The Ancien Regime/Long term causes

The 1st Estate

Made up of the clergy (0.5% of population) - didn’t have to pay taille (tax) or pay to fund royal troops & could give don gratuit to the king - gained income from rents & dues for using church land and from taxes like the tithe.

The 2nd Estate

Made up of the aristocracy (1.5% of the population) - included the wealthy nobility who lived in Versailles and held land in provinces and the provincial nobility who had older, historic titles and wealth. Also included the Princes of the Blood - the king’s family & the most important nobility - plus the noblesse d’epe (hereditary nobles) and noblesse de robe (status acquired from venal jobs). Nobility could be beheaded instead of hanged and were exempt from paying the Taille and other taxes.

The 3rd Estate

Made up by the bourgeoisie and the peasants (98% of the population) - bourgeoisie relied on their skills for living & were relatively wealthy while peasants worked the land for the seigneur, either through tenancy agreements & paying rent of paying dues to the seigneur (feudal peasants). Also included the sans culottes who were urban workers living in the cities. Had to pay all taxation such as the taille, vingtieme and gabelle.

Reasons for hardships in the 3rd Estate

Feudal peasants had to pay the seigneur for use of their essential resources, like an oven to bake bread, & peasants had to pay the majority of tax compared to the other estates. The population increased to 28 million in 1790 which raised rent & increased farming & housing demand & agriculture was poor with so many more to feed & not advanced. Town wages increased 22% but prices rose 65% & the 7 years was left high taxes to pay. However the other estates refused to change this system as it benefitted them.

Taxation

The government gained money from direct and indirect tax, however only indirect tax was paid by all and the 1st and 2nd estates still found ways to avoid this. The 3rd estate often had to pay indirect tax as they needed the products more, like salt to keep their food fresh.

The Parlements

They were the soveriegn courts for civil & criminal cases not solved by local courts & were mainly made up of nobles. Had the power to check royal power in registered edicts using remonstrances to ensure the king was conforming to previous legislation & provincial codes. However the king could use a lit de justice to force his edict through.

The king’s power

The Ancien Regime was an absolute monarchy so the king had total power over France. He could provide nobles with patronage (jobs they wanted) and issue lettres do cachet to arrest anyone he wanted & lit de justice to force his laws through government. He kept up prestige with ceremonies at Versailles.

Limitations to the King’s power - customs

There were several laws that were difficult for the king to interfere with without appearing like a tyrant. He had to listen to things like the legal rights & privileges of the Assembly of the Clergy to maintain a good reputation.

Limitations to the King’s power - central government

Lots of different councils in government meant that power fell into the hands of few indiviuals/groups who often acted independently to the king. For example: the conseil d’Etat managed state issues & foreign affairs, the conseil royal des finances managed state finances & economic policy & the conseil de depeches managed the church & reviewed royal despatches in the provinces.

Limitations to the King’s power - ministers

The king often met with different individuals in Versailles, causing a rise in factions which could undermine & influence the king’s decisions, such as Marie Antionette. This meant that those close to the king/those who held key posts in Versailles could determine how the government ran.

Limitations to the King’s power - provinces

Each province was governed/overseen by intendants - royal agents who maintained the king’s rule & fed information back to him - however each province often set their own laws, meaning one law from the king in Paris wasn’t usually in effect across the whole country. A group of provinces called the pays d’etats also had the privilege of only having to pay the king a lump sum in tax.

Limitations to the King’s power - taxation

Direct taxes were only paid by the 3rd estate as the other two were exempt from paying them & while indirect taxes were supposed to be paid by all, nobles often found ways not to pay them. Tax farmers were sent to collect indirect taxes by the king, however many were corrupt & greedy and kept the money for themselves - some made several million livres a year.

Louis & Marie Antionette

Louis became king at 14 & married a 14 year old Marie Antionette when he was 15. She was Austrian & had a poor education making her unpopular in court, but the marriage did unite France and Austria. Louis was the centre of life at Versailles with court factions constantly seeking royal favours, and etiquette & court boosted his influence, giving him the power to make or break a career (example: it was a crime to fail to acknowledge a superior in a passageway). However they were both also left isolated as deceit and betrayal was rife amongst the nobles in court.

Louis’ and Marie Antionette’s personalities

Louis aspired to be philanthropic & just, however he was shy, awkward and indecisive and his mind could be easily swayed by those in court. They couldn’t produce an heir for a long time after their marriage which led to Marie Antionette being humiliated in court throughout her reign & she was blamed for many things that weren’t her fault. She also heavily influenced Louis’ decisions due to his weakness as a king and need for the nobles to like him(like firing Turgot). His acceptance of Turgot’s ideas to make the nobility pay tax also made him unpopular.

The Diamond Necklace Affair

Jewellers tried to sell a 2 million livre diamond necklace that had been made for Louis XV in 1770 to Marie Antionette however she didn’t want it. Two thieves who wanted the necklace then employed a cardinal and made him believe she wanted him to buy it for her. He did and they stole it off him, infuriating the king and queen. Marie Antionette was heavily blamed for this incident because of rumours in court, despite not being involved at all, worsening her reputation.

Life before the revolution

Peasants bore a tax burden by having to pay taxes to the church, state and half of what they earned to the landowner. Agriculture fell behind as the nobility who owned the land didn’t care about advancing or improving their farms with new machinery as they didn’t see the point in risking their wealth for something that didn’t affect them. On top of this, peasants became poorer as waged rose by only a quarter while prices rose by two thirds. Those living in Paris were better off & more literate but crowded into the city.

Royal debt before Louis’ reign

2 billion livres had been caused by the war of Austrian succession. The 7 years war cost 1.3 billion livres and caused the loss of all French colonies in North America. By 1764, France was 2.3 billion livres in debt.