# Étienne Marcel challenges royal government (1357)

URL: https://history-france.com/timeline/1357-etienne-marcel-challenges-royal-government
Location: Paris

The provost of merchants pressed for fiscal and constitutional reforms amid the captivity of the king. Within the broader Late Medieval France period, The Valois kingdom endured the Hundred Years’ War, plague, civil conflict and English occupation before recovering under Charles VII and Louis XI. Military and fiscal reforms strengthened the crown by the late fifteenth century. At this point in the timeline, the relevant governing authority is John II the Good (King of France). Étienne Marcel challenges royal government is a useful marker in the longer transformation of political authority, society and culture in France. The event is positioned here so visitors can read it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion, culture and France’s wider international setting.

## Why it matters
Étienne Marcel challenges royal government is a useful marker in the longer transformation of political authority, society and culture in France.

Ruler at the time: [John II the Good](https://history-france.com/rulers/john-ii-the-good)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Étienne Marcel challenges royal government](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=%C3%89tienne+Marcel+challenges+royal+government&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Étienne Marcel challenges royal government](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=%C3%89tienne+Marcel+challenges+royal+government)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of French history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_French_history)