Rene Nicolas de Maupeou

Rene Nicolas Charles Augustin of Maupeou , marquis de Morangles and of Bully, Viscount of Heathers-the-Châtel, is a magistrate and French politician born with Montpellier the February 25th 1714 and died in Thuit (the Eure) the July 29th 1792.

Resulting from a family of " robe" (notaries then magistrates) anoblie at the 16th century in Paris, Rene Nicolas de Maupeou was the oldest son of Rene Charles de Maupeou (1688 - 1775), first president of the Parlement of Paris of 1743 with 1757. January 21st 1744, it married wealthy heiress, Anne de Roncherolles (1725 - 1752), cousin of Madam d' Épinay. They had two wire:

Rene Angel Augustin de Maupeou (1746 - 1793), which will be Master of camp of the regiment of Burgundy cavalry;
Charles Victor Rene de Maupeou (1749 - 1789), which will be Master of the requests.

Maupeou was initially the right-hand man of his/her father, in particular in the conflict between the Parliament and M {{gr.}} Christophe de Beaumont, archbishop of Paris, in the Affaire of the tickets of confession. President with mortar in 1737, it became in his turn first president of 1763 with 1768. During this period, it had in particular to know revision of the lawsuit Calas and the business Lally-Tollendal.

When the chancellor Guillaume de Lamoignon de Blancmesnil resigned of his functions on September 14th 1768, it was agreed that Rene Charles de Maupeou would be designated to succeed to him but would give up at once his office to take his retirement with the prestigious title of Chancelier of France. He was thus chancellor only one day, and his/her son succeeded to him as of on September 16th, 1768. He was to be the last chancellor of monarchy, remaining in functions until the abolition of the office on July 1st 1790.

Especially, whereas the use had been established, since of Aguesseau, to separate the functions from chancellor and Minister of Justice of France, they were joined together with the profit of Maupeou which was seen entrusting the seals on September 18th 1768. It was to preserve them until August 24th 1774, date on which Louis XVI, badly advised by Maurepas, made it replace by Armand Thomas Hue of Miromesnil.

Maupeou laid out thus, in the legal matters, of a room for maneuver still increased by the confidence of Louis XV. “ Then fifty four years old, written Michel Antoine, it was a small man, with large prominent eyes under thick black eyebrows, a rather low face, a nose long and finished in square, a large mouth raised on the side, the yellow and bilieux dye. It severe, was penetrated of its duties, untiring with work, cutting down by being played a work considerable, able to lead a company without deviating, the spirit always tended on the businesses. Its defects were the excess of heat and precipitation. ”

It was claimed that Maupeou owed its nomination with Choiseul. It is certain that this last, which then had a great influence on the king, did not have to be opposed to it, but nothing proves that it supported it. Besides initially, Maupeou seemed to follow a line of moderation which was appropriate for the party of Choiseul in what was the great business of time: the parliamentary sling and, in particular, the business Chalotais, which then agitated the Parlement of Brittany.

After the resignation of Etienne Maynon d' Invault, the chancellor could strengthen his position while making name with the system check of finances, on December 22nd 1769, one of his close relations, the abbot Terray. One year later, on December 24th 1770, the disgrace of Choiseul made of the chancellor the strong man of the ministry.

The Maupeou reform

Maupeou had right now shown firmness vis-a-vis the Parlement of Brittany. To put a term at the open war carried out by the Parliaments to the royal capacity, Maupeou realizes, in 1771, a spectacular takeover by force to take again in hand the judicial power. The Parisian members of Parliament were stopped and exiled (stop of the Council of January 20th, 1771), their confiscated loads then repurchased by the State (edict of April 1771). The immense spring of the Parlement of Paris was divided into six districts with within each one a Superior council, new sovereign jurisdiction, the Parliament of remaining Paris but with the head of a more reduced district (edict of February 23rd, 1771). For these new jurisdictions, the venality of the offices is abolished, the magistrates being indicated by the King, but irremovable, and being remunerated by the State.

The reform was highly fought by the old magistrature as by the Noblesse - whose Parliaments had always defended the privileges - with at their head the Princes of blood, and by the Jansenists and gallicans, powerful in the parliamentary mediums. Certain philosophers denounce also this " blow of état" who undermines the constitution of monarchy. But it was supported by Voltaire, which hated the Parliaments, persons in charge of resounding miscarriage of justices as the Affaire Fixed.

To its advent, Louis XVI, on the councils of Maurepas, returned Maupeou - for which it did not have personal sympathy (it found it arrogant: “hardly shows me it the honor me, it does not do that to me to speak itself”) - by withdrawing to him the seals (August 24th 1774), recalled the former magistrates and restores the Parliaments in their former state, destroying the reform of Maupeou to which one lends these words: “ I had saved with the king a lawsuit which has lasted for three hundred years. He wants the reperdre, he is the Master. ”

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