«The King of France sits on the throne of justice». How the government and society created the French Monarchy together
Tsaturova Susanna
At the initial stage of the construction of monarchical states in medieval Europe, the main function of the supreme secular power was the administration of justice. The Church laid the ideological foundations for strengthening monarchical power: the sacred concept of justice combined with the ideas of theologians about special royal dignity as service for the common good. The "reception" of Roman law transformed the status of the monarch, turning him into a "debtor of justice." In this context, France was positioned by the ideologists of the monarchy as the "homeland of exemplary justice," which was considered a sign of the French Kingdom's chosenness. Why has justice become the main tool for strengthening monarchical power? The reason lies in the structure of medieval society: polycentrism in the 10th –12th centuries did not leave a vacuum of power, and the king acted like any lord. In this situation, in order to expand the competence of the supreme secular power, it needed to gain moral authority and to prove their advantages over other authorities with the same powers. This moral authority could be provided only by the king as the supreme judge, independent arbitrator, and peacemaker. The construction of a strong monarchical state was the result of the actions of kings, their judicial officials, and the support of the broad strata of society. The first milestone in this process was the establishment by Philippe II Auguste of bailiffs and seneschals, to whom it was possible to appeal against the verdicts of other courts in the domain. The second step on this path were the reforms of Saint Louis: the revision of 1247 and the right to complain about negligent officials; the ordinance of 1254 on the reform of morals, which legalized the presumption of being not guilty; the abolition of judicial duel, which allowed challenging any sentence; finally, the separation of Parliament from the Royal Curia as the supreme court of appeal of the kingdom. Lawyers and judicial officers have made a crucial contribution to strengthening monarchical power by taking cases away from other courts through reliance on law, loopholes in the laws, and references to the priority of mercy. These actions found a response in society, and were supported by all classes who benefited from the strengthening of the power of the King of France.
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