Assembly of Notables Flashcards
a) How many people consisted in the assembly of notables and B) what class/people were they?
a)144
b)
- 7 Princes of blood - all senior judges in the parlements and presided over 7 committees
-7 hereditary dukes
-7 archbishops
When was the last time the assembly of Notables had met?
1626
What did Calonne want to do through Assembly of Notables?
-Wanted to establish a higher authority than the parlements
What did Calonne try to pass?
-Universal land tax
-Nationalisation of church land
What did Louis and Calonne believe the Assembly Of Notables to be?
-A rubber stamping process: thought they would just agree to the changes
Why were some members of the Notables unwilling to implement Calonne’s reform package? (2)
1)Disliked the idea of taxing the church - this opposition was led by archbishop of Toulouse, Brienne
2) Some members of the Notables were not convinced times were bad enough for extraordinary changes due to compte rendu
Why did Necker attack Calonne?
-Necker publicly attacked Calonne for incompetence and shifting blame on others as Calonne revealed that the compte de rendu was falsified.
a) what did Calonne criticse the Notables for and b) was this accurate?
a)Calonne criticised the Notables for stopping reforms due to self-interest
b) was not accurate, many notables had been affected by the enlightenment and sought fairer taxation. However, did not trust calonne and saw him as an example of “ministerial despotism”
What were the 3 reasons why the Notables did not want to pass Calonne’s reforms?
1)The notables simply selfishly protect their own interests by resisting paying taxes
2)Notables were making a principled stand against “ministerial despotism”
3) They were skeptical about Calonne’s grim assessment of the economic situation.
Why did Louis eventually remove Calonne despite brief support in April 1787?
Marie-Antoinette was able to influence Louis and tell him to remove Calonne due to her friendship with the duchesse de Polignac who were hostile to Calonne
Who replaced Calonne as controller-general and who supported him ?
-Brienne (supported by Marie)
What reforms did Brienne push for?
-Eden Treaty 1787
-deregulated grain trade
-Made corvee royale a tax
-Extended provincial assemblies so people could vote
How did Brienne dilute Calonne’s reforms?
Could Brienne push through Calonne’s land reforms?
-No, his push for a land tax was still stopped by notables
a) Who first called for an Estates General and b) why
a) assembly of notables
b) called for “no taxation without representation” and therefore Estates-General which is enlightened as its Lockean. However, also probably just wanted to give the impression of democracy and the financial reforms ,which would attack their interests, would still be avoided as voting by estate.
Were all the notables opposed to change?
NO- Duc d’Orleans, Brienne and Lafayette were enlightened and saw themselves as defenders of liberty against tyranny which led their cries of no taxation without representation
How long did the Assembly of Notables last?
-February 1787-May
