Absolutism and the Structure of the AR Flashcards

1
Q

How old was Louis XVI when he came to the throne?

A

20

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2
Q

Why was Louis’ throning was a suprise?

A

His father and older brother died unexpectedly

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3
Q

When was Louis betrothed to and marry Marie-Antoinette?

A

1768, 1770

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4
Q

Why was his marriage to MA controversial?

A
  • Wars of the Austrian Succession (17401748)
  • France lost and in 1756, alliance formed
  • By 1768, alliance in danger of breaking up hence betrothal
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5
Q

Why is Louis considered lacking in qualities that make a goof king?

A
  • Was weak-willed, indecisive; wasn’t charming
  • He had little understanding of politics
  • He was reluctant to take a lead and stubborn when faced with difficult change; usually conceded when he had no choice and it was too late
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6
Q

Why was MA a problematic Queen?

A
  • Naïve
  • Spent excessively; Madame Deficit
  • Not at all sympathetic to revolution
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7
Q

Why was the Court of Versailles problematic in terms of ruling France?

A
  • Life was expensive and different court factions constantly sought royal favours to maintain their lifestyles (e.g. pensions, contracts and gratuites)
  • MA used her influence to advance her pr-Austrian clique; L’Autrichienne
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8
Q

What was Louis’ perspective on his ‘Divine Right’?

A
  • Acutely aware it was a sacred one
  • Justified ‘Absolute’ power of monarchy
  • He alone had the power to make laws and ensure they were carried out
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9
Q

What was a lettre de cachet?

A
  • The King could use to order imprisonment
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10
Q

How was French Absolutism supposed to avoid becoming a tyrrany?

A
  • Customs of the land = in practice the king needed support of npble elites
  • Uphold rule ‘by law’ = not despotic
  • Uphold Christian morality
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11
Q

Which royal councils met in the presence of the king and what were their roles?

A
  • Counseil d’etat = state and foreign affairs
  • Counseil des Depeches = church affairs
  • Counseil Royal des Finances = state finances and household costs; from 1787 also economic policy
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12
Q

How was the distribution of power flawed?

A
  • Power tended to ultimately into the hands of a restricted number of influential individuals who acted independently
  • For example, the Controller-General who was in charge of the king’s finances and had his own bureau of workers
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13
Q

Why did the system of Ministers serving Louis fail to operate effectively?

A
  • Louis’ choice of ministers was dependent on the intrigues of court factions and pressure from external factors at least as much as it was on ministers’ abilities
  • Ministers’ attention wad therefore focused upon protecting reputations and maintaining support at Court as much as the demands of their roles
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14
Q

Who did the king use as his key representatives in the provinces?

A
  • Intendents kept as royal agents to keep the central government informed
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15
Q

How many intendents were there and what were their responsibilities?

A
  • Usually one intendent for every generalite (administrative division created in 17th C); 33 by 1789
  • Responsible for finance, policing and justice
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16
Q

What were some specific duties of intendents?

A
  • Ensured taxes paid
  • Ensuring king’s edicts implemented
  • Presiding over local courts
  • Co-ordinated activities of prevots (police force); could request lettres de caches against a private person
  • Raising troops
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17
Q

Why were intendents’ roles difficult?

A
  • Over-worked as too few staff were allocated
  • Victims of France’s confused administrative system under which their roles often overlapped with other officials or were challenged by long-established institutions
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18
Q

Why was their regional variation as to how France was governed?

A

When kings of France absorbed new lands, they agreed to respect old customs and habits = different practices, laws and taxation arrangements

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19
Q

What were Pays d’Etats?

A

Regions where representative assembly had right to negotiate on the rising of taxes with royal intendents

20
Q

What was the role of provincial governors?

A
  • Drawn from the nobility and responsible for historic provinces
  • In 1779, 39 governors
  • Theoretically king’s representatives but in some areas became provincial ‘dynasty’ in some families
21
Q

What was Venality?

A
  • Selling of administrative offices to augment royal income

- By 1700s, 70,000 venal offices

22
Q

What were the Parlements?

A
  • 13 in France
  • ‘Sovereign’ courts; Paris Parlement most important as responsible for about 2/5 of France
  • Heard civil and criminal cases, controlled guilds, corporations and markers as well as local government finances and law and order
  • Often came into conflict with intendents
23
Q

What other courts existed?

