Editing Lettres de cachet (section)

==As a tool==
In addition to serving the [[forms of government|government]] as a silent weapon against political adversaries<ref name=mirabeau>{{Cite journal|title=Mirabeau, a Victim of the Lettres de Cachet
|journal=The American Historical Review|volume=3|number=1 |date=Oct 1897|pages=19–30|author=Fred Morrow Fling|jstor=1832806|doi=10.2307/1832806}}</ref> or controversial writers{{Citation needed|date=October 2014}} and as a means of punishing culprits of high birth without the scandal of a lawsuit, the ''lettres de cachet'' had many other uses. They were employed by the police in dealing with prostitutes, and on their authority lunatics were shut up in hospitals and sometimes in prisons.

They were also often used by heads of families as a means of correction, for example, to protect the family honour from the disorderly or criminal conduct of sons. The case of the [[Marquis de Sade]] (imprisoned 1777–1790 under a ''lettre de cachet'' obtained by his wealthy and influential mother-in-law) is a prominent example. Wives, too, took advantage of them to curb the profligacy of husbands, and vice versa.

In reality, the secretary of state had delegated powers, and could issue them at his own discretion, and in most cases the king was unaware of their issue. In the 18th century the letters were often issued blank, i.e. without containing the name of the person against whom they were directed; the recipient, or [[mandatary]], filled in the name in order to make the letter effective.