The Chevalier de Montmagny: First Governor of New France

Glossary

Glossary Aveu et denombrement: Description of the goods and dues related to a fiefupon change of ownership. Caravan: Involvement of a Knightof Maltain an expedition organized by his order against the Turksin the Eastern Mediterranean. Hewas supposed to take part in four of these if he wished to commanderie (a land which had been conceded to the order in his country). Chambre descomptes: Chamber of accounts, abodychargedwith controlling the public funds. Chambre du roi: A section of the royal court; persons who are in charge of the private life of the royal family, such as the valets de chambre or the valets de garde-robeduroi. Chdtelet: Tribunal of the prevots and vicontes of Paris, subordinate to the parliament. The most important court of justice of Paris. Chevalier: Knight; a title given to the high nobility. Commissaire desguerres: Commissioner for military affairs. Acommissaire is a person to whom the king concedes, by letter of commission, a function which is removable. Thus a commissaire is not, like an officier, the owner of his charge. Conseil d'etat et prive: Council of State, supervising the justice and the administration of the government. Its members are entitled conseillers d'Etat. Conseiller du roi: a title given to most office-holders working in some part of the government. Corso: The Italian word for a privateering expedition; in French, "course." Cour des aides: The court with jurisdiction over a number of cases relating to taxes, not only the "aides" or indirect taxes. Echevin: Alderman, member of a town council. Ecuyer: Squire; a title that canbe used by any noble, following his name and before the name of his seigneurie. Engage: Man recruited to work in a colony.He is "engaged" for thirtysix months (engages were often called "trente-six mois"); after which he is allowed to settle in the colony,either in a seigneurie or in a town. 360 THE CHEVALIER DE MONTMAGNY Grand Conseil: Court of law chaired by the chancellor, and dealing, among other things, with disagreements among the sovereign courts. Greffier. Registraror clerk of a court; the man whom the court employs to receive, send, and store judgments. Lettre decachet: A sealed letter sent by the king concerning a particular case, and linked most of the time to an order for exile or imprisonment. Lieutenant I maitre particulier des eaux etforets: Officer in charge of a jurisdiction concerned with waters and forests. Thesejurisdictions are called grand maitrises or maitrises particulieres, the latter depending on the former. Maitre des comptes: Official in charge of supervising, for a financial jurisdiction, certain transactions; the most important magistrate in the Chambre des comptes. Maitre desrequetes: Magistrate of high rank, recruited in the sovereign courts to conduct investigations throughout the country; often called to become an intendant. Marechal de camp: Before the 1670s, an army officer in charge of organizing the lodging of an army during a campaign. Parlement: Court ofjustice, but with some administrative and political powers. The most important is the parlement of Paris; there are thirteen parlements in the provinces. President amortier:Ajudge of the Grand Chambre of the Paris parlement. Requetes du Palais: Sector of the parlements charged with supervising certain special cases. Robe: See robin. Robin: Person belonging to the legal profession (la "robe") as a lawyer or a magistrate. Roture: Absence of nobility, commoner status. "Savonette a vilain": Soap that washes away the taint of non-nobility; a metaphor for the purchase by a commoner of a title. The expression was coined by the Duke ofSaint-Simon (1675-1755) in his memoirs, but the practice developed much earlier in time. Secretaire du roi: Originally an office holder charged with signing the letters sent out by the chancery.But in fact, most of the time, a title given to a good civil servant, bringing with it certain advantages, the most important of which is ennoblement. Seigneur de ...: A man who possesses a seigneurie, who can claim the title of ""NT seigneur de "XX"' (name of the place). GLOSSARY 361 Surintendant desfinances: The Surintendant is the man who is in charge of the financial administration ofthe kingdom. This charge disappears after the departure of Fouquet. Tattle: The most important direct tax, calculated on personal possessions. Vicomte: Holder of a viscounty. N.B. A good reference book on this subject is: Roland Mousnier, The Institutions of France under the Absolute Monarchy, 1598-1789, Society and State,translated by Brian Pearce (Chicago: U. of...