Great Ordinance

{{Use dmy dates, date=July 2023 :''The phrase "Great Ordinance" was also an early term for

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

, more usually spelt "Great Ordnance".'' In French political history, a great ordinance or grand ordinance (French – Grande ordonnance) was an important royal

ordinance Ordinance may refer to: Law * Ordinance (Belgium), a law adopted by the Brussels Parliament or the Common Community Commission * Ordinance (India), a temporary law promulgated by the President of India on recommendation of the Union Cabinet * Em ...

decree A decree is a law, legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state, judge, monarch, royal figure, or other relevant Authority, authorities, according to certain procedures. These procedures are usually defined by the constitution, Legislativ ...

. The

French Estates-General In France under the Ancien Régime, the Estates General ( ) or States-General was a legislative and consultative assembly of the different classes (or estates) of French subjects. It had a separate assembly for each of the three estates (clergy ...

might also adopt one to, for example, grant the king the exclusive right to raise troops, and establish the taxation measure known as the taille in support of a standing army. Examples included: * the ''Grande ordonnance pour la réforme du royaume'' (the Great Ordinance for the reform of the kingdom):

Louis IX Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), also known as Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death in 1270. He is widely recognized as the most distinguished of the Direct Capetians. Following the death of his father, Louis ...

forbade

blasphemy Blasphemy refers to an insult that shows contempt, disrespect or lack of Reverence (emotion), reverence concerning a deity, an object considered sacred, or something considered Sanctity of life, inviolable. Some religions, especially Abrahamic o ...

, gaming, prostitution,

tourney A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

s, and

trial by ordeal Trial by ordeal was an ancient judicial practice by which the guilt or innocence of the accused (called a "proband") was determined by subjecting them to a painful, or at least an unpleasant, usually dangerous experience. In medieval Europe, like ...

, made the circulation of the royal coin compulsory, and delegated the administration of royal justice to jurists (the origin of the French parliament). * the

Great Ordinance of 1357 The Great Ordinance of 1357 was an edict through which Étienne Marcel attempted to impose limits on the French monarchy, in particular in fiscal and monetary matters. Historical context Since the year 1000 and the Cluny renaissance, medieval socie ...

, intended to curb royal power, but in the end never applied * the Grande ordonnance which put in place the

compagnies d'ordonnance The compagnie d'ordonnance was the first standing army of late medieval and early modern Kingdom of France, France. The system was the forefather of the modern company (military unit), company. Each ''compagnie'' consisted of 100 ''lances fourni ...

, the first permanent units of the

French army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

; * the Grande ordonnance des Eaux et Forêts (Grand Ordinance of the Waters and Forests) of 1516, by which

Francis I Francis I or Francis the First may refer to: People Kings and emperors * Francis I of France (1494–1547), King of France, reigned 1515–1547 * Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor (1708–1765), reigned 1745–1765 * Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor ...

regulated the management of his domain and of the hunt – this ordinance was revived in 1669. Colbert also took several other ordinances to be '' Great Ordinances'' : * the ''Grande ordonnance de procédure civile'' (Grand Ordinance on civil procedure) signed at

Saint-Germain-en-Laye Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. ...

, called the '' Code Louis'', making it compulsory to record baptisms, marriages and burials in the registers of the civil state (as opposed to the registers of the church); * the '' Grande ordonnance criminelle'' (Grand Ordinance on criminal law) in 1670; * the ''Grande ordonnance de la marine'' (Grand Ordinance on the fleet) in 1681 : * the ''Grande ordonnance sur les colonies'' (Grand Ordinance on the colonies), also known as the ''

Code noir The (, ''Black code'') was a decree passed by King Louis XIV, Louis XIV of France in 1685 defining the conditions of Slavery in France, slavery in the French colonial empire and served as the code for slavery conduct in the French colonies ...

'' (1685). Laws and ordinances of the Ancien Régime Legal history of France