Week 14- Church reforms Flashcards
Why did the National Constituent Assembly try to change the church?
Many philosophes believed the church contributed little to the community.
People like Abbé Sieyès thought the temporal power of the Church should be removed to focus on its spiritual function.
The wealth of the church provided a tempting prospect of financial gain.
The clergy had agreed to give up the tithe and allow the state to take over the Church funding so the conditions were perfect for the confiscation of its riches.
What religious changes were made between August and June 1790?
Pluralism was abolished, Payment of annates and tithe was ended, The don gratuit was abolished, synods were abolished, All church property was nationalised, Religious orders were dissolved unless they could prove they were contributing to the community.
What were synods?
Separate Church Assemblies
What was the significance of the religious changes?
The measures provided the Assembly with a way of relieving the state of the burden of dept.
From February 1790, the state began to sell off monastic wealth and property.
From June, it sold Church land and possessions.
What was the Civil Constitution of the Clergy?
Used to accomplish the reorganisation of the Church after the religious reforms were passed.
When was was the Civil Constitution of the Clergy passed?
12th July 1790
What did the Civil Constitution of the Clergy include?
Diocese boundaries were changed to correspond with the new administrative divisions, each departement would have a bishop, Clergymen became paid state officials, Bishops and priests would be elected to give citizens control over their spiritual leaders.
What was the significance of The Civil Constitution of the Clergy?
It made the Church subservient to the state.
Papal power to confirm bishops was outlawed.
When did Louis XVI accept the Civil Constitution of the Clergy?
Louis XVI was reluctant, but he accepted it in December 1790.
What was the oath of the Civil Constitution?
A decree that all clergy ‘shall swear… to be faithful to the nation’
If clerics refused to swear the oath, they would be deprived of their offices and salaries.
When was the oath of the Civil Constitution passed?
27th November 1790
How many swore the oath of the Civil Constitution?
7 out of 160 bishops and 55% of the parish clergy.
How did the the Pope respond to the Civil Constitution?
The pope declared against it in a Papal bull of April 1791 and suspended those who tool the oath.
This caused many to retract their oaths.
How did the Assembly respond to the Pope suspending those who took the oath?
Declared in November 1791 that all non-juring or refractory priests were ‘counter-revolutionaries’.
Their income was stopped and were banned from all religious buildings.
From May 1792, refractory priests could be deported.
What were the overall impacts of the Church reforms?
Large numbers of the clergy fled abroad.
More conservative catholic peasants feared that that the assembly was trying to change their faith and therefore turned against the revolution.
Therefore, it helped to destroy national unity and led to counter-revolution and civil war.
