The regent and the parlements: the bid for cooperation

Absolutism and representative government in early modern France and Austria

“…In January 1718, the marquis d'Argenson, who believed in taking a hard line with the parlements, was named contrôleur-général des finances and keeper of the seals. 114 The crisis of 1718 began in May when Argenson sent an edict devaluing the livre not to the Parlement of Paris, where he expected opposition, for registration, but to the Cour des Monnaies. The Parlement of Paris saw this as an attempt to prevent it from exercising its rightful constitutional function of reviewing royal legislation.…”