Cour des monnaies
Encyclopedia
The Cour des monnaies was one of the sovereign court
s of Ancien Régime France
. It was set up in 1552. It and the other Ancien Régime tribunals were suppressed in 1791 after the French Revolution
.
and counterfeit
ing could be punishable by death. At first monetary justice was exercised by généraux des monnaies, but in 1346 this passed to a dedicated Chambre des monnaies, set up in 1358 at the Palais de la Cité in buildings adjoining the Chambre des comptes
. Appeals against sentences passed in the Chambre des monnaies were taken to the Parlement
until January 1552, when the Chambre was turned into a sovereign court called the Cour des monnaies.
The office of prévôté générale des monnaies was set up by an edict of June 1635 to support the Cour des monnaies in its administrative and policing functions throughout its jurisdiction. That jurisdiction was originally equivalent to that of the Parlement de Paris, but did not in the 18th century include the territories later annexed to the kingdom of France (governed by the parliaments of Metz and Pau and by the Chambre des comptes de Dole) as well as the généralités reliant on the Cour des monnaies de Lyon, set up in 1704 and suppressed in 1771.
Sovereign court
Sovereign court , also known as superior court from 1661, referred to any prerogative court of last resort in monarchical France. Among them included the King's Council, the Court of Accounts, the Cour des aides, the Cour des monnaies, and the Parlements....
s of Ancien Régime France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It was set up in 1552. It and the other Ancien Régime tribunals were suppressed in 1791 after the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
.
Origins
The regulation of coin-making was royal regulation par excellence and very soon became the object of strict surveillance and dedicated judicial institutions. Monetary crimes were particularly severely punished, and coin clippingCoin clipping
Coin debasement is the act of decreasing the amount of precious metal in a coin, while continuing to circulate it at face value. This was frequently done by governments in order to inflate the amount of currency in circulation; typically, some of the precious metal was replaced by a cheaper metal...
and counterfeit
Counterfeit
To counterfeit means to illegally imitate something. Counterfeit products are often produced with the intent to take advantage of the superior value of the imitated product...
ing could be punishable by death. At first monetary justice was exercised by généraux des monnaies, but in 1346 this passed to a dedicated Chambre des monnaies, set up in 1358 at the Palais de la Cité in buildings adjoining the Chambre des comptes
Chambre des comptes
Under the French monarchy, the Courts of Accounts were sovereign courts specialising in financial affairs. The Court of Accounts in Paris was the oldest and the forerunner of today's French Court of Audit...
. Appeals against sentences passed in the Chambre des monnaies were taken to the Parlement
Parlement
Parlements were regional legislative bodies in Ancien Régime France.The political institutions of the Parlement in Ancien Régime France developed out of the previous council of the king, the Conseil du roi or curia regis, and consequently had ancient and customary rights of consultation and...
until January 1552, when the Chambre was turned into a sovereign court called the Cour des monnaies.
Organisation (1552-1791)
From 1552 the Cour des monnaies was the supreme and sovereign authority on all civil law and criminal law relating to:- ratione materiae, the act of coin-making and by extension all use of gold and silver
- ratione personae, judging all those who worked or sold these precious metals (moneyers, money-changers, goldsmiths, miners, gold-beaters, foundryFoundryA foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
-workers, jewellers, etc)
The office of prévôté générale des monnaies was set up by an edict of June 1635 to support the Cour des monnaies in its administrative and policing functions throughout its jurisdiction. That jurisdiction was originally equivalent to that of the Parlement de Paris, but did not in the 18th century include the territories later annexed to the kingdom of France (governed by the parliaments of Metz and Pau and by the Chambre des comptes de Dole) as well as the généralités reliant on the Cour des monnaies de Lyon, set up in 1704 and suppressed in 1771.