ABSTRACT
Leagues of Catholic noblemen and prelates had appeared much earlier in various localities, but Henry Ill’s concessions to the Huguenots made in that year at the peace of Monsieur caused them to be fused into a single nation-wide organization. In the dilemma posed by the uncertainty of the succession, the Parlement was moving away from the principle propounded by the League that hereditary right had to cede to religious orthodoxy. Richelieu, therefore, was hostile to the Parlement and was prepared to circumscribe its political power. Thus, in October 1624, Richelieu established a special court to deal with administrators accused of financial malpractice, before which he also arraigned some of his political enemies, secure in the knowledge that they would be found guilty. The king, who remained indisputably in control of affairs for all Richelieu’s authority, was well aware of the various rights of his subjects, both individual and corporate.
