Absolutism And The Structure Of The Ancien Régime Flashcards
What happened in 1775 between Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI?
Held a coronation in Reims (10 months after his succession)
What did different Court factions want?
Royal favours, such as pensions, sinecures, contracts and gratuities
What did the King ultimately dispense?
Patronage
Due to Marie Antoinette’s pro-Austrian front what nickname did she acquire?
The Austrian Bitch
What did the ‘Divine Right’ do?
Justify the ‘absolute’ powers of the monarch
What did the lettre de cachet allow the King to do?
Make laws and ensure that they were carried out and incarcerate anyone who went against his will
In practice, who did the King need the support of?
Elite nobles and the customs of the land
How did the King maintain conventions and ‘rule by law’?
Upholding Christian morality and respecting the rights, privileges and customs of his subjects, provinces and regions.
What were the three specialised ‘royal councils’ of the Central Government? What were their functions?
- The Conseil d’Etat, this dealt with major issues of state and foreign affairs
- The Conseil des Dépêches, this dealt with Church affairs and despatches from the King’s officials
- The Conseil Royal des Finances, this managed with state finances and household costs; from 1787 it also handled economic policy
What did the Controller-General take responsibility for?
The kingdom’s finances and his own bureau of workers
What were the intendants?
Royal agents, who maintain the provinces and feed information to the central government
What were the 5 specific duties of the intendants?
- Ensuring taxes were paid
- Ensuring King’s edicts are carried out
- Presiding over local courts
- Coordinating activities of the police force
- Raising troops
Why was it not easy to be an intendant?
They were over-worked, too few staff to support them and couldn’t make decisions by themselves
What four institutions and individuals limited the power of intendants in local government?
- Provincial governors, responsible for the boundaries of the intendants
- pays d’états- forced them to share power as they could negotiate taxation
- Some cities had special privileges
- Rural areas had seigneurs (nobles), superior to intendants
How many Parlements were there?
13
How much of France was the Paris Parlement responsible for?
2/5 of France
What did Parlements control?
Guilds and corporations
How many magistrates manned each parlement? What did they become?
12, they became noblesse de robe
What was the population of France by the 1780s?
27 million
What was the first estate comprised of? And how many of them were there?
Clergy and 150,000 members
What was the second estate made up of? And how many were there in this estate?
Nobility and they had 200,000 to 400,000 members
What was the third estate made up of?
Commoners
Which tax gave the first estate money? Who was obliged to pay this?
The tithe, everyone was obliged to pay.
Did the clergy have to pay the taille?
No
What was the don gratuit?
A lump sum from the Church to the King
Could the clergy be asked to perform military service?
No
How much of French land was owned by the Church?
10%
How much of the income of the Church did the tithe provide them?
10%
What did the nobility do?
Serve and advise the King
How much of the French land did the second estate own overall?
20% to 25%
What were the noblesse d’épée?
Hereditary nobility, who could carry a sword
What did the noblesse de court describe?
Nobility who took residency in Versailles
How did the noblesse de robe acquire noble status?
Venality
Did the second estate have to pay the taille? What about other taxes?
No, they had a reduction or exemption from paying other taxes
What was the group of the wealthiest commoners called?
The bourgeoisie
What were the majority of commoners made of?
The peasantry and unskilled town workers
Did the third estate have to pay all the taxes?
Yes
Every man was liable for military service. True or false.
True
What was the corvée royale?
Unpaid labour service to maintain the King’s roads
What did many peasants have feudal agreements with?
Seigneurs
What were the direct taxes?
Taille, Vingtième and Capitation
What were the indirect taxes?
Gabelle (salt tax), Aides (drink tax), taxes on tobacco and the tithe for the Church
What were the seigneurial dues and what were they for?
- Champart (paid in grain)
- Cens (paid in cash)
- Banalités (Annual payments for the use of their services)
How many seigneurial courts were there?
100,000
What was the style of government called that ultimately collapsed in 1789?
The Ancien Regime
