Master of Requests (France)

In jurisprudence and administration, the French term maître is an honorific for a barrister (a lawyer who acts in proceedings before a court of law), and requêtes are "appeals" or "petitions".

A number of traditions from this time survived until the 18th century, such as the King's accompaniment by two Masters ordinarily on Sundays and festival days, on his way to and from church, and their close attendance upon him during mass, so as to better receive petitions from the public.

The role of the Masters of Requests was greatly expanded during the Renaissance: their duties, as defined by the Edict of 1493, and subsequently modified during the reigns of Francis I and Henry II, were to serve as deputies to and work closely under the Lord Chancellor of France and provide royal oversight of the judicial system at all levels.

From their members were generally recruited other high-level royal officers and government officials, such as Councillors of State, provincial intendants of commerce or finance, the Comptroller-General, Lieutenant-General of Police, and so forth.

(see French nobility) Under Louis XII, there were six Masters of Requests; Francis increased their number to eighteen; Henry II to thirty-two.