The Structure of the Ancien Regime

Question 1

In what year did Louis XVI become King of France? Why wasn’t he suited to be King? - Ancien Regime

Answer 1

Louis XVI became King of France in 1774.
Louis not originally expected to be King. Lacked the charm of his grandfather, Louis XV, and was weak willed and indecisive. Had little understanding of politics.

Question 2

When was Louis married to Marie Antoinette? What was the marriage INTENDED to do for France? - Ancien Regime

Answer 2

Louis married Marie Antoinette in 1770, with their marriage intended to maintain peace between former enemies France and Austria. Antoinette was Austrian.

Question 3

What was Marie Antoinette’s reputation as? What did this lead to from the French public? - Ancien Regime

Answer 3

She was known as a spendthrift, an example being of the spending of a large sum of money on a diamond necklace when involved in an affair. This resulted in the nicknames ‘Madame Deficit’ and ‘the Austrian bitch’.

Question 4

By what method was Louis able to govern as the head of the French state? Describe the powers available to Louis. - Ancien Regime

Answer 4

Louis was able to govern through the divine right of kings, which was supposed to identify Louis as God’s representative to the people.
Louis was able to make laws and ensure that they were carried out at his pleasure. The DIVINE RIGHT.

Question 5

How were there restrictions on the absolutism of the monarch? - Ancien Regime

Answer 5

The King was expected to rule within the conventions of France and rule ‘by the law,’ in that he should not overstep the boundaries created by the law.

Question 6

What did it mean that the King had to rule ‘by the law’? - Ancien Regime

Answer 6

He had to uphold Christian morality and respect the rights and privileges of his subjects.

Question 7

What is the theory that France should be governed by ‘King in Council’? - Ancien Regime

Answer 7

‘King in Council’ is the idea that the monarch should only make decisions and exercise his power following the advice of his close advisors.

Question 8

What was the role of the… - Ancien Regime

1. Conseil d’Etat (Council of State)
2. Conseil des Dépêches
3. Conseil Royal des Finances?

Answer 8

1. Dealt with issues of domestic and foreign affairs.
2. Received despatches from King’s provincial officials.
3. Managed state finances and household costs. From 1787, dealt with economic policy.

Question 9

What is a Lettre de Cachet? What is this an example of the monarch acting as? - Ancien Regime

Answer 9

A letter approved by the royal seal which could order the imprisonments of any of the King’s subjects.
Example of a despotic ruler.

Question 10

What examples are there of the 3 Councils not holding all of France’s powers? - Ancien Regime

Answer 10

Power tended to fall into the hands of a small number of influential individuals, who conducted private business with the monarch.
EG. Key ministers such as Secretaries of State for War, Foreign Affairs and the Royal Household.

Question 11

What were intendants? Give 3 examples of specific duties of intendants. - Ancien Regime

Answer 11

Intendants were royal civil servants who helped the King maintain power in the provinces. Relayed information from these provinces to central government on economic and social situations.
Ensured taxes were paid, ensured the King’s royal edicts were enacted, raised troops, presided over local courts.

Question 12

Why were the roles of intendants made so difficult? - Ancien Regime

Answer 12

Intendants allocated too few staff to fulfil duties and were overworked. Couldn’t make decisions by themselves as they needed to obtain orders from the King’s council to do so.

Question 13

What were provincial governors’ jobs? Where did they preside over? What problems had arisen in this profession? - Ancien Regime

Answer 13

Governors drawn from the nobility who oversaw running of provinces. King’s provincial representatives. Responsible for maintaining order in regions and had ability to call provincial parlements.
Some governor roles had become entrenched in certain families, essentially creating a provincial dynasty which undermined intendants.

Question 14

What were the pays d’états? - Ancien Regime

Answer 14

A selection of 6 regions within France which were able to negotiate with the Crown on the issue of taxation.

Question 15

How had officiers in municipal administrations acquired their position? - Ancien Regime

Answer 15

The officiers in municipal administrations had acquired their offices through the system of venality, the process of buying offices.

Question 16

How many venal (bought through venality) offices were there in France by the 18th Century? In what professions? - Ancien Regime

Answer 16

70,000 venal offices comprising the entire judiciary, most lawyers, army officers and other fairly rich professions.

Question 17

What were the parlements in the Ancien Regime? What were their jobs and roles? - Ancien Regime

Answer 17

Parlements were the highest ‘soveriegn’ courts in the Ancien Regime, who heard civil and criminal cases which were above local courts.

Question 18

Why could the parlements come into conflict with intendants? - Ancien Regime

Answer 18

The parlements had acquired additional powers such as the controlling of guilds and corporations, as well as local governments and finance, which overlapped with the roles of intendants.

Question 19

What was the role of parlements in terms of edicts? - Ancien Regime

Answer 19

The parlements had to ratify the legality of the King’s edicts with regards to previous legislation and laws.
Could also table a remonstrance with these edicts, forcing the King to think again about his decrees.

Question 20

What is the process of the use of the lit de justice? What was the risk taken by the monarch when this was used? - Ancien Regime

Answer 20

The lit de justice is an action which the monarch can take in order to ignore a remonstrance by a Parlement and force the acceptance of an edict.
Risked acting like a despotic ruler so wasn’t used too often.

Question 21

How had those in power at parlements acquired their jobs? What is the name for this type of person? - Ancien Regime

Answer 21

The magistrates at the parlements were all noblesse de robe, meaning they had acquired their positions through venality.

Question 22

How many magistrates manned each parlement at a minimum? - Ancien Regime

Answer 22

12 magistrate minimum at the parlements.

Question 23

What examples are there of the absolute monarchy not being quite so absolute? - Ancien Regime

Answer 23

The ruling by king in council, the pays d’états having regional variations on taxation, parlements being able to remonstrate with royal edicts.

Question 24

What was the population in France in the 1780s? How many of these people were involved in agriculture? - Ancien Regime

Answer 24

27 million population

21 million involved in agriculture

Question 25

What was the First Estate? How many people were part of this group? - Ancien Regime

Answer 25

The First Estate was the portion of society in France from the Church and Clergy.
Approx. 150,000 members

Question 26

What was the Second Estate? How many people were part of this group? - Ancien Regime

Answer 26

Second Estate was the portion of society from the nobility and gentry, either hereditary or bought.
Approx. 200,000-400,000 members

Question 27

What was the Third Estate? How many people made up this group? - Ancien Regime

Answer 27

The Third Estate comprised everyone from outside the nobility and church, and was the rest of the population.
Nearly 26.5 million people.

Question 28

What important RELIGIOUS services did the Church offer to society? - Ancien Regime

Answer 28

The Church ‘provided for the nation’s souls,’ with religious duties or hearing confession, administering masses, hearing confessions and officiating marriages and christenings.

Question 29

What important SOCIAL services did the Church provide to society? - Ancien Regime

Answer 29

The church controlled education as well as providing care for the sick and elderly. Church also had IMMENSE CENSORSHIP POWERS.

Question 30

How did the Church influence society in terms of taxation? - Ancien Regime

Answer 30

The Church became a wealthy institution following the implementation of heavy tax on the Third Estate in the form of the tithe (10% of all produce or income/year).

Question 31

What percentage of French land did the Church own? - Ancien Regime

Answer 31

10% of all French land.

Question 32

What tax was the clergy of the First Estate exempt from? What is an example of the legal/military benefit of being a clergy member? - Ancien Regime

Answer 32

The clergy did not have to pay the taille, the most important form of direct tax to the State.
The clergy could only be tried in their own Church courts.
The clergy didn’t have to perform military service or contribute money to the royal troops.

Question 33

How much of France’s land did the second estate collectively own? - Ancien Regime

Answer 33

Between 20-25% of all French land.

Question 34

What were the noblesse d’épée? What was the benefit of living around Versailles for these nobles? - Ancien Regime

Answer 34

HEREDITARY NOBILITY (nobility of the sword). Those who lived at Versailles were able to receive lots of royal patronage as well as key governmental positions.

Question 35

What disparities were there between the noblesse d’épée at Versailles and the provincial nobility? (Nickname) - Ancien Regime

Answer 35

The provincial nobility had become impoverished yet still had status, titles and privileges. Nicknamed the ‘hobereaux’. As they were distant from Versailles they were prevented from accessing state offices. Attempts to maintain noble lifestyle resulted in the accumulation of debt.

Question 36

Who were the noblesse de robe? How had they accessed this social standing? - Ancien Regime

Answer 36

The noblesse de robe were nobles who had accessed their noble position through venality.

Question 37

What privileges did the nobility have? (social, legal, financial) - Ancien Regime

Answer 37

Social - could display a coat of arms, could take precedence at public services.
Legal - had the right to be beheaded rather than hanged if guilty of a capital offence
Financial - like the First Estate, were exempt from the taille, had lower rates or exemptions from other direct taxes.

Question 38

What were the bourgeoisie? What jobs did the bourgeoisie do? With whom did the higher ranked bourgeoisie identify with? - Ancien Regime

Answer 38

The bourgeoisie were the wealthiest commoners, effectively the French middle classes. Worked as merchants, doctors, lawyers, financiers, teachers, craftsmen and traders. Higher ranks of the bourgeoisie identified with the nobility as their lifestyles were not dissimilar. Often tried to elevate themselves to nobility through venality.

Question 39

Which group made up the majority of the Third Estate? Under what arrangement did the majority of this group work, and doing what jobs? - Ancien Regime

Answer 39

The peasantry made up the majority of the Third Estate, working under feudal arrangements for a seigneur. The majority of pesants worked as farmers, either as subsistence farmers or commercial ones.

Question 40

What privileges did the Third Estate have? Describe (financial, social, military, church, jobs) - Ancien Regime

Answer 40

Third Estate had NO Privileges. Had to pay direct taxes (tailles, capitation) and indirect taxes (salt tax, alcohol tax, tobacco tax) as well as tithes. All men had to perform military service and most had to do the corvée royale (unpaid work for the king or nobility).

Question 41

How did seigneurial arrangements work? (Payment, use of facilities) - Ancien Regime

Answer 41

Feudal peasants were able to use the facilities of the estate of a noble to complete their livelihoods (farming, making bread, looking after livestock) in return for payment to the seigneur in the form of money or for the offering of goods produced on the estate.

Question 42

Who was the very worst off of all the people in the Third Estate? - Ancien Regime

Answer 42

People right at the bottom of the Estate, such as day labourers or prostitutes, beggars and vagabonds.