Politics in eighteenth-century France was dominated by the relationship between the crown and the magistrates of the Parlement of Paris. The Parlement provided a traditional check upon the King's authority, but after 1750 it entered a period of prolonged confrontation with the government of Louis XV. The religious, financial and administrative policies of the monarchy were subject to sustained opposition, and the magistrates employed arguments which challenged the foundations of royal authority. This struggle was brought to an abrupt conclusion in 1771, when Chancellor de Maupeou implemented a royal revolution, breaking the power of the Parlement. In order to explain why the crown and the Parlement drifted into conflict, this study re-examines the conduct of government under Louis XV, the role of the magistrates, and the structure of judicial politics in eighteenth-century France.

"Swann's readable and revealing account of judicial politics during the years 1754-1774, based on extensive research in manuscript and published sources, inevitably reviews material discussed by other historians, but he adds new information and many nuances along the way." American Historical Review

"Drawing on records of the Parlement of Paris and papers and memoirs of a host of key eighteenth-century political figures, Julian Swann's rich new study represents a significant revisionist addition to the growing literature on the court...Because such new interpretations will require a re-examination of the conflicts between the monarch and court, students of eighteenth-century France will wish to consult Swann's study." The Historian