Abourgeois of Paris was traditionally a member of one of thecorporations orguilds that existed under theAncien Régime. According to Article 173 of theCustom of Paris, a bourgeois had to possess adomicile inParis as atenant orowner for at least a year and a day.[1] This qualification was also required for public offices such asprovost of the merchants,alderman orconsul, but unlike the bourgeois or citizens of other free cities, Parisians did not need letters ofbourgeoisie to prove their status.
A bourgeois of Paris had privileges as well as duties. While they were exempt from paying thetaille, they were required to pay the citytaxes, contribute to a publiccharity, arm themselves at their own expense, and join the urbanmilitia.[1]
According to article 173 (previously 129) of theCustom of Paris, the "right of the Bourgeoisie" can be attained in Paris by any person "living and residing there for a year and a day." "Living and residing" meant having a personal home and staying there continuously with family as opposed to making temporary stays for business; this was proven by a receipt of rent or personalcapitation. Renting a room or staying in a furnished hotel was not considered. Unlike the bourgeois or citizens of other free cities, Parisians did not need letters of bourgeoisie to prove their status.[1]
Anyone who owned a home in Paris intra-muros as anowner ortenant and had resided there for over a year was considered a bourgeois of Paris. There were no other conditions such as heritage or anoath, unlike inBrussels at the same period.[citation needed]
The privileges of the Bourgeois of Paris were numerous and diverse and varied greatly from decade to decade. The list published in 1884 inL'Intermédiaire des chercheurs et curieux (The Intermediate of the Researchers and Curious) gives a glimpse into the variety of these privileges. Laurence Croq, who dedicated a thesis to studying the Bourgeois of Paris in the 18th century, explains that this status had apolymorphous characteristic.[2]
The first privilege of the Bourgeois of Paris was being allowed their own set of customary rules: theCoutume de Paris.
The second privilege of the Bourgeois of Paris was the right for merchants to be organized into bodies. These bodies received certain privileges from theking, such as the right to have a seal, a common fund, and a "parlor for Bourgeois" (city hall); the right to defend itself, to close itself, and to administer itself; and the right to have its own justice and its own police force.
According to Article 112 of the Custom of Paris, the Bourgeois of Paris cannot be forced toplead indefense anywhere other than Paris, including in civil matters for purelyreal rights.
Fiscal privileges were numerous; those maintained until theMeeting of the Estates-General in 1789 included:
The Bourgeois of Paris were given some privileges almost equal to thenobility's, the oldest being the exemption frommortmain, from theTaille,[3] and freehold to benefit from the noble guard. At an early period, the Bourgeois of Paris received the right to wear ahelmet and/orcrestedcoats of arms[4] and to carry asword fromKing Charles V.[5]
According toChateaubriand, "Charles V granted letters ofnobility to all the Bourgeois of Paris;Charles VI,Louis XI,Francis I andHenry II confirmed these letters of nobility. Paris was never acommune because it wasfranc by the mere presence of the king."[6]Henry III restricted this privilege in 1577 to theProvost of the Merchants and theAldermen alone. It was suppressed in 1667, restored in 1707, suppressed again in 1715, and finally restored in 1716, which remained until the end of theAncien Régime.[7]
The Bourgeois of Paris also enjoyed the right to the noble guard, who were called theBourgeois Guard when serving them.[citation needed]
The oldestcorporations orguilds in Paris were theclothiers,grocers,haberdashers, andfurriers.[citation needed]
The water merchants, heirs of the "nautes de Lutèce [fr]",monopolised theBasilica of Saint-Denis and theGrande Boucherie (lit. Big Butchery) and constituted athird power along with theclergy and the Frenchnobility that consecrated the Great Ordinance of the provost of merchants in 1357
In 1190, before leaving for a crusade,King Philippe Auguste wrote hiswill and placed six "loyal men" at the head of the provosts: Thibaut Le Riche, Athon de Greve, Evrouin Le Changeur, Robert de Chartres, Baudouin Bruneau and Nicolas Boucel.[8]
TheLivre des métiers (Book oftrades) and theLivre de la taille (Book of thetaille), written under provostÉtienne Boileau, allow readers to learn about the rising status of the Bourgeoisie. Holders of registered occupations were considered to be Bourgeois.
During the 13th century, numerous Bourgeois dynasties were built, including the Sarrazins, Barbettes, Bourdonnais (seerue des Bourdonnais), and Pisdoe or Pizdoue.
Pizdoe family, fourprovosts of the merchants of Paris. Manyaldermen. In the history of the capital, it was the dynasty that ruled Paris during the longest period. ThePédoüe was also one of the principal landowners of Paris in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.
Cochin family, politicians, a prefect, historians. Founders of theCochin Hospital.
deLens family (goldsmiths ofPhilippe I, Duke of Orléans.), alsoBourgeois of Brussels.
Vandive family, a branch of thevan Dievoet family,Bourgeois of Brussels.
Bruté de Rémur family, silk merchants.Content in this edit is translated from the existing French Wikipedia article atfr: Bourgeois de Paris; see its history for attribution.