King Louis XVI's decision to abolish the parlements arose from financial distress that plagued the French monarchy in the late 18th century, exacerbated by costly wars and an inefficient tax system. Étienne Charles de Loménie de Brienne, appointed as the minister of finance, proposed a series of reforms intended to address fiscal issues and modernize French economic management. However, the parlements, which functioned as both regional courts and guardians of civil liberties, frequently opposed the crown's attempts at reform. The king's attempt to bypass the resistant parlements by issuing a lit de justice—essentially a royal edict—generated significant backlash and set off widespread outrage among the judiciary and the nobility. The abolition was met with resistance, including protests and the formation of opposition groups, leading to a worsening of relations between the monarchy and the nobility. This conflict over authority and governance provided a glimpse into the growing strife that would eventually contribute to the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789. The dismissal of the parlements was not just a simple bureaucratic maneuver; it was emblematic of a larger struggle over power in France, between a struggling monarchy and the established order of the nobility and judiciary.