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The Ancien Regime France in the 18 th Century

The Ancien Regime France in the 18 th Century. The 1% Royal Family Clergy (First Estate) Nobility (Second Estate)

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Page 1: The Ancien Regime France in the 18 th Century. The 1% Royal Family Clergy (First Estate) Nobility (Second Estate)

The Ancien Regime

France in the 18th Century

Page 2: The Ancien Regime France in the 18 th Century. The 1% Royal Family Clergy (First Estate) Nobility (Second Estate)

The 1%

Royal Family

Clergy (First Estate)Nobility (Second Estate)

Page 3: The Ancien Regime France in the 18 th Century. The 1% Royal Family Clergy (First Estate) Nobility (Second Estate)

Louis XVI (1775 – 1792)

Page 4: The Ancien Regime France in the 18 th Century. The 1% Royal Family Clergy (First Estate) Nobility (Second Estate)

Absolute Monarchy

Appointed the Intendants, the “petty tyrants” who governed

France’s 30 districts

Appointed the people who would collect his taxes and carry out his

laws

Controlled justice by appointing judges

Controlled the military

Could imprison anyone at any time for any

reason (blank warrants of arrest were called

lettres de cachet)

Levied all taxes and decided how to spend

the money

Made all lawsMade decisions

regarding war and peace

Page 5: The Ancien Regime France in the 18 th Century. The 1% Royal Family Clergy (First Estate) Nobility (Second Estate)

Divine Right

• Monarch ruled by divine right– God put the world in motion– God put some people in positions of

power– Power is given by God– No one can question God– No one can question someone put in

power by God– Questioning the monarchy was

blasphemy because it meant questioning God

Page 6: The Ancien Regime France in the 18 th Century. The 1% Royal Family Clergy (First Estate) Nobility (Second Estate)

Comparison with King George III & President Washington

Page 7: The Ancien Regime France in the 18 th Century. The 1% Royal Family Clergy (First Estate) Nobility (Second Estate)

Parlements

• Hereditary law courts- All laws had to be registered in the parlements- Power to remonstrate with the king if there

were errors or inconsistencies in the legislation

- Could not initiate legislation or policy

Page 8: The Ancien Regime France in the 18 th Century. The 1% Royal Family Clergy (First Estate) Nobility (Second Estate)

Palace of Versailles

Page 9: The Ancien Regime France in the 18 th Century. The 1% Royal Family Clergy (First Estate) Nobility (Second Estate)

Hall of Mirrors

Page 10: The Ancien Regime France in the 18 th Century. The 1% Royal Family Clergy (First Estate) Nobility (Second Estate)

Louis XIV

Page 11: The Ancien Regime France in the 18 th Century. The 1% Royal Family Clergy (First Estate) Nobility (Second Estate)

The First Estate: The Clergy

- .6% of the population (169,500)- Church owned about 10% of the land- tithe: tax between 8 – 10% of people’s income- Exempt from royal taxes

- 1000 high clergy: bishops; archbishops (also noble)- impossible for a commoner to rise to the top of the hierarchy

(Adcock 2009: 19)

Page 12: The Ancien Regime France in the 18 th Century. The 1% Royal Family Clergy (First Estate) Nobility (Second Estate)

The Second Estate: The Nobility

Page 13: The Ancien Regime France in the 18 th Century. The 1% Royal Family Clergy (First Estate) Nobility (Second Estate)

The 99%

Commoners (The Third Estate):

- bourgeoisie (2 million)- artisans (2 million)- Landowning farmers (5 million)- Sharecropping farmers (11 million)- Day labourers (5 million)- Serfs (1 million)

Page 14: The Ancien Regime France in the 18 th Century. The 1% Royal Family Clergy (First Estate) Nobility (Second Estate)

The Three EstatesEstate Populatio

nPrivileges Exemption

sBurdens

First •Circa 130,000

•High-ranking clergy

•Collected the tithe•Censorship of the press•Control of education•Kept records of births, deaths, marriages, etc.•Catholic faith held honored position of being the state religion (practiced by monarch and nobility)•Owned 20% of the land

•Paid no taxes•Subject to Church law rather than civil law

•Moral obligation (rather than legal obligation) to assist the poor and needy•Support the monarchy and Old Regime

Second

•Circa 110,000

•Nobles

•Collected taxes in the form of feudal dues•Monopolized military and state appointments•Owned 20% of the land

•Paid only some taxes

•Support the monarchy and Old Regime

Third •Circa 25,000,000

•Everyone else: artisans, bourgeoisie, city workers, merchants, peasants, etc., along with many parish priests

•None •None •Paid all taxes•Tithe (Church tax)•Octrot (tax on goods brought into cities)•Corvée (forced road work)•Capitation (poll tax)•Vingtiéme (income tax)•Gabelle (salt tax)•Taille (land tax)•Feudal dues for use of local manor’s winepress, oven, etc.

Page 15: The Ancien Regime France in the 18 th Century. The 1% Royal Family Clergy (First Estate) Nobility (Second Estate)

What does this contemporary political cartoon say about conditions in France under the Old Regime?