Broussel, Pierre

Broussel, Pierre pyĕr bro͞osĕlˈ [key], c.1575–1654, councillor of the Parlement of Paris under Louis XIII and Louis XIV. His opposition to the tax program proposed by Cardinal Mazarin made him popular. The uprising after his arrest in 1648 caused his early release and was the start of the first Fronde. In July, 1652, the Parisians chose him provost of the merchants, i.e., virtual mayor. He resigned in September in order to facilitate the reconciliation between the rebels and the court, and he died in obscurity.

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