In the seventeenth century, royal authority tightened its control over Provence. Intendants and the ministers Richelieu and then Mazarin faced resistance from local institutions and elites. The Parlement of Provence defended its prerogatives. The sale of public offices encouraged the growth of the noblesse de robe, the office-holding nobility, while the monarchy's financial needs increased taxation.
Local institutions and privileges survived, but their autonomy diminished. Despite revolts and frequent conflicts, Provence gradually became more closely integrated into the French monarchy's administration.