Absolutism and the Structure of the Ancien Regime Flashcards
What age was Louis XVI when he came to the throne?
Aged 20
Why did Louis XVI succeed to the throne?
Had not been expected to take the throne. When born, his grandfather Louis XV ruled France and Louis’s father and elder brother were above him in the succession. His brother died in 1761, followed by his father in 1765, leaving Louis as the ‘Dauphin’.
When did he marry Marie-Antoinette?
1770 (betrothed 1768).
Why was his marriage controversial?
France and Austria has fought in the Wars of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748), trying to prevent Maria-Theresa, Marie-Antoinette’s mother, from taking the Austrian throne.
France failed and in 1756 the two sides agreed an alliance. By 1768 however, the alliance was in danger of breaking up, hence the betrothal (organised by pro-Austrian French foreign ministers).
Give two reasons why Louis is often considered lacking the qualities to have been a good king.
Louis often considered lacking in the qualities and abilities necessary to be king.
He lacked his grandfather’s charm and was weak-willed and indecisive.
His greatest passions were hunting and dining and, although well-meaning and had hopes of reforming France and benefitting the lives of his subjects, he had little understanding of politics.
He was reluctant to take a lead and stubborn when faced with changes he disliked, but usually ready to concede when he had no choice (when it was too late).
Why was Marie-Antoinette a problematic Queen for Louis XVI to have/what inabilities did she exhibit as a ruler?
Maria-Antionette (1755-93) was the fourth daughter of the Empress Maria-Theresa of Austria, rather naïve.
She had a reputation as a spendthrift (‘Madame Déficit’), which was worsened by a story that suggested an affair with Cardinal Rohan involving the spending of large sums of money on a diamond necklace.
Marie-Antionette had no sympathy with the revolution, and sought the help of her brother Leopold of Austria.
Why was the Court of Versailles problematic in terms of ruling France? Give two relevant points.
Life was expensive here, and different court factions constantly sought royal favours (pensions, sinecures, contracts and gratuities) to maintain their lifestyle.
The king was the ultimate dispenser of patronage, but Marie-Antoinette also used her influence to advance her own pro-Austrian clique, earning the derogatory nickname ‘L’Autrichienne’ (The Austrian Bitch) from those still hostile to the Austrians.
What children did the Royal Couple have, and what happened to them?
Of the children the marriage produced, only Maria-Thérése Charlotte (1778-1851) survived the revolution.
Louis-Joseph-Xavier-Francois (1781-June 1789) died of TB. Louis-Charles (1785-95) was proclaimed Louis XVII in 1793 but was starved in prison by the revolutionaries and died, aged 10.
Sophie-Beatrice (1786-87) failed to survive babyhood.
What was Louis’ perspective with regards to his ‘Divine Right’?
For all his limitations, Louis was acutely aware that his position was a sacred one.
By right of inheritance and his anointment with sacred oils at his coronation, it was clear to all that he was God’s representative in France.
It was accepted that the king carried out the divine will and that he was only answerable to his maker.
This ‘Divine Right’ justified the ‘Absolute’ powers of the monarch.
He alone had the power to make laws and to ensure they were carried out, incarcerating those who went against his will by lettres de cachet.
What was a lettre de cachet?
A Lettre de cachet was a letter bearing the royal seal or ‘cachet’, by which the king could order imprisonment. In the reign of Louis XV, these had been much abused. They were provided, ready signed, for others to complete. Their use was reigned in under Louis XVI, but they were not abandoned until the revolution.
Give any explanation of how French Absolutism was supposed to have been retrained from becoming a tyranny.
However, French Absolutism was restrained by the customs of the land and in practice the king needed the support of his noble elites.
The monarch was expected to maintain conventions and to uphold rule ‘by law’ (in contrast to a Despot, a ruler who ignores or abuses the law, behaving in an arbitrary fashion).
This meant upholding Christian morality and respecting the rights, privileges and customs of both his subjects and of the provinces and regions which made up his kingdom.
