The Old (French) Regime was the time before the 1789 French Revolution. Four characteristics of the Old Regime include:
1. Aristocratic elites that inherited legal privileges. These people represented about one to five percent of the population, were influential in socioeconomic life and owned land. There were about 400 thousand of these people in France, seperated into two groups.
Nobles of the sword - military merit.
Nobles of the robe - purchased bureaucratic