bed of justice

English

Etymology

Calque of French lit de justice, referring to the throne occupied by the king when sitting in one of his judicial courts.

Noun

bed of justice (plural beds of justice)

  1. (history) A special parliamentary session headed by the king in pre-Revolutionary France, where royal edicts could be forcibly registered.
    • 1866, Charles Duke Yonge, The History of France under the Bourbons, pages 43–4:
      when [...] he himself announced that the king would hold a Bed of Justice to compel the instant registration of the necessary edicts, the Parliament became more exasperated than ever.
    • 1949, Rafael Sabatini, The Gamester, Stratus Books 2001, p. 137:
      D'Argenson was prepared with advice. ‘A bed of justice will suffice, Highness.’

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