Marmousets

The Marmousets were a group of advisers to the French King Charles V who were given to Charles VI. returned to power in October 1388, when he came of age and ended the reign of the dukes . The name is a mocking name that means something like "old owls".

The majority of them were of bourgeois origin, which made them suspicious of the prince, and they had amassed considerable fortunes in their careers, which earned them considerable envy. The hostility towards them was reinforced by the fact that they formed a socially and politically coherent group - unlike the dukes, who pursued quite different political and economic interests - which made it difficult to separate them. In addition, they knew how to strengthen their position, for example by bringing 28 new Conseillers (German advisors) to Parliament within three years .

The main marmousets were:

• Jean Le Mercier
• Bureau de la Rivière and
• Jean de Montaigu

Then there were the Chancellor Arnaud de Corbie , the Vogt of Paris Jean de Folleville , the General Aides Nicolas de Bosc and, surprisingly, Jean Canart , confidante and chancellor of the Duke of Burgundy.

The Marmousets' program, which became clear in some reform decrees from February and March 1389, was shaped by their professional experience. They reformed the administration of royal finances and restored that of the Domaine royal . They organized a public service that was previously a personal service to the king. They supported Clement VII , the Pope in Avignon , against the votes from the University of Paris , the majority of which were against him.

The Marmousets were expelled from the royal council in 1392 when the dukes in connection with the mental illness of Charles VI. seized power again. Most of them, however, retained their offices and continued their work in the public service. The contents of their government were taken up again by the reformists of the years 1405 to 1413, and parts of their decree of February 5, 1389 can be found in the publications of the Cabochiens (1413).

source

• Jean Favier , Dictionnaire de la France médiévale , 1993, p. 620