Note 14 — Chapter IV · PHILIP III TO THE HOUSE OF VALOIS

The échiquier of Rouen was the ancient feudal court of the dukes of Normandy; it was held alternately at Rouen, Falaise, and Caen. Philip the Fair put royal magistrates at its head and fixed it at Rouen, where it met twice a year at Easter and Michaelmas, whence the expression les deux échiquiers. The grands jours were presided over by a judicial commission appointed by the king, but like the échiquier of Rouen it was a local institution that had already long existed.