maupeou s policy was regarded as the triumph of tyranny The remonstrances of the princes of the nobles and of the minor courts were met by exile and suppression but by the end of 1771 the new system of the parlements de Maupeou was established and the Bar which had offered a passive resistance recommenced to plead A renewed attempt was made to tax the privileged and exempted groups But it was not merely the death of Louis XV in May 1774 that ruined the chancellor Durand Echeverria characterized the dismissal of Maupeou as the inevitable liquidation of an exhausted expedient 4 Fall EditThe immediate restoration of the parlements by Louis XVI was followed by a renewal of the quarrels between the new king and the magistrature Maupeou and Terray were replaced on 24 August 1774 by Miromesnil and then by Malesherbes recalled from his exile in 1775 to be Secretary of State of the Maison du Roi and by the economist Turgot Maupeou is said to have remarked I had won for the king a case that has lasted three hundred years He wishes to lose it again he is the master of it 5 Maupeou lived in retreat still holding the office of Chancellor abolished 1 July 1790 until his death at Thuit Eure in 1792 having lived to see the overthrow of the ancien regime His work in so far as it was directed towards the separation of the judicial and political functions and to the reform of the abuses attaching to a hereditary magistrature was subsequently endorsed by the Revolution He had aimed at securing absolute power for Louis XV but his intrigues and the violence of his judicial actions were in reality a serious blow to the monarchy By pressing the issue of sovereignty to an ultimate confrontation in this way remarks Keith Michael Baker 6 of Maupeou s staffing his remodelled courts with men willing to exercise judicial functions within limits imposed by the royal will he undermined in practice exactly that belief in a constitutional middle ground between liberty and despotism that Guillaume Joseph Saige had been concerned to deny in theory Issue EditHe had two sons Rene Ange Augustin de Maupeou 1746 1794 who became maitre de camp of the Royal Burgundy cavalry regiment fr Charles Victor Rene de Maupeou 1749 1789 who became maitre des requetes See also EditMaupeou FamilyNotes Edit He was marquis de Morangles and de Bully vicomte de Bruyeres The patronage of the duc de Choiseul has been overplayed Durand Echeverria The Maupeou Revolution A Study in the History of Libertarianism France 1770 1774 1985 Echeverria s assessment rings true according to Bailey Stone Reinterpreting the French Revolution a global historical perspective 2002 36 J avais fait gagner au roi un proces qui dure depuis trois cents ans Il veut le reperdre il en est le maitre Baker Inventing the French Revolution essays on French political culture in the eighteenth century 2nd ed 1990 139 Further reading EditBell David A Lawyers into Demagogues Chancellor Maupeou and the Transformation of Legal Practice in France 1771 1789 Past and Present 1991 107 141 in JSTOR Doyle William The Parlements of France and the Breakdown of the Old Regime 1771 1788 French Historical Studies 1970 415 458 in JSTOR Echeverria Durand The Maupeou Revolution A Study in the History of Libertarianism France 1770 1774 Louisiana State University Press 1985 Jones Colin The Great Nation France from Louis XV to Napoleon 2003 pp 280 98 Swann Julian Politics and the Parlement of Paris under Louis XV 1754 1774 Cambridge University Press 1995 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain Chisholm Hugh ed 1911 Maupeou Rene Nicolas Charles Augustin Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 17 11th ed Cambridge University Press pp 906 907 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Rene Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou amp oldid 1153033338, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
