Acceso usuarios
Bertrand Augé
This is a study about the deliberations of the estates of Lower Navarre between 1784 and 1788. It belongs to the school of thought represented by the work of Marie-Laure Legay and Julian Swann, who argue that the provincial estates, far from being little more than medieval survivals crushed by the weight of the ancient regime, were in a position to provide the crown with valuable services. Integrated in the Kingdom of France since 1620, Basse-Navarre retained its fors, its public and private law, and above all its tax system. This article considers the daily activities of the estates by describing their organisation, operation and through a critical analysis of the register of debates. A second section analyses the subjects of the laws which were passed, both in quantitative and qualitative terms, followed by a discussion of the relations between the members of the estates and the representatives of the central authority.