A
  • Other supremes courts
  • Seigneurial courts lowest level in hands of feudal landlords
  • Church courts
24
Q

What was a lit de justice?

A

King could call a royal session of the Paris Parlement for compulsory registration of royal edicts; could make the King look depsotic

25
Q

How could parlements challenge King’s rule through dealing with royal edicts?

A

Could criticise and question edicts and so force the king to thing again by sending a remonstrance

26
Q

What tensions pre-existed Louis XVI between monarchy and parlements?

A

From 1763, Paris Parlement blocked a series of royal reforms and in 1771, Louis XV tried to abolish the parlements altogether

27
Q

What did Louis XVI do when he took the throne regarding parlements?

A

He restored the parlements to their previous status

28
Q

Why did law vary geographically?

A
  • Southern 1/3 was governed by clear and rigid written rules

- Rest of France operated on common law based on customary practice

29
Q

French population by 1780s?

A

Largest in Europe - about 27m; about 21m in agriculture

30
Q

Rough figures for each estate?

A
  • 1st: 150,000
  • 2nd: 200,000-400,000
  • 3rd: the rest
31
Q

Why was the 1st E seen as so important?

A
  • Essential to nations’ wellbeing as 97% Catholic
  • Controlled education, provided care for sick and elderly
  • Pulpit used to convey royal messages and church authorities had extensive powers of censorship
32
Q

Variety in members of 1st E?

A
  • Cardinals, archbishops and bishops came from ranks of nobility
  • Majority of clergy were far poorer than their own parishoners
33
Q

Why was 1st E so rich?

A
  • Large income from rents and dues paid for Church land (10% of land in France)
  • Church taxes: tithe; everybody had to pay 10% income
  • Clergy exempt from main French direct tax taille and instead paid a lump sum to king, Don Gratuit
34
Q

Other than financial, what privileges did the 1st E enjoy?

A
  • Could only be prosecuted through own courts

- Couldn’t be asked to perform military service or to provide money or housing for royal troops

35
Q

How much land did 2nd E own?

A

Between 1/4 and 1/5 of all land in France; msotly lived off rents of their landed estates

36
Q

Who were Noblesse d’epee?

A

Nobles of sword; hereditary

37
Q

Who were Noblesse de court?

A

Those in residence at Versailles or in provincial areas; able to access royal patronage and served as ambassadors and councillors

38
Q

Why did wealth of nobility vary?

A

Provincial hereditary nobility had become impoverished over the years but still clung to their status and privilege

39
Q

Who were Noblesse de Robe?

A
  • Carried out venal roles
  • More offices sold so numbers grew considerably in 1700s
  • By 1789, more than 70,000
  • Generally looked down on business and trade
40
Q

What privileges did the nobility have?

A
  • Honorific privileges e.g. display a coat of arms
  • Law e.g. right to beheaded rather than hanged
  • Financial e.g. didn’t have to pay taille
  • Managed to escape indirect tax or at wort paid a small proportion of their income
41
Q

Who were the wealthiest members of 3rd E and how did they gain their wealth and status?

A
  • Bourgeoisie who used ‘skills’ for income; tiny proportion of 3rd E
  • Trade and commerce grew throughout 1700s
  • Wealthiest enjoyed a lifestyle similar to some of nobility; prosperous merchant could earn more than an impoverished nobleman
  • Where possible, tried to buy office
42
Q

What were the other two members of 3rd E?

A
  • Semi-skilled/unskilled urban workers

- Peasantry who lived and worked in countryside (rural workers)

43
Q

What were the lives of the peasantry like?

A
  • Worked the land under feudal/seigneurial arrangement with land-holding noble Lord/seigneur
  • Most peasants were subsistence farmrers, legally bound to a seigneur
  • Richer land-owning/renting peasants (small number) could become relatively prosperous by selling surpluses
44
Q

What obligations did the 3rd E have?

A
  • Paid direct taxes e.g. taille, vigntieme and capitation
  • Indirect taxes such as gabelle (salt), aides (drink) and on tobacco; tithe to church
  • Every male liable for military service
  • Required to do unpaid labour service to maintain royal roads (corvee royale)
45
Q

What feudal taxes/obligations did peasants have to pay?

A
  • Seigneurial dues e.g. champart (paid in gran/produce), cens (paid in cash)
  • Paid annual payments (banalities)