Which royal councils met in the presence of the king, and what were their roles?
The Counseil d’etat (Council of State): This dealt with major issues of state and foreign affairs.
The Counseil des Dépeches: this received dispatches from the king’s officials in the provinces and dealt with church affairs.
The Conseil Royal des Finances: this managed state finances and household costs; from 1787 it also handled economic policy, which had previously been run by a separate council.
What were the chief offices of State under the Ancien Regime?
There were also other lesser councils that did not meet in the king’s presence.
However, despite the councils, power tended to fall into the hands of a restricted number of influential individuals who acted independently.
These conducted private business with the king, usually in weekly discussions.
They included the King’s chief ministers such as the Secretaries of State for War, Foreign Affairs, the Navy and the Royal Household.
They also included the Controller-General, who took responsibility for the king’s finances and had his own bureau of workers.
What problem did Ministers serving Louis have in terms of keeping their roles and operating effectively?
In such a system, the quality and efficiency of government was large determined by the quality of the men who held key posts.
Louis’ choice of ministers was at least as much directed by the intrigues of court factions and the pressure put on him by others (including Marie-Antoinette) as it was by any recognition of a potential minister’s abilities.
Although Louis was generally well-intentioned, no minister could be sure he would hold his post for long.
Ministers’ attention was therefore focussed upon protecting reputations and maintaining support at Court, as much as on the demands of the roles they were in.
Who did the king use as his key representatives in the provinces?
The King appointed Intendents as royal agents, both to maintain his rule in the provinces and to feed back information: they kept central government informed about, for example, the economic situation in the regions or other local problems.
How many intendants were there and what were their responsibilities?
The intendants were responsible for finance, policing and justice. There was normally one intendant for every généralité – an administrative division created in the 17th century.
There were 33 by 1789; each was sub-divided into ‘sub-delegations’ which were headed by ‘sub-delegates’ chosen by the intendent.
Specific duties included…
Ensuring taxes were paid.
Ensuring the king’s edicts were carried out.
Presiding over local courts.
Co-ordinating the activities of the prevots (police force); they could even request a lettres de caches against a private person.
Raising troops
Why was the role of an intendent so hard to fulfil?
The role of the Intendant was not easy. They were over-worked and allocated too few staff to support them in their roles.
Moreover, they could not make decisions by themselves and if they needed to act they had to obtain an order from the king’s council.
Indeed, they could not even always rely on the central government to back up their decisions.
They were also the victims of France’s confused administrative set-up, under which their role often overlapped with those of other officials or was challenged by long-established institutions.
Why was there lots of regional variation in terms of how France was governed?
France had only gradually come together as one kingdom by the end of the 15th century as a result of wars and marriage alliances.
As kings of France had absorbed new lands, they had made agreements to respect old customs and practices.
This meant there were slightly different practices, laws and taxation arrangements in different parts of France.
What were the Pays dÉtats?
Pays d’États were regions where representative assemblies had retained the right to negotiate on the raising of taxes with the royal intendants; the assembly kept part of the taxes raised to fund public spending (e.g. road building) in the region.
There were six areas of France, known as the ‘pays d’états’, which had been allowed the privilege of negotiating directly with the Crown on taxation and then paying a lump sum to the king.
To establish and agree taxes, these areas had powerful assemblies with whom the intendants were forced to share power.
Describe the role of provincial governors in France under the AR?
Provincial governors (drawn from the nobility) were responsible for France’s historic provinces, on which the boundaries of the intendants’ généralités had been imposed.
Provincial governors were responsible for maintaining order in their regions and sometimes had the right to call a provincial parlement or preside over other municipal bodies.
In 1779 there were 39 governors.
Although theoretically there were the king’s representatives, in some areas these posts had become entrenched in certain families, who acted like a provincial ‘dynasty’.
It was partly to curb the independence of these governors that the intendants had been created in the 17th century.
