Causes of Tension and Conflict in the Old Regime (Pre–1789
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1 Causes of Tension and Conflict in the Old Regime ( pre-1789) SAMPLE Causes of Tension and Conflict in the Old Regime (pre–1789) LIBERATING FRANCE 9 France and its government in the reign of Louis XVI ? Absolute divine right monarchy Prior to the French Revolution – a period referred to as the ‘old regime’ or DID YOU KNOW? ‘ancien régime’ – France was an absolute monarchy. When the revolution Dauphin is French for dolphin. began in 1789 the reigning monarch was King Louis XVI. Louis (1754–1793), It was the title given to the heir who began life as Louis-Auguste, the Duke of Berry, was the third heir-in- apparent from 1350 to 1791, line, but became heir-apparent (the Dauphin) following the death of his and from 1824 to 1830. Count father and his older brother. He was twenty when he came to the throne in Guigues VIII de la Tour-du-Pin 1774 as an absolute, divine right monarch, appointing his own ministers (1309–1333) had a dolphin on and unrestricted by a written constitution. In the sixteenth and seventeenth his flag, and took the nickname centuries, France had become the most influential of the European ‘dauphin.’ In 1349 one of his monarchies and so Louis ruled over a powerful and wealthy empire made up successors sold the family of the state of France itself, and islands in the Caribbean and in the Indian lands known as the Dauphiné to the King of France, Phillip Ocean. VI, on the condition that the During the seventeenth century, Louis XIV (1638–1715) had strengthened the heir to the throne be known as power of the monarch over his nobility and clergy. The nobility had wealth the Dauphin. The first French and privileges, but no real political power. Similarly, while Catholicism was prince to bear the title in 1350 the only recognised religion in France and the Church had spiritual authority became Charles V in 1364. The and great wealth, the king claimed the power to appoint all the upper clergy Dauphin’s arms would contain and to rule by divine authority. Thus, when Louis XVI came to the throne it both the dolphin of Dauphiné seemed as though his reign would be secure. and the French fleurs-de-lys. Louis XVI in Coronation Robes, an engraving by J. G. Müller, based on the painting by Duplessis. Bibliothèque Nationale de France. This is an idealised image of the King, accurate enough SAMPLEin regard to his facial features but representing him as vigorously able to rule his kingdom. He wears a lavish cloak with the royal blue ground and gold fleur-de-lys of the Bourbon dynasty, holding one symbol of his absolute royal power, the sceptre, with the crown on a stool behind him. The ermine trimming of his cloak is a reference to his role as supreme judge. In another engraving based upon this portrait, the artist Callet added the scales of justice on a medallion behind the King. Behind the medallion he also added the fasces, the rods and axe of the magistrates of ancient Rome. Copies of Callet’s engraving of the portrait by Duplessis would have adorned many of the official buildings of the kingdom and, for the majority of his subjects, this was the only image of their monarch that they might see. 10 LIBERATING FRANCE Causes of Tension and Conflict in the Old Regime (pre–1789) Marie Antoinette The King’s Government Became very unpopular. From Austrian background (traditional Louis XVI Absolute Divine Right Monarchy enemy of France). Personality poorly suited Depended on personal qualities of ruler Extravagant. to office. who was hereditary. Totally out of touch with ordinary Unable to make a decision. ‘The power to make the laws belongs only to people’s lives and ignorant of France. ‘The weakness and me’ – Louis XVI. Determined to keep power of indecision of the King are monarchy intact. beyond description’ – Finance Comte de Provence, Taxation Justice eldest of royal brothers. Great inequality. Judges Not respected by Privileged orders paid little or no tax. The King was the supreme Judge of the courtiers. Tax burden spread unevenly across Third Kingdom and the thus the final court of Estate – varying by region, feudal and appeal. seigneurial custom. Members of the legal profession Administration Taxes collected through venal offices, i.e. purchased their office and usually a title Incoherent and positions which were bought. to go with it, becoming noblesse de robe. inefficient, leading to Differing jurisdictions chaos. Farmers-General collected indirect taxes, paid a lump sum to the government, kept Parlements, ecclesiastical courts, the rest, often lending money to the Crown military courts. Royal Ministers at interest, although it was the Crown’s own Roman code law in south, Germanic Ministers of police, justice, money. Accountants collected direct taxes. case law in north. navy, army and finance. Treasury Justice arbitrary Directly responsible to the No central treasury. Crown never received Lettres de cachet issued by King. King. full amount collected in its name. Perception of corruption and abuse of Appointed by King, System inefficient, subject to corruption. privilege in parlements. forming