lettre de cachet

Found in Anh - Anh (Wordnet)

Definition Noun : A lettre de cachet was an official, sealed letter or warrant issued by a French king, bearing his personal signature and seal. It was an arbitrary order, most notoriously used to authorize the imprisonment or exile of a person without trial or any formal legal process. Usage The term is used historically to refer to this specific instrument of royal power in pre-Revolutionary...