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A-level History - French Revolution > Chapter 1 - Absolutism and the Structure of the Ancien Regime > Flashcards

Chapter 1 - Absolutism and the Structure of the Ancien Regime Flashcards

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1
Q

What was the Ancien Regime?

A

The name for the French political and social system before the Revolution. It was made up of three Estates that formed society, all of which were subject to the King.

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2
Q

What were the layers of French Government?

4 points

A
  • Central Government
  • The Intendants
  • Local Government
  • Parliaments
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3
Q

Who was head of the Ancien Regime and how were they powerful?

A

The King = at this time Louis XVI
- he was the ‘absolute monarch’ and believed in divine right, swearing an oath to God not his people upon his coronation.

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4
Q

What did Absolutism mean for the monarch?

A

There were no legal limits to the King’s power over his subjects.

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5
Q

What were the only 4 things that limited Louis’ power?

A
  • He had been taught to take advice on important decisions
  • His advisors/ministers came from a pool of career administrators and courtiers
  • He was bound by the laws and customs of France
  • He needed the consent of the noble elite
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6
Q

What was the ‘Dauphin’?

A

The title given to the heir of the French throne.

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7
Q

Why did Louis become Dauphin?

A

Louis became Dauphin after the early deaths of his Father and his older brother.

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8
Q

When did Louis XVI take the throne?

A

1774

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9
Q

When did Louis XVI marry Marie Antionette and why was this positive?

A

1770

United the enemy nations France and Austria

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10
Q

Who was Marie Antionette?

A

The daughter of the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa.

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11
Q

Why was Louis’ marriage unpopular?

A

Austria was blamed for France’s defeat in the Seven Years War.

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12
Q

Why was Louis unsuited to the role of being King?

A

Louis was weak willed, shy, introverted and indecisive.

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13
Q

What was ‘Patronage’?

A

Provision of appointments to offices and the granting of privelages.

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14
Q

Why was patronage important at the royal court?

A

Court of Versailles was centre of lives of King and Queen, and they lived an expensive/lavish lifestyle. Court factions sought royal favours to maintain their lifestyle. King was ultimate dispenser of favours/patronage.

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15
Q

What was an example of the way in which the King was absolute?

A

The lettre de cachets - they could not be challenged showing the King had complete authority.

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17
Q

In what ways was the King’s absolutism somewhat restrained?

2 points

A
  • he needed support from the noble elites

- had to rule ‘by the law’ = could not rule despotically

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18
Q

What is a despot?

A

A ruler who ignores or abuses the law, behaving in an arbitrary fashion.

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19
Q

What did the overall government of France look like at this time and where was it based?

A

Government consisted of Louis, his advisers and ministers. They were based in Versailles - 12 miles away from Paris.

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20
Q

How did Central Government work in France at this time?

3 points

A
  • King had power and control
  • BUT despite absolute status he had to consult others on formulation of policy
  • ‘King in Council’ meant king could make ultimate decision having taken advice given by ‘royal counsils’
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21
Q

What were the three overlapping ‘royal councils’ that met in the presence of and advised the king?

A
  • Conseil d’Etat (Council of State)
  • Conseil des Depeches
  • Conseil Royal des Finances
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22
Q

What did the Conseil d’Etat (Council of State) do?

A

Dealt with major issues of state and foreign affairs.

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23
Q

What did the Conseil des Depeches do?

A

Received despaches front he King’s officials in the provinces and dealt with Church affairs.

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24
Q

What did the Conseil Royal des Finances do?

A

Managed state finances and household costs: after 1787 it also handled economic policy.

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25
Q

What were the problems with these councils, and the runnning of government?
(3 points)

A
  • despite councils, power fell into hands of small number of influential people who could conduct private business with the King.
  • meant quality of gov determined by quality of men in each position and men were not appointed by abilities by by pressure they put on Louis
  • also meant ministers never knew how long they’d be in so focussed more on protecting reputation than government work.
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26
Q

What were the Intendants?

3 points

A

People appointed by the King to maintain his rule and feedback information from areas of France:

  • they informed about economic situation and local problems
  • responsible for financing, policing and justice
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27
Q

Name 3 specific duties of Intendants?

6 points

A
  • ensuring taxes paid
  • ensuring King’s edicts carried out
  • presiding over local courts
  • coordinating activities of prevots (police)
  • could request lettre de cachet
  • raising troops
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28
Q

What was the problems with the intendants?

5 points

A
  • difficult job (overlapped with other jobs)
  • over worked
  • understaffed
  • could not make own decisions
  • couldn’t always rely on central gov to back their decisions
  • seen as overly authoritarian
29
Q

What was the problem with government maintaining control across the wide expanse of France?

A

France had no single representative body who could Papses laws for the whole country so wide variation in laws and customs across France. Lots of different forms of administration so no single solution to any situation.

30
Q

How did local government affect the Intendants?

A

People in local government limited the power of the Intendants

31
Q

What were provincial governors?

3 points

A

People responsible for provinces and maintaining order in regions:

  • could call a provincial parliament
  • were supposedly King’s representatives but sometimes posts stayed within families (known as ‘provincial dynasty’)
  • Intendants created to lessen their power *
32
Q

How many regional parlements were there in France and what could they do?

A

13 regional parlements.

All royal legislation had to be ratified by one of the 13 parlements.

33
Q

What were the ‘Pays d’etats’?

A

Six areas of France which had been granted the privilege of negotiating directly with the crown on taxation and paying a lump sum to the king.
- to establish taxes, the areas had powerful assemblies who shared power forcibly with the intendants.

34
Q

What was the lit de justice?

A

A royal session of the Paris Parlement for the compulsory registration of royal edicts.
- technically the King could overrule Parlement and enforce any of his edicts but this would show him as despotic.

