The Great Council of Malines in the 18th century: An Aging Court in a Changing World? (Studies in the History of Law and Justice Book 3)

This work studies the Great Council of Malines as an institution. It analyzes the Council’s internal organization and staff policy, its position within the broader society of the Austrian Netherlands, the volume and nature of litigation at the Council and its final years and ultimate demise in the late 18th and early 19th century. By means of this institutional study, this volume provides insight into the role played by the Great Council in the process of state-building in the 18th century Austrian Netherlands. While superior courts were once considered to be the prime agencies of change in the Early Modern Period, tools __par excellence__ for the sovereigns’ striving towards centralization and superiority, their position in the 18th century has so far been barely touched upon. This work focuses specifically on the 18th century supreme court of the Austrian Netherlands and provides a broad overview with attention to other aspects of the tribunal's functioning and to its role in 18th century attempts at state formation. Preface 6 Contents 9 List of Abbreviations 12 List of Figures 13 List of Tables 14 Chapter 1 15 Introduction 15 1.1 A Short History of the Great Council of Malines 17 1.2 State of the Art: A Short Historiographical Overview 22 1.3 Defining the Problem 39 References 42 Chapter 2 49 The Face of Justice: A Career Analysis of the Eighteenth Century Members of the Great Council 49 2.1 Introduction 49 2.2 The Right Man for the Job: The Appointment Procedure 51 2.2.1 The Process 51 2.2.1.1 The Droit de Terne 52 2.2.1.2 The Advising Council’s Opinion 54 2.2.1.3 The Patent Letters and the Oath 56 2.2.2 The Selection Criteria 59 2.2.2.1 Family Matters 60 2.2.2.2 Personal Merits: Experience and Seniority 64 2.2.2.3 Geographical Distribution 68 2.2.2.4 Financial Means 71 2.2.2.5 The Sovereign’s Whim 74 2.2.3 The ‘Result’ of the Nomination Procedure: The Best and the Brightest? 76 2.2.4 Recruiting l’oeil et le bras du Roi: The Appointment of the Fiscals 78 2.3 The Councilors’ Profile 84 2.3.1 Social Background 85 2.3.2 Geographical Origin 88 2.3.3 Education and Previous Career 90 2.3.4 Further Career 96 Conclusion 104 References 106 Archival Sources 106 Brussels, General State Archives 106 Published and Printed Sources 108 Literature 108 Chapter 3 111 The Framework: Internal Organization and External Power Relations 111 3.1 Introduction 111 3.2 Internal Organization 115 3.2.1 The Great Council’s Jurisdiction 115 3.2.1.1 Jurisdiction as First Instance Tribunal 116 3.2.1.2 Jurisdiction in Appeal 117 3.2.1.3 Other Legal Remedies 117 3.2.1.4 The Great Council as an Administrative Body 118 3.2.2 Procedure 118 3.2.2.1 First Instance Procedure 121 3.2.2.2 Procedure in Appeal 128 3.2.2.3 Revision (or proposition d’erreur) 129 3.2.3 The Great Council’s Inner Workings 130 3.2.3.1 Division into Chambers 130 3.2.3.2 Keeping up Appearances? The Relations Between the Court’s Personnel 134 3.2.3.3 Money Matters: Financial Sacrifices and Rewards 139 3.3 Strategy of Confrontation? The Great Council’s Struggle to Hold its Ground 150 3.3.1 “Un corps si fort audessus d’eux”: Conflicts with the Magistrate of Malines 151 3.3.2 The State Versus the Church: Conflicts with Ecclesiastical Authorities 156 3.3.3 Checks and Balances: Conflicts with the Provincial Councils 161 3.3.3.1 The ‘Subordinate’ Councils 161 3.3.3.2 