Absolutism and Structure of Ancien Regime

Question 1

What is Absolutism?

Answer 1

-A system where the monarch has complete power and tends to be looked at with awe and reverence

Question 2

What is Despotism?

Answer 2

The exercise of the monarch’s absolute power to abuse and oppress their subjects.

Question 3

When did Louis XVI become King and how old was he?

Answer 3

-1774
-19

Question 4

What powers did Louis XVI have?

Answer 4

-Complete legislative power; inc. taxation
-Declare war and peace
-lettre de cachet
-living in splendour- Versailles and was centre of government

Question 5

What were some setbacks for Louis’s rule?

Answer 5

-Louis was not the intended King
-Louis and Marie did not consumate their marriage until 1773 despite marrying in 1770.
-Louis inherited a war debt of 1.3bn livres from Louis XIV who lost Austrian War of Succession (1740-48) + and 7 years war (1756-1763)

Question 6

What was Marie Antoinette named as by the French people?

Answer 6

-“Austrian Bitch”

Question 7

What was the lettre de cachet?

Answer 7

-It was a letter in which the King would order imprisonment of someone without trial

Question 8

How many times did Louis use the lettre de cachet between 1774-1779

Answer 8

-14,000 times

Question 9

What was the lit de justice?

Answer 9

-A way for the King to overall parlement remonstrance and force laws through government

Question 10

What were some limits to Louis’ power?

Answer 10

-Parlements remonstrances; used against his economic reforms
-Danger of being labelled as a despot after using lit de justice and lettre de cachet
-Living lavishly might undermine his power as can be criticised due to awful French economy
-His personality

Question 11

How did Louis’ personality lead to limitations in Louis rule?

Answer 11

-weak-willed (easily influenced) and indecisive
-Out of touch
-Influenced by Marie-Antoinette (however excluded her from all political matters until 1787)

Question 12

What percentage of the population was Catholic and how did this give Louis power?

Answer 12

-97%
- Gave Louis power as he believed in Divine Right of Kings and therefore the devout Catholics would have to follow him as he was chosen by God

Question 13

Was Louis an absolute King?

Answer 13

YES:
-He ruled with Divine Right and population was 97% catholic
-Louis’ decisions were final and held complete legislative power
-Lettre de cachet to imprison anyone
-Lit de justice to bypass Parlements remonstrances

NO:
-Enlightenment challenged the church through logic and reasoning
-Parlements could use power remonstrance
-parlements reduced King’s use of lettre de cachet in 1784 and completely in 1789
-Louis can be accused of despotism if he overused lettre de cachet and lit de justice
-Pays d’etats ignores King’s rule
-relied on intendants to consolidate his rule in provinces
-could not interfere with church matters

Question 14

What was the role of the intendants?

Answer 14

Local Government for finance, policing and justice
-ensured taxes were collected
- ensured royal edicts were being carried out
-could request a lettre de cachet for someone
-raising troops.

Question 15

How many intendants were there?

Answer 15

1 intendant per generalite, totaling 33 generalites.

Question 16

How were the intendants’ power limited by local government?

Answer 16

-Provincial governors selected from nobility maintained law and order
-Pays d’états(Brittany) negotiated with the King over taxes
in rural areas,
-seigneurs often had greater power than intendants.

Question 17

What is the role of the parlements?

Answer 17

They are sovereign law courts with 12 magistrates each, who bought their positions through venality
; they controlled guilds and approved the King’s laws.

Question 18

Who convinced Louis to recall the parlements in 1774 and why?

Answer 18

-His advisor, Mirabeau
-Was an inexperienced leader so was reliant on their help

Question 19

Which parlement was the most powerful?

Answer 19

The Paris Parlement, which controlled 2/5 of France.

Question 20

Were the Parlements a limitation to the King’s power?

Answer 20

YES: They could remonstrate King’s laws, and overriding this with lit de justice was seen as despotism.
-They were an obstacle to the King’s power but only to the betterment of 1st and 2nd estate.

NO: They achieved their position through venality and were loyal to the King.

Question 21

How many venal offices were there in the 18th C. and what trade?

Answer 21

70,000 venal offices, including officers in the army, legal professions, and judiciary.

Question 22

What was the Population of France in 1780s?

Answer 22

-28 million

Question 23

What was the literacy rates in France and in Paris?

Answer 23

-France = 50%
-Paris = 60%

Question 24

What is the Estates System?

Answer 24

-They are the 3 social groups/ classes society was divided into, the 1st Estate (Clergyman), 2nd Estate (nobility) and 3rd estate (everyone else)

Question 25

Who belonged in the first estate?

Answer 25

-majority= lower clergy (90% of clergy) and were monks, nuns and parish priests and were often very poor- from the third estate -Higher clergy = abbots, bishops and archbishops and were very rich- born into 2nd estate

Question 26

How many clergyman were there in the first estate?

Answer 26

-approximately 150,000 members(0.5% of the pop.)

Question 27

What were the rights and privileges of the first estate?

Answer 27

-Administered poor relief and provided education - Had control over the "ignorant masses" -Ecclesiastical courts- courts reserved for the clergy -owned 10% of all land -kept registers of births and deaths- govt. knew who tax -Received the tithe: tax for 10% of income -Exempt from direct taxation (taille)- don gratuit = 16m livres for no tax (5% of annual income) -

Question 28

What were the grievances of the first estate?

Answer 28

-higher clergy received a lot of the tithe but lower clergy very poor -tithe and don gratuit caused resentment -Hostility towards corruption in the church: bishops often had mistresses, absenteeism, secular power -wealth of the church was an upset for French society and was attacked by the Enlightenment

Question 29

Who belonged in the 2nd Estate?

Answer 29

-Nobility of the sword (descendants of the nobility) -Nobility of the Robe (gained title through venality) -Hobereaux ( small landowners)

Question 30

How many nobility were there in the 2nd estate?

Answer 30

-200-400,000 members(1-1.5% of pop.)

Question 31

What were the privileges of the second estate?

Answer 31

- Owned 20% of land - privileged position in law: different punishments from 3rd estate (beheaded not hung) -did not pay land tax- Taille -Avoided or paid a small proportion of the indirect taxes -honorific privileges: display coat of arms

Question 32

What were the grievances of the second estate

Answer 32

-Hobereaux disliked the nobility of the robe as they brought their title and disliked the growth of bourgeoisie due to their wealth -Nobility of the sword looked down on business and trade ( although in 1780s were a small group of trade nobility in France

Question 33

Who belonged to the 3rd estate

Answer 33

-98% of pop. -Highly non-homogenous group: -Bourgeois (4-10%; very wealthy and worked in good professions -Urban workers (4 million); artisans and unskilled workers -Peasantry (20 million) -Vagrants (350,000)

Question 34

What rights/privileges did the 3rd estate have?

Answer 34

-70% of land( mostly bourgeoisie-25%) - Bourgeoisie were very wealthy

Question 35

What were the grievances of the 3rd estate?

Answer 35

-Bourgeoisie resented hobereaux as they were more wealthy yet had no political power -Corvee royale - unpaid labour -had to pay all taxes ( taille, vingtieme, capitation, gabelle) -subsistence farmers were legally bound to seigneurs -feudal peasants subject to range of seigneurial dues - champart ( paid in produce) and cens (paid in cash) -peasants paid annual fees (banalities) for access to seigneur's facilities- Mill, oven and wine press -

Question 36

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Ancien Regime?

Answer 36

STRENGTHS: -Highly centralised govt with absolute King -Govt functioned relatively well WEAKNESSES: -Obstacles limited the operation of centralised system of government -