Diviser pour mieux juger : concurrence et convergence des parlements au xve siècle
Abstract
The Hundred Years’ War had serious impact on the administration of royal justice in the kingdom of France. The Parlement, the highest court of justice, was for a time split into two rival courts. As a direct consequence of the political crisis, this split opened a phase of institutional experimentation, which aim was to build peace. Throughout the reign of Charles VII, the division of Parlement into several rival courts of justice appeared to be a possible instrument of peace. It intended to intensify judicial activity, to secure the loyalty of the cities and to govern closely the conquered territories. This competition was the object of various kinds of appropriation by the actors who were involved : the royal government, the cities that were candidates for having a court erected, and the Parisian members of the Parlement. By going back over the plans to set up courts in Toulouse, Bordeaux and Poitiers, this paper aims at sheding light on the ambiguity of the term "concurrence".
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