Detention order signed by Louis XVI - Originally blank, the handwritten notes were added later, notably because the governor of the Bastille, Bernard-René JOURDAN DE LAUNAY (1740-1789), was massacred on July 14, 1789, and Louis XVI was not yet resident in the Tuileries. Printed part: "I am writing this letter to tell you to receive the Sr (...) in my château de la Bastille" and to keep him in detention "until further notice (...)". This document bears witness to royal imprisonment practices before the French Revolution. It recalls the king's discretionary power in matters of justice, notably through the use of lettres de cachet, which allowed the arrest and incarceration of an individual without trial. Paper yellowed, edges slightly damaged. 1 p., in-8 format.