Part 3: French Revolution French Society Divided • First Estate – Clergy o Had most of the wealth o Paid no taxes • Second Estate – Nobility o Held top jobs in the government, military, and courts. o Paid no taxes • Third Estate – Everyone else o Social order within the Third Estate ▪ Bourgeoisie (boor-zhwah-zee) • Bankers, merchants, manufacturers, lawyers, doctors, journalists, and professors ▪ Peasantry • Rural Peasants - Agricultural (Farming) • Urban Workers - Poorest of the Third Estate o Apprentices, Journeymen, servants, stable hands, construction workers, street sellers • Review: What is an Absolute Monarchy? • A: Kings or Queens that held ALL of the power within their borders. • Review: What did Monarchs believe about their power? • A: Kings and Queens believed that God created the monarchy. • A: Monarchs also believed that they were God’s representatives on Earth. • Called the “Divine Right of Kings” • This is what gave them all of their power. The Rise of Absolute Monarchy in France • Henry IV becomes King of France in 1589 o This begins the Bourbon Dynasty ▪ There is conflict between the King and the Nobles • Nobles are people of high rank o Henry begins creating a government centered around himself ▪ He was assassinated in 1610 • Louis XIII becomes king at the age of 9 after his father Henry’s death o Cardinal Richelieu runs the country till Louis comes of age o During his reign he consolidated and strengthened the kings power ▪ Louis XIII dies in 1643 • Louis XIV became king of France at 4 years old when his father died o He grew to hate the nobles because of the riots that tore France apart during his childhood ▪ Stripped all rights and duties from nobles and excluded them from government o “L’ètat, e’est moi” ▪ “I am the state” • Louis’ view was that he and the state were one in the same ▪ He became the most powerful ruler in French history • Nicknamed “The Sun King” because he thought himself greater than the sun o King Louis XIV left France with a lot of debt ▪ Still spent lavishly • Began taxing Nobles and Clergy to pay for his spending o They resisted giving up their exemption o Louis XIV died in 1715 after 72 years in power ▪ People in France CHEERED when it was announced!! o Mixed Legacy ▪ Positive: France ranked above all other European nations in art & literature. Also considered the military leader of Europe ▪ Negative: Constant warfare & the construction of a palace at Versailles put France into staggering debt. Plus the poor were burdened by high taxes • King Louis XV takes power in 1715 at the age of five. o Ran up even more debts than King Louis XIV o Died in 1774 after 59 years in power! • Louis Auguste was born in 1754 as the second heir to the French throne. o Married Marie Antoinette at 15 years old o Father (first French heir) died when Louis was 11. o Crowned as King Louis XVI in 1774 after his grandfather, Louis XV, died. ▪ Had been taught to appear non-caring and non-committed to problems of commoners ▪ Took over a country in financial ruins ▪ Began as a weak and indecisive king o Hired a financial advisor ▪ Advised to reduce spending, reform the government, and tax the First and Second Estates • Nobles and Clergy had him dismissed The Estates-General • A legislative body with representatives from each of the three estates • Summoning the Estates-General o As the financial crisis worsened, members of the clergy and nobility urged King Louis XVI to summon the Estates-General ▪ This had not been done for nearly 200 years! • Louis XVI summoned the Estates-General in 1788 o Kept the same customs as they had in 1614 ▪ First and Second Estates wore their finest clothes • Third Estate wore plain, black clothing ▪ Questions on voting procedures • Unfair to the Third Estate • The Third Estate Rises o Unhappy with the Estates-General ▪ Declared themselves the “National Assembly” The Tennis Court Oath • King Louis XVI had the Chamber doors locked so that the Third Estate could not meet o Members felt this was a sign of an attack • Met on a tennis court near the Palace of Versailles o Signed an oath to never break apart until reforms were made o Ultimately wanted a new constitution for France • King Louis XVI forced the First and Second Estates to join the Third Estate in the National Assembly. The Storming of the Bastille • What was the Bastille? o It was a fortress used by King Louis XVI as a prison • Members of the Third Estate demanded to King Louis XVI that they be given more say in the government. o Feared that the King was preparing an attack ▪ They needed to arm themselves • Took muskets from a war veterans hospital o Still needed gunpowder o The Bastille housed political opponents ▪ Seen as a symbol of the King’s oppression ▪ Also had a lot of gunpowder…they thought… • July 14th, 1789 o 1000 Parisians marched to the front of the Bastille and asked for weapons they believed