France during the France during the ancien régimeancien régime
CHY 4U - October 26, 2009CHY 4U - October 26, 2009
A Tale of Two Cities Clip
I:\School\Practicum I\Powerpoint Movie Links\A Tale Of Two Cities - 3 Estates.avi
What does this clip say about the common citizen in France at the time?
How were peasants viewed at the time by the nobility?
How was this view changing?
The ancien régime (Old Order) The old order was the societal hierarchy that
was developed by the monarchy in the middle ages and lasted until the French Revolution
The ancien régime set people into social groups that were thought to be divinely created
Depending on which group a person was in, certain privileges would be allotted to them.
Many people had no privileges.
The Three Estates In the old order, the social groups were called
the estates. French society was divided up into 3
Estates. The social hierarchy was largely defined by which estate you belonged.The first estate consisted of the clergyThe second estate consisted of the nobilityThe third estate consisted of EVERYBODY
ELSE
The Three Estates
God
The King
1st Estate 2nd Estate 3rd Estate
“Those who pray” This group belonged to the clergy and
made up of less than 1% of the total population of France
They owned and controlled over 20% of the land in France
Because of religious oaths of poverty, members of the first estate lived modest lives.
The First Estate
The First Estate
Privileges: Had their own courts Controlled their own land for religious purposes and
could never lose it (mortmain) Were exempt from most taxes
The Second Estate “Those who fight” This group consisted of the nobility, outside
the monarch himself, who was not part of the three estates
Consisted of 0.5% of the total population of France
This group of people too were exempt from paying taxes.
These people were relatively wealthy land owners
The Second Estate
Privileges: Were allowed to carry a sword Exempt from most taxes Exempt from military service (funny considering they
were referred to as “those who fight”) Received special treatment in courts
The Third Estate
“Those who toil” This group consisted of people who did
not fit into the first two groups Consisted of over 95% of the total
population of France This group of people paid the most taxes These people were mostly poor peasants
The Third Estate This group could be divided into two sub-
groups: the bourgeoisie and the peasant.The bourgeoisie were wage earners and
intellectuals. Included lawyers, doctors, businesspeople, merchants, soldiers, and craftspeople.
Enlightenment philosophers also part of this group. Grew in numbers and influence during the late 18th
centuryPeasants: poor individuals who earned little to
no income. Most lived in rural areas and therefore lived on
subsidence off of the land
The Third Estate
Privileges:Local privilegesGuild privileges – guilds were allowed to hold
monopolies on trade in specific areas.
Land and the Three Estates
Population Distribution of the Three Estates
First Estate
Second Estate
Third Estate
Although the Third Estate owned a majority of the land, the first two estates held a significant and proportionally unfair minority
The Estates-General All laws and decisions were made by the
monarch. However, in times of crises, the monarch could call a meeting Estates-General, where a formal meeting of representatives from each estate came to decide on the direction of the country
The Estates-General would have equal representation of each estate and thus equal representation when making decisions
The Estates-General People from each group would write
information on their grievances of the country. These were called the cahiers.
Due to the deep economic troubles occurring in France at the time, King Louis XVI called the Estates-General to help remediate the problem.
The Meeting of the Estates-General in May 1789
The Estates-General
Decison making powers in the Estates-General
Population Distribution of the Three Estates
First Estate
Second Estate
Third Estate
Does this seem fair?
The Estates-General
When the third estate lobbied for reform, how do you think the other estates responded?
This is what the third estate wanted: They would have to get more radical to achieve it.