The Sovereign Councils of Brabant and Hainaut 169 3.3.3.3 Other Tribunals 173 3.3.4 Status Anxiety?: Relations with the Privy Council 175 Conclusion 181 References 183 Archival Sources 183 Brussels, General State Archives 183 Malines, Archives of the Archdiocese 189 Malines, City Archives 189 Published and Printed Sources 189 Literature 189 Chapter 4 193 Administering Justice: Volume and Nature of Litigation 193 4.1 Introduction 193 4.2 The Volume of Litigation 195 4.2.1 Civil Litigation: Corpus and Research Results 195 4.2.1.1 Extended Sentences (Fig. 4.1) 196 4.2.1.2 Dicta (Fig. 4.3) 204 4.2.1.3 Distribution Records (Fig. 4.5) 207 4.2.2 Criminal Litigation: Corpus and Research Results 213 4.2.2.1 Criminal Case Files 214 4.3 Types of Civil Litigation 218 4.4 The Nature of Litigation 226 4.4.1 Sources 226 4.4.1.1 The Collection of Case Files Concerning Prominent Families 227 4.4.1.2 Extended Sentences 229 4.4.1.3 Recueils d’arrêts 231 4.4.2 Some General Observations 242 4.5 The Great Council’s Caseload in the Eighteenth Century 243 4.5.1 Caseload of the Tribunal as a Whole 243 4.5.1.1 Duration of Lawsuits 243 4.5.1.2 Accumulated Number of Lawsuits 251 4.5.2 Caseload of Individual Councilors 253 4.5.2.1 Criteria used for the Distribution of Lawsuits 256 4.5.2.2 Case Turnaround Time for Individual Councilors 261 4.5.3 Concluding Remarks 263 4.6 A Comparative Perspective 264 4.7 Explaining the Great Litigation Decline? 270 4.7.1 State of the Art 270 4.7.2 Discussion and Further Observations 276 4.7.2.1 The Litigants 276 4.7.2.2 Procedure 277 4.7.2.3 The Judges 278 4.7.2.4 Precedents 279 4.7.2.5 Government Policy 279 4.7.3 Consequences of the Great Litigation Decline 281 4.8 Litigation on the Rise: Criminal Trials 282 Conclusion 283 References 286 Archival Sources 286 Brussels, General State Archives 286 Published and Printed Sources 290 Literature 291 Chapter 5 294 Closing Time: The ‘Fortunes’ of the Great Council at the Turn of the Century 294 5.1 Introduction 294 5.2 Endgame: The Demise of a 300-year-old Tribunal 299 5.2.1 The Build-up: January, 1787–December, 1789 299 5.2.2 Revolution and Restoration: December 1789–November 1792 307 5.2.3 ‘Liberation’, Restoration, Annexation: November, 1792–June, 1794 316 5.2.3.1 French Invasion and Exile 316 5.2.3.2 Business as Usual? 320 5.2.3.3 The Central Government’s Carrot-and-Stick Policy 322 5.2.3.4 Return of the French 325 5.2.4 The Curtain Falls: July 1794–February 1804 326 5.2.4.1 The Fate of the Stay-Behind Councilors 328 5.2.4.2 In the Footsteps of the Emigrés 329 5.3 Epilogue 340 Concluding Remarks 342 References 344 Archival Sources 344 Antwerp, State Archives 344 Beveren, State Archives 344 Brussels, General State Archives 344 Malines, City Archives 347 Vienna, Haus-, Hof-Und Staatsarchiv 347 Vienna, Finanz-Und Hofkammerarchiv 347 Published and Printed Sources 347 Literature 348 Chapter 6 351 Conclusion 351 6.1 An Instrument of State Formation? 352 6.2 Superior Courts: Agencies of Change or Preservation? 355 6.3 Continuity? 356 References 360 Front Matter....Pages i-xvii Introduction....Pages 1-34 The Face of Justice: A Career Analysis of the Eighteenth Century Members of the Great Council....Pages 35-96 The Framework: Internal Organization and External Power Relations....Pages 97-178 Administering Justice: Volume and Nature of Litigation....Pages 179-279 Closing Time: The ‘Fortunes’ of the Great Council at the Turn of the Century....Pages 281-337 Conclusion....Pages 339-348