was stored there. ▪ They were denied. o They broke down the barrier and took control of the Bastille while French Soldiers fired on them from the fortress. o The importance of July 14th ▪ This is seen as the day France gained their independence from the Monarchies. • Celebrated each year o Much like the US’s July 4th Writing: • Imagine that you are a member of the Third Estate. Write a letter to a loved one telling of the wonderful day that the Bastille had been taken from the King. The End of the Monarchy: • The Great Fear – many commoners believed the King had sent Royal Troops to attack those in the Third Estate and seize their lands. o Peasants became proactive by burning records and attacking store owners. ▪ Many in the Third Estate were without food • Marquis de Lafayette o Fought with George Washington in the American Revolution o Became leader of the National Guard ▪ The National Guard was a middle-class militia to oppose the Royal Troops. • “Feudalism is Dead!” o August 4th, 1789 ▪ Nobles agree to give up special privileges in a vote with National Assembly. • (Hunting Rights, Tax Exemption, special legal status) ▪ “The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen” • Document written by the National Assembly • Modeled after the US’s Declaration of Independence o “Men are born and remain free and equal in rights.” o “These rights are liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.” • Declared ALL male citizens equal under the law o People would be taxed according to their ability to pay. • “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” o Slogan of the French Revolution o Blue, White, and Red on the French Flag signify this saying. Women’s March on Versailles • 6,000 women were angry at Marie Antoinette for her extravagant lifestyle while the poor were starving. o Believed she was hoarding grain in the palace • Shouted “Bread!” as they marched from Paris to Versailles ▪ (Marie Antoinette never said “Let them eat cake!”) o Demanded that the King, Queen, and son travel back to Paris ▪ Louis and Marie are now basically prisoners in their own palace in Paris. The Constitution of 1791 • Set up a limited monarchy • Legislative Assembly could make laws, collect taxes, and vote on issues • All tax-paying male citizens over 25 years old could vote in elections • Ended Church interference in government o Put the power back in citizens hands (for now) Revolution Turns Radical • The Legislative Assembly failed • Value of money dropped; prices soared o Caused hoarding and food shortages • Rise of the sans-culottes (sanz koo lahts) o Means “without breeches” o Demanded a republic ▪ Supported by the Jacobins • Middle-Class lawyers and intellectuals • Used pamphlets or newspapers to spread cause • Declaration of War o The Legislative Assembly declared war on Austria, Britain, Prussia, and other European nations o Fighting will last off and on from 1792 to 1815 The Fighting Begins • Citizens storm the Palace of Tuileries looking for the King o King Louis XVI and his family escape • Prison holding nobles and priests attacked o Over 1,000 political prisoners killed • The Fall of the Monarchy o Radicals overthrew the Legislative Assembly ▪ Formed The National Convention • Voted to abolish the monarchy and establish a republic • Wrote a new constitution o Jacobins want to erase the “old order” ▪ Seize lands from nobles and abolished their titles of nobility ▪ Basically, they were just regular, normal, average, unimportant people, now… The Death of King Louis XVI • January, 1793 o Louis was put on trial as a traitor ▪ There were 721 voters in total. 34 voted for death with attached conditions, 2 voted for life imprisonment in irons, 319 voted for imprisonment until the end of the war followed by banishment. 361 voted for death without conditions. • 34 + 2 + 319 = 355 o 361 > 355 o Sentenced to Death by Beheading ▪ Final Words: “Frenchmen, I die innocent. I pardon the authors of my death. I pray God that the blood about to be spilt will never fall upon the head of France…” o Queen Mary Antoinette will be executed a few months later in October of 1793. ▪ Her final words were an apology to the executioner because she stepped on his foot… • Prussia, Austria, and Italy declare war on France o French armies overtook the Netherlands and invaded Italy The Reign of Terror: Sept. 1793 – July 1794 • The Committee of Public Safety was created to deal with threats to the French Republic o 12 Members who had almost absolute power over France ▪ Were in charge of all trials and executions o Mass Tax - forced all French citizens to support the revolution • The Rise of Robespierre o Called “The Incorruptible” because he was so committed to the revolution ▪ His enemies called him a tyrant o Became the leader of the Committee ▪ Believed France could achieve a republic of quality only through the use of terror.