35
Q

What was the hierarchy of Royal courts?

A
  • prevotes
  • baillage
  • parlements/sovereign courts
36
Q

What did the royal courts do?

5 points

A
  • heard civil and criminal cases
  • controlled guilds, corporations and markets
  • also controlled local gov and finances
  • registered King’s edicts to ensure it conformed with legislation
  • could send a remonstrance
37
Q

What was a remonstrance?

A

Document sent by a parlement to the monarch protesting against a royal decree or details of that decree.

38
Q

How was Parlement manned and what were they known as?

A

Parlement manned by 12 magistrates who bought their positions (known as noblesse de robe).

39
Q

Was the absolute monarchy absolute?

A

No as roles frequently overlapped and had to appear just to the people of France.

40
Q

What were the three estates?

A

Areas that French society was divided into:

First Estate - the Clergy
Second Estate - the nobility
Third Estate - Everyone else

41
Q

What was the role of the First Estate?

4 points

A

Essential to nations wellbeing - provided for their souls (Mass etc.)
Specific roles included:
- confessions, christenings, marriages
- controlled education and care for sick and elderly
- conveyed royal messages and had extensive censorship powers

42
Q

Wealth and power of the Clergy?

3 points

A

Huge variation in wealth and power:

  • Church institution wealthy = income from church taxes (ie. the tithe)
  • Top positions (bishops, archbishops etc.) = very wealthy, much like nobility
  • Majority of Clergy = not wealthy (some poorer than own parishioners)
43
Q

What was the tithe?

A

Tax paid to the church of 10% of income.

44
Q

What were the privelages of the Clergy?

4 points

A
  • Clergy did not have to pay the taille (main French direct tax).
  • Paid don grauit instead (lump sum to the King of around 16 million livres) of around 5% church income
  • could meet in their own assemblies to decide their own affairs instead.
  • Clergy could only be prosecuted in own Church courts and couldn’t be called up for military service.
45
Q

What was the role/lifestyle of the second estate?

3 points

A

Serve and advise the King:

  • owned around 1/4 of French land and lived off rents from their landed estates
  • mostly lived off unearned income (earning from rents/investments not a job)
46
Q

What were the noblesse d’epee?

A

Hereditary nobles allowed to wear a sword.

  • lived at Versailles or manor houses
  • colluded get patronage
  • worked as councillors
47
Q

Wealth of the second estate?

A

Could VARY:

- if living away from Versailles = could become impoverished

48
Q

What was a lettre de cachet?

A

A letter bearing a royal seal by which the King could order imprisonment. He could incarcerate anyone who went against his will without objection.

49
Q

How much of the population did the Second Estate make up/own?

A

Less than 1% of the population (but they owned between 1/4 and 1/3 of the land.)

50
Q

What were the Noblesse de court?

What did they do?

A

The Nobles who resided at court at Versailles and were highly wealthy. They provided the kings advisers, ambassadors, intendants and ministers and had access to royal patronage.

51
Q

What were the Noblesse de robe?

How many were there?

A

The Nobles created by the monarch selling legal and administrative titles with a hereditary title.
In 1789 there were over 70,000 venal offices.

52
Q

What was the lifestyle of the majority of the nobility?

A

Most other nobles lived on their country estates and weren’t necessarily that wealthy.

53
Q

Why was there friction between the majority of nobles and the court nobles?

A

The majority of nobles were jealous with the court nobles and protective of their own status and privileges, and dependant on their feudal rights.

54
Q

Who were the Third Estate and how much of society did they make up?

A

The Third Estate were the rest of society and consisted of around 28 million people.

55
Q

Who were at the top of the hierarchy of the Third Estate?

A

The Bourgeoisie

56
Q

What were the Bourgeoisie?

A

Wealthier third estate people who lived mostly in towns and were growing in wealth and numbers.

57
Q

What was the ambition of the bourgeoisie?

A

To become part of the nobility.

58
Q

What was the wealth of the Bourgeoisie?

3 points

A
  • usually worked and had jobs
  • opened mist industrial and all commercial capital
  • opened around 1/5 of private French wealth and 1/4 of French land
59
Q

Who were the lower members of the Third Estate and how much of the population did they make up?

A

The peasantry = over 80% of the population

60
Q

What did the peasantry do?

A

Majority farmed at substinence level and worked as labourers on the land, in industries or as a migrant workers in towns.

61
Q

What did the peasantry do who lived in the towns?

A

In the towns were the small property owners, skilled workers and unskilled labourers.

62
Q

What were the privileges of the nobility?

3 points

A
  • nobility exempt from the taille (heaviest tax) and the corvees royales
  • paid some taxes linked to income but often able to avoid paying full amount
  • exempt from military conscription but many volunteered to fight by buying commissions
63
Q

What was the taille?
What was the Tabelle?
What was the corvees royales?

A

The french land tax
The french tax on salt
Forced labour service on the roads

64
Q

What were the burdens of the peasantry?

5 points

A

Had the heaviest burden despite being the poorest area of society.

  • had to pay rent and taxes on grain to signeur (lord of the manor) and do labour service.
  • had to provide labour service on roads and pay the taille and gabelle
  • they could be conscripted and have soldiers billeted upon them
  • also had to pay the tithe to the Church
  • were completely dependant on food prices
65
Q

Strengths of France at this time?

A

1783 = France was most powerful European country and had just defeated Britain. Structure of Ancien Regime was insufficient and unfair but it worked well for the country.

66
Q

Weaknesses of France at this time and why couldn’t they be resolved?

A

Key weaknesses were problems of government and taxation.

King could not make radical changes so key weaknesses could not be reformed, causing tension in society.

A-level History - French Revolution (23 decks)

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