Chapter 12 Notes Flashcards
Old Regime
the French government prior to 1789
estates
referred to the French social classes
1st estate was made up of
the clergy
high clergy
was made up of the abbott, bishop, and archbishop
didn’t have to pay taxes
lower clergy
parish priests- did most of the work with very little pay
2nd estate was made up of
the nobility
3rd estate was made up of
the rest of the population
bourgeoisie
urban middle class/ city workers, day laborers, artisans
peasants made up
the largest group
the third estate had no
political power or freedoms
natural rights were
liberty and equality; this idea was enough to unify the various groups to challenge the king
the monarch of France during a financial crisis was who ruled for
Louis XV
59 years
he inherited the debts of Louis XIV
in 1774 the new monarch was
Louis XVI
Louis XVI married
Marie Antoinette from Austria
debts were increasing for France so to raise money Louis XVI tries to
tax the first and second estates
by 1787 bankers did not
loan any more money to the French government
meeting of the Estates General (May 5, 1789) was a meeting of
the French government
the meeting of the Estates General was called by and was held at
Louis XVI
Versailles
in the past the 3 estates had met and each estate had only
separately
one vote
1st and 2nd estate would
outvote the 3rd estate
3rd estate wanted to vote as and their argument was that
individuals their class truly represented the French people
3rd estate and creates a
walked out of the legislature
new government called the National Assembly
The action of creating the National Assembly marks
the beginning of the French Revolution
Tennis Court Oath
the oath that the National Assembly agreed to that said they will meet until a new constitution is written