ABSTRACT
It was to be expected that members of the Parlement would play their part in state affairs. Though requirements of clarity may justify the separate treatment of the Parlemen’s judicial, political and administrative functions, there is nevertheless a danger of such an approach producing a serious misinterpretation of the nature of French monarchy. In April 1436 French troops drove the English out of Paris, and early in the following year the Parlement was called upon to resolve a case involving a French girl and an English soldier. As royal counsellors, the magistrates stood closer to the throne than the bailiffs and as a court of law the Parlement had preeminence over every other royal jurisdiction in the country. The Parlement saw itself as the support, not the rival, of the monarchy. In 1417, the Parlement was asked for advice on how extra funds could be secured to help combat the English threat.
