Short history of the Parliament of Burgundy

History of the Parliament of Burgundy

The Dukes of Burgundy had a council, the Curia Ducis which, among other functions, was responsible for judging important cases and serving as a court of appeal for sentences handed down by vassal lords.

This Curia Ducis was made up of important people and renowned lawyers. When it met to administer justice, it was known as a Parliament. These assemblies were sporadic and travelled from place to place. In 1354 the Curia Ducis was installed in the Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy in Beaune by Philip II of Burgundy, known as Philip the Bold, youngest son of King John II.

At the end of the reign of Charles the Bold*,  the Duchy of Burgundy became part  Kingdom of France but Louis XI, wishing to maintain the good graces of the Burgundians, allowed them to keep their privileges and even the recognised  the sovereign character of the Parliament of Burgundy.

This meant that its decisions could no longer be appealed in Paris. Moreover, the Parliament and the Court of Appeals, were merged.

The parliament was established in Dijon at the end of the 15th century (1477) under Louis XI by the merger of the council of Dijon, the Grands Jours de Beaune (a sort of royal assize court) and the audience chamber of the appeals courts. The audit chamber was maintained.

These arrangements could not be put in place immediately due to the unrest caused by Marie of Burgundy's attempts to retake the Duchy and due to the assassination, in 1477, of the president designated by parliament, Jean Jouard.

New negotiations took place but as Beaune had openly taken sides against the King, Parliament was transferred to Dijon with some sessions being held in Salins.

In November 1480 Louis d'Amboise personally installed the new parliament in a building forming part of the Chamber of Accounts. The first President of the Parliament was Jean Jacquelin.

In 1789 Parliament was dissolved following the French Revolution, even though some sessions of the war council and the revolutionary tribunal were held there. Balls were held, and a gymnast named Fanoni even gave performances there in 1806. In 1816 under the Restoration, the old Parliament housed the Palace of Justice and in 1989 the Judicial court was created in a new building, only the Court of Appeal and Court of Assises are now located in the old Parliament building.

*Charles the Bold was killed at the Battle of Nancy in 1477 and was the great grandson of Philip the Bold

**Marie was the only child of Philip the Bold and was married to Maximilian I, King of the Romans who later, after Marie's death in 1482, became Holy Roman Emperor in 1508)

Plus d’informations sur notre site internet :

https://www.cours-appel.justice.fr/dijon/la-cour-dappel-de-dijon-ancien-parlement-de-bourgogne