The Old Regime: Social and Cultural Foundations (Loyseau & Bossuet)

Flashcards covering Loyseau's theory of orders and Estates, the clergy's hierarchy, nobility origins and privileges, Third Estate composition, and Bossuet’s framing of political authority.

Who was Charles Loyseau and what is the Traité des ordres et simples dignitez about?

Charles Loyseau (1564–1627) was a French jurist whose Traité des ordres et simples dignitez codified the structure of French public law and the social order, detailing the Estates and the distinctions between order, office, and seigneurie.

How does Loyseau define 'order' in relation to public power?

Order is a dignity with aptitude for public power; it is a simple quality inseparable from the person and not a transferable or substantive public office.

Name the three kinds of dignity Loyseau differentiates.

Office (public power exercised), seigneurie (ownership of public power), and order (aptitude for public power).

What are the three Estates of France as Loyseau describes?

The Clergy, the Nobility, and the Third Estate.

What is the key difference between 'order' and 'office' in terms of transferability?

Office can persist and be transferred or filled by another; order cannot be transferred and perishes with the person.

What is the tonsure and its significance in the Clergy?

The tonsure is the entrance into all ecclesiastical orders; it publicly marks entry into ecclesiastical life and renunciation of worldly vanity.

List Loyseau's five regular orders of monks.

Hermits, Monks, Regular Canons, Mendicants, and Military Orders.

What is the difference between regular canons and secular canons?

Regular canons live under a fixed rule of life; secular canons do not strictly observe the rule and are more worldly while still in clerical order.

What are the signs or insignia associated with clerical orders (as described by Loyseau)?

Marks include the tonsure; surplice for minor orders; stole for deacons; charitable garments like cha-suble; mitre, staff, gloves, and ring for bishops; hat or scarlet robe for cardinals.

Who are bishops and cardinals within the clergy's hierarchy?

Bishops (with archbishops and primates) sit above priests; Cardinals constitute a higher order that is more an order than an office and lacks a single distinct consecration.

What are the two origins of nobility in France described by Loyseau?

Nobility by ancient blood (birth) and ennoblement by the prince (royal letters or investiture of offices/seigneuries).

What are the three degrees of nobility in France?

Simple nobles (gentlemen/esquires), high nobles (seigneurs/knights), and princes (the highest, of noble blood or sovereign-related).

What powers and offices are typically assigned to the nobility?

Principal offices in the king’s household, high military roles, various judicial offices, and seigneuries; nobles are favored for many ecclesiastical benefices and other privileges.

What privileges do nobles enjoy that separate them from commoners?

Exemption from the taille and certain personal taxes, hunting rights, and privileges such as carrying a sword in the king’s presence; generally higher honor and leniency in punishment.

Two exceptions to precedence among orders are?

Magistrates outrank gentlemen due to public power; ennobling office holders outrank simple gentlemen by blood because they exercise public power.

What is the difference between a 'title' and a 'rank' in Loyseau's terms?

The title attaches to the order and remains after resignation; the rank is the precedence or priority in sitting or marching and is tied to the order’s position.

Who makes up the Third Estate in Loyseau's framework?

All others besides the clergy and nobility: men of letters, financiers, officials, merchants, husbandmen, and laborers.

What does 'bourgeois' refer to, and how is it viewed in the Third Estate?

Bourgeois refers to town inhabitants with rights in privileged towns; not all towns have bourgeois; nobles are not considered bourgeois; it designates those with urban privileges within certain towns.

What is the taille and who was exempt?

The basic direct tax of the Old Regime; nobles and clergy were exempt from the taille.

Who is Bossuet and what is his work Politique tirée des propres paroles de l'Ecriture sainte about?

Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, a prominent churchman and tutor to Louis XIV; his work uses Scripture to derive political principles, including aspects of monarchy and governance.

How does Loyseau describe the role of order in uniting a diverse state?

Order provides a structured harmony that links the various estates into a well-ruled state, creating unity through hierarchical, interconnected relationships.

What is the relationship between 'order' and 'power' in governance?

Order grants aptitudes for power; actual public power arises from offices and institutions, while orders themselves do not administer public power.

What is the significance of clerical insignia and marks (beyond the tonsure) in Loyseau's discussion?

Insignia and marks (robes, hats, vestments, spurs, etc.) publicly signify membership in a specific order and convey honor, rank, and identity within the social hierarchy.