his Council. Backward Economy Agriculture: traditional methods and Legislation subsistence farming. Intendants Laid down by the King in edicts. Requirement to pay dues in grain or other Ran the provinces or crops therefore no diversification possible. The Estates-General généralités and The only body which by custom had the supervised the collection Internal customs barriers discouraged development of national market. power to authorise new taxes, had not of taxation, the practice of met since 1614. Technological advances not introduced: no religion, law and order, The Assembly of Notables public works, money, no entrepreneurial instinct. communications, Manufacture: still run on traditional guild Had not been called since 1626. commerce and industry. system. Small workshops with masters and Parlements journeymen living and working together. The parlements were law courts, which Overlapping also had the duty of issuing and jurisdictions ‘Outworkers’ still used in spinning and weaving. administering laws passed by the King. e.g. 39 provinces with SAMPLEThe most important was the Parlement No industrialisation of textiles as in Britain: governors, 36 généralités of Paris. There were 2300 magistrates, with Intendants, Ressorts Evidence: spinning jennies in Britain = 20000 all noblesse de robe. No law could be controlled by Parlements. - in France = 1000; applied unless registered by the Each authority would Textile mills in Britain = 200, in France = 8. parlements. The parlements had the interpret laws differently. Overseas trade: only area of French Right of Remonstrance, to criticise a law. Internal customs barriers. economy still booming in 1780s. It was then sent back to the King to be Different customary Marseilles – near monopoly on trade with reviewed. The King could insist on taxes. Near East (Turkey, Greece, Syria, Egypt). registration through the lit de justice, forcing his decrees to become law. Different weights and Bordeaux, Nantes, Le Havre, La Rochelle – measures. booming Atlantic trade – slaves bought in Little or no consultation French language not Africa, taken to West Indies, sold for spoken throughout whole colonial products – sugar, coffee, tobacco, Chambers of commerce and guilds kingdom – many dialects. cotton and indigo brought back to France. could write to the royal Intendants or directly to the royal Minister at Administration took place Atlantic merchants gained great wealth and lived in enormous opulence. Versailles. In extreme cases letters were in French or Latin. addressed to the King. Causes of Tension and Conflict in the Old Regime (pre–1789) LIBERATING FRANCE 11 The French economy in the eighteenth century The lands of the Kings of France covered some 277 200 square miles, with ? approximately twenty-eight million inhabitants, 24–26 million within France. (See map on page 299.) By 1789, Louis XVI was to be king over another DID YOU KNOW? million people. These lands had been built up since the Middle Ages by a Louis XVI was described as process of conquest, intermarriage and dynastic inheritance and they were looking like ‘a peasant still being added to: in 1678, Louis XIV had acquired Franche Comté, on the shambling along behind a border with Switzerland; in 1766, Louis XV inherited Lorraine; and in 1786, plough; there was nothing Louis XVI took over the island of Corsica. However, not all lands in France proud or regal about him.’ In belonged to the French monarchy: the Pope, at that time Pius VI, owned court dress, however, he Avignon and the surrounding area, while there were three self-governing looked magnificent, with German counties within Alsace. heavily embroidered clothes and a diamond star on a ribbon France was divided into provinces, some extremely large, like Languedoc around his neck. and Brittany, some very small, like Flanders. The exact number of provinces was uncertain, but in 1766 there were thirty-nine provincial governors, an honorific title rather than an administrative position. For administrative purposes, France was divided into thirty-six généralités, each governed by an intendant. The généralités were more uniform in size and were the means by which the provinces were governed. Those provinces near the borders, which had generally been acquired by war or inheritance, were called the pays d’état and were treated differently for tax purposes to other provinces. Similarly, the villes franches, or major towns of the provinces, had emancipated themselves from direct taxation, were free from service in the militia (local guard) and were excused from the corvée (the peasants’ obligation to do unpaid service mending roads). To add to the confusion, apart from general royal edicts which all had to obey, the King’s domains did not have a common law or a common system of taxation: • Southern provinces were governed by code law, a written collection of laws first set out by the ancient Roman occupiers of Gaul, but northern areas used case law, based on medieval Saxon practices; • In isolated regions, like those close to the Spanish border, local laws took precedence over French law, including those relating to marriage, inheritance and property.