Intendants
Intendants were royal civil servants in France under the ancien régime. The use of intendants was first implemented during the reign of King Louis XIII of France (1610 – 1643).
A product of the centralization of the monarchs of France, Spain, and Portugal, the intendants' job was to prevent abuses of the sales of royal offices and had the right to collect revenues and sell licenses.
When Henry IV came to the throne in 1589, one important aspect of his agenda was cutting back the privileges of the French nobles. His main targets were not only the provincial governors, but the regional "parlements" – particularly the one in Paris, which was notoriously divisive.
Later, when Louis XIV (r. 1643 – 1715) was in power, the marquis of Louvois, war minister between 1677 and 1691, expanded the power of the Intendants. They monitored Louvois's refinements of the French military, including the institution of a merit promotion system and the creation of enlistment that lasted for only four years and was restricted to single men.
See also
Reference
Donald Kagan, Steven Ozment, and Frank M. Turner's The Western Heritage (since 1300) Sixth Edition, copyrighted and published in 1998.