Parliaments and Prince du Sang in France of the period of absolutism in their opposition to royal authority

Abstract

Aim. To consider the features of such specific bodies of power in France of the Period of the Ancien Rйgime as Parliaments (Paris and provincial) in interaction with the royal power and prince du sang (prince of the blood) in historical dynamics.

Methodology. The article considers such specific institutions of power in France in the 17th–18^th centuries as parliaments, the peculiarity of which was the functioning as a judicial, rather than a representative body of power. The article reveals the main aspects of the conflict between the Paris and provincial parliaments of France with the royal power, their cooperation with another medieval institution – the prince du sang. During the study, the comparative-historical method and the method of historical periodization, based on the principles of historicism and consistency, were used.

Results. In the course of the work, it was shown that royal France of the Ancien Rйgime (which ended in 1789), until its downfall, retained such specific (and at the same time related) institutions of power as parliaments (membership in which was not elective, but hereditary) and the institution of princes du sang. The activities of these institutions in the era of absolutism decline were one of the main reasons for the collapse of the monarchy in this country.

Research implications. The conclusions of the study contribute to the understanding of a number of significant political and social processes in the life of France and Europe of the 17th–18th centuries, which, in turn, can improve our capabilities in the field of scientific forecasting of the occurrence of typologically similar inter-elite and intra-elite conflicts. The materials of this publication can be used in the development of special courses on the history of France of high absolutism, as well as reading the general course of a new history.