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Alevel French Revolution > Chapter 1 - Origins Of French Revolution 1774-1789 > Flashcards

Chapter 1 - Origins Of French Revolution 1774-1789 Flashcards

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1
Q

What was Louis XVI’s character?

A

Shy, indecisive, not a proud figure of authority

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2
Q

Who was Marie Antoinette?

A

4th daughter of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria

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3
Q

What was Marie Antoinette’s personality like?

A

Attractive but naive, and had a reputation of spending a lot of money, had no sympathy for the revolution, had a play farm, had a reputation as a spendthrift

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4
Q

When did Louis become the king of France?

A

1774

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5
Q

What age did Louis become King?

A

20

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6
Q

When were Louis and MA married?

A

1770

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7
Q

Why were Louis and MA married?

A

To create diplomatic peace between the two former enemies France and Austria

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8
Q

How did the royal family live?

A

In Versailles, isolated from outside world, expensive lifestyles

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9
Q

Why was there gossip with Louis and MA?

A

It took them 8 years to produce a child

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10
Q

What’s a Dauphin?

A

The title given to the heir to the french throne

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11
Q

Why was Louis role seen so highly?

A

Partially aware his role was sacred, Gods representative (divine right) justified absolute powers of the monarch

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12
Q

What was the ‘lettres de cachet’?

A

Letter with royal seal allowing king to order imprisonment

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13
Q

What structure was France in the ancien regime?

A

Absolute monarchy

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14
Q

Was Louis a ‘despot’?

A

Not as much, didn’t use the L de C as much as Louis XV, wasn’t decisive or have absolute power

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15
Q

What was the ancien regime?

A

Out of date political and social system of France before revolution

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16
Q

What were the series of councils?

A

In theory they governed France, people specialised in certain affairs and were in the presence of the king as he had to consult others

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17
Q

How was France governed in reality?

A

It fell in the hands of a restricted number of influential people who acted independently

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18
Q

Who chose the ministers?

A

Louis

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19
Q

Who influenced Louis decision of ministers?

A

Marie Antoinette

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20
Q

What did Ministers do for their reputation?

A

They knew they might not hold the position for long so they protected their reputation and tried to maintain support

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21
Q

Was the control centralised or decentralised?

A

Centralised

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22
Q

What were Intendants?

A

Royal agents to maintain rule in the provinces and feed back information

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23
Q

What were the duties of the intendants?

A

Responsible for finance policing and justice

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24
Q

What were the problems with governing through intendants?

A

Dependant on the king
Overworked
Few staff
Can’t make decisions for themselves and had to ask permission
Their role was challenged

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25
What are provinces?
Regions roughly equivalent to the historic counties of England, each with its own traditions and institutions
26
What are provincial officers?
Came from the nobility and were responsible for France’s historic provinces and maintaining order
27
What was the ‘provincial dynasty’?
Families who were provincial govenors
28
What were the pays d’états?
Six areas of France that discussed with the king taxation in their area, then paid a large sum to him
29
How did the pats d’états agree taxes?
They had powerful assemblies where intendants were forced to share power
30
Who were Local officers?
Like barons, bought their position through venality and served in the municipal administration and local bodies
31
What’s a municipal administrator?
Someone who oversees operations of all city departments
32
What are seigneurs?
Land owning nobles in rural areas who exercised influence and ran their own courts and thought they were superior to intendants
33
What were the different french courts called?
Prévôtés Bailliage Parlements Seigneurial Church
34
What was the lowest level of courts?
Prévôtés
35
How many bailliage courts were there?
430
36
What was the most important parlement?
The Paris parlement responsible for 2/5 of France
37
What was the job of the Parlements?
To hear civil and criminal cases that the local courts couldn’t solve
38
What other powers did the parlements have?
Controlled guilds Corporations Markets Local government finances,law and order
39
Who could the parlements come into conflict with?
The intendants
40
What were seigneurial courts?
Descended at the lowest level in the villages by feudal landlords
41
What were corporations?
People with mutual interests usually in business
42
What were guilds?
Specifically for members of the same trade to maintain standards
43
What was the most important right of the parlements?
To register edicts (laws passed by the king) to ensure conformity with previous legislation and provincial codes
44
What’s a remonstrance?
A remonstrance is a document sent by a parlement to the monarch as a complaint of the decree
45
What’s the lit de justice?
‘Bed of justice’ A royal session in the Paris parlements for the registration of royal edicts
46
Who made up the membership of the parlements?
12 magistrates who bought their positions to become noblesse de robe Intendants Crown ministers
47
When did the Paris parlements block a series of royal reforms and policies?
1763
48
What happened in 1771?
Louis XV tried to abolish the parlements altogether
49
Who restored the parlements to their previous status?
Louis XVI
50
How was the French population divided into estates?
First Second Third
51
What was the first estate?
The clergy
52
How many people were in the first estate?
150,000
53
What was the second estate?
The nobility
54
How many people were in the second estate?
2-4 million
55
What was the third estate?
Commoners
56
How many people were in the third estate?
The rest of the country
57
In the 1780’s who had the largest population in Europe?
France
58
How many people live in France in 1780?
27 million
59
How many people were engaged in agriculture?
21 million
60
Who were the clergy?
Males who were essential to the nations wellbeing in the church
61
What did male clercs do?
Religious routines Mass Confessions Christenings Marriage Controlled education Provided for the sick and elderly
62
How did wealth vary in the first estate?
Church was wealthy Cardinals, archbishops and bishops majority less flamboyant lifestyles and far poorer than their own parishioners
63
Where did the church’s wealth come from?
Rents and dues paid from the land Church taxes = tithe
64
How much land did the church own?
10%
65
What obligations did the clergy not have to meet?
Didn’t have to pay the taille Could meet in their own assemblies Decide own affairs Only pay don gratuit Only prosecuted in their own Couldn’t be asked to perform military service or provide money or house royal troops
66
What did the second estate do?
Advise the king
67
How much land did the second estate own?
1/5 - 1/4
68
What did the second estate live off?
Rents and landed estates Pensions Offices Signeures Unearned income
69
What is unearned income?
Earnings from rents or investment
70
Why didn’t the second estate do many commercial and manual activities?
Fear of losing noble status
71
What were the noblesse d’eprée?
Nobles of the sword, traditionally the only group allowed to wear a sword
72
What type of nobility were the noblesse d’épée?
Hereditary
73
Who were the noblesse de court?
The nobles in residence at Versailles
74
What did the noblesse de courts do?
Had patronage (privileges from the king) Were ambassadors and councillors
75
What did the other nobles do?
Lived in chateaux or manor houses on their country estates Had titles Included members of the kings family
76
Were all the nobility wealthy?
Some hereditary nobility became impoverished it cling onto their status and privileges
77
What was the impoverished nobility’s nickname?
‘Hobereaux’ = sparrow hawks by the upper nobility
78
What did it mean to live away from Versailles as a noble?
Prevented them gaining state office Attempts to maintain a noble lifestyle could easily send them into debt
79
Who were the ‘noblesse de robe’?
Squired noble status because of their venal jobs
80
How many noblesse de robes were there by 1789?
70,000
81
What did the noblesse de robe do?
Legal and administrative duties
82
What privileges did the nobility have?
Right to display a coat of arms Take precedence at public ceremonies Could be beheaded rather than hung
83
What exemptions did the nobility have?
Didn’t pay the taille Lower rate for other direct taxes Some only paid a tiny part of their income
84
How could people join the second estate?
Buy nobility Purchase offices Marry
85
Who were the third estate?
Commoners Amount they lived on varied
86
Who were the bourgeoisie?
The wealthiest commoners Relied on their skills
87
What were the two types of bourgeoisie?
Haute + petite
88
What jobs were in the haute bourgeoisie?
Doctors Lawyers Financiers
89
What jobs were part of the petite bourgeoisie?
Small shopkeepers Self employed artisans
90
Was everyone in the third estate less privileged than the first two estates?
A prosperous merchant might have more income than an impoverished nobleman
91
What was the rest of the population?
Peasants
92
What did peasants do?
Worked the land with a seigneur
93
What feudal obligations did the third estate have?
No privileges Pay direct and indirect taxes Military service Unpaid labour Seigneurial dues
94
What were the direct taxes?
Taille Vingtieme Capitation
95
What were the indirect taxes?
Gabelle (salt tax) Aides on drinks Taxes on tobacco Tithe for the church
96
What were the seigneurial dues?
Champart (paid in grain) Cens (paid in cash) Had to ground their grain in his mill then pay banalités
97
Why were the feudal peasants better off than the bottom of the third estate?
Day labourers didn’t know when their next days work would come from Others feared as ‘outsiders’
98
What’s a ‘centralised government’?
Absolute monarchy Major decisions made by the king
99
Was France an absolute monarchy in the late 18th century?
Limitations to the kings rule Many influences on rules Collapsed wake of revolution 1789

Alevel French Revolution (24 decks)

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