Was Louis doomed from the start?

Question 1

Louis’s character

Answer 1

Not originally destined to be king - did not recieve specific training for kingship (elder brother died in 1761) = weak, indecisive easily led, lacking in court and political experience

Question 2

Letters de cachet

Answer 2

Arrest warrant - king’s right of arbitrary arrest and imprisonment without trial (criticised as a symbol of despotism)

Question 3

Parlements

Answer 3

The 13 high courts of justice - could refuse to register or implement laws created by the king if they went against the ancién regime - LIMIT to the king’s power (yet only king could initiate new legislation)

Question 4

What was ‘absolute monarchy’ in France?

Answer 4

No elected representative body, King chose his own group of advisors (most important being the controller-general), King the only person who could initiate legislation, parlements only hinderance on his power but lettre de cachet and lit de justice

Question 5

What was a lit de justice?

Answer 5

Something the King could use to force a law to go through even if the parlements refused it

Question 6

What could the parlements do?

Answer 6

Ensure populate perform their civic duties, prosecute them if they were not, refuse to register and implement laws created by the King if they were against the principles of the ancien regime

Question 7

What was the nature of the French court?

Answer 7

Very extravagant and with strict etiquette

Question 8

What could the parlements do?

Answer 8

Ensure populate perform their civic duties, prosecute them if they were not, refuse to register and implement laws created by the King if they were against the principles of the ancien regime

Question 9

The P olayed important political role = could refuse and implement laws created by who and if it went against what? But what could the ‘who’ issue which could overruke parlements

Answer 9

Laws created by the King if they felt them to be against the traditions and values of acent regime
= King could issue Lit de Justice, = overrule p= But if the king did do that then it would be hard to implement the law + accused of despotism lol

Question 10

What was the 1st estate and what was their position regarding tax?

Answer 10

Clergy (religious officials), exwmpt from direct tax ,eg taille, higher offices were hereditary

Question 11

130,000 out of 28 million

Answer 11

people in the 1st estate

Question 12

What was the 2nd estate ?

Answer 12

nobles, made up less than 2% of the population contained many young and liberal nobles who were influenced by the nobles

Question 13

What was the Church responsible for?

What was the tithe?

Answer 13

poor relief, hospitals, educational facilities

A tax of 1/10th of a person’s wages to pay for poor relief etc.

Question 14

What rights did nobility have?

Answer 14

Exempt from most taxes and military conscription, could grant monopolies, had hunting and fishing rights

Question 15

between 120,000 and 350,000 out of 28 million

Answer 15

people were in the second estate

Question 16

Who were the 3rd estate?

Answer 16

commoners, vast majority of the popilation, some were peasents facing feaudilism

Question 17

What was feudalism?

Answer 17

landowning nobles governed and protected the people in return for services

Question 18

What was corvee and who had to carry this out ?

Answer 18

carrying out duties for aristocrats on their estates, 3rd estate members

Question 19

what were the richer members of the 3rd estate called ?

Answer 19

the guild or the borgiousee

Question 20

why were the 3rd estate angry at the structure of society ?

Answer 20

it was economically restraining, they hadf to pay landowners which prevented their potential to grow in wealth and be able to buy their own land, they had no freedoms regardless of how much work they did for the ecnonmy

Question 21

why did the structure of society mean Louis was doomed ?

Answer 21

it was not equal and oppressive so people were angry anyway. As bourgeoisie - Power grew economically and socially but yet the nobility and 1st estate denied them a political voice= despite bourgeoise being economically better than 1st and 2nd estate

Question 22

What were seigniorial dues?

Answer 22

When peasants had to pay an amount of their produce to the landlord

Question 23

Where and when was the Enlightenement?

Answer 23

In Europe, mainly France, in the 17th and 18th centuries

Question 24

Who were 2 key ‘philosophes’ of the Enlightenment

Answer 24

Voltaire and Rouseau

Question 25

How did the ideas of the Enlightenment spread?

Answer 25

Literature was strictly but not efficiently controlled, meaning many illegal printing presses could print their work and circulate it around the city. Duc d’Orléans and the Palais Royal

Question 26

How did the ideas of the Enlightenment spread?

Answer 26

Literature was strictly but not efficiently controlled, meaning many illegal printing presses could print their work and circulate it around the city. Duc d’Orléans and the Palais Royal

Question 26

How did the ideas of the Enlightenment spread?

Answer 26

Literature was strictly but not efficiently controlled, meaning many illegal printing presses could print their work and circulate it around the city. Duc d’Orléans and the Palais Royal

Question 27

radical ideas

Answer 27

Spread in urban areas such as Paris and Lyon as their were many bookshops (easy circulation of radical books) and high literate population (less so in rural areas so less exposure)

Question 28

Duc d’Orleans

Answer 28

Member of royal family who spread radical ideas - held intellectual gatherings at the Palais Royal and printed pamphlets

Question 29

Impact of Duc Dorleans and evidence that enlightenment ideas could be seen in Assembly of Notables

Answer 29

2) Evience in AoF = Demanding the EG be called in May 1789, as the ideas of equality promoted them to seek popular support
1) Nobles desine for the end to the ancient regime caused by Duc Dorleans + other spreading ideas = 87% nobles volunteered to give up parts of their wealth and exception = showing growth ideas of equality and= breakdown of AR

Question 30

Where were the ideas of the Enlightenment most circulated?

Answer 30

urban areas

Question 31

who was Montesquieu and what did he argue? work name?

Answer 31

Montesquieu = argued abolishment Estates system + feudalism

= Favoured a british model of gov, = frnaace like britian should be ruled

• Spirits of the laws first published anonymously in 1748

Question 32

Who was Voltaire and what did he believe?

Answer 32

= Like montesquieu, voltaire looked favourably at the Brit sys of gov.

praised eng law - more tolerant and liberal.
= This seen attack of french monarchy = essay banned and piblicy burnt.

freedom of religion and speech.= critic of the catholic church power. = He was a RUPUBLICAN

Question 33

Who was Rosseau and what did he believe?

Answer 33

Rousseau = the general will = Social Contract argued for universal suffrage, and republicanism

= society has a right collectively to choose laws under which the live. equal rights.

Republican = monarchies only served the interest of the ruling class

Question 34

what did the Guvornment do to supress the Enlightenments ideals spreading and what did people do as a response to this ?

Answer 34

Ideas were censored heavily, the Royal Censor controlled printing
Black market for books/pamphlets, as church and King made lists of banned books

Question 35

How did the American revolution catalyse French Enlightenment ideals ?

Answer 35

American Revolution and French involvement catalysed enlightenment, French soldiers exposed to calls for republicanism, freedom and equality (Lafayette)

Question 36

censorship

Answer 36

Church and government banned books such as the works of philosophes - printers had to be granted royal licences and approved by a royal censor (however many illegal printing presses led to a black market)