Legal Development and Royal Justice

The thirteenth century witnessed a legal revolution that fundamentally enhanced royal authority. The recovery of Roman law, studied in new universities like Paris and Orléans, provided concepts of sovereignty and public authority that transcended feudal limitations. Canon law developments offered models of hierarchical jurisdiction and appellate procedures. Customary law's codification allowed royal courts to claim supervisory authority over local legal traditions.

Louis IX's judicial reforms exemplified these developments. The Parlement of Paris, evolving from the feudal curia regis, became a professional law court staffed by legally trained judges. Its jurisdiction expanded through the mechanism of royal cases—crimes like treason, counterfeiting, and violations of royal safeguards that belonged exclusively to royal courts. Appeals from seigneurial courts to royal justice became increasingly common, creating a hierarchical system with the king at its apex.

The enquêteurs, investigators dispatched throughout the realm to hear complaints against royal officials, demonstrated royal commitment to justice while extending central oversight. These inquiries, preserved in extensive records, reveal both administrative abuses and royal efforts at correction. By positioning the king as the source of justice against his own officials, the enquêtes enhanced royal legitimacy while gathering intelligence about local conditions.

Legal procedures in royal courts showed increasing sophistication. Written evidence gained importance over oral testimony. Rational proofs replaced ordeals and trial by battle. Professional lawyers emerged, creating a legal culture centered on royal courts. The grand coutumier of Normandy and similar compilations codified regional customs under royal authority. These developments created a legal system that, while respecting local variations, acknowledged royal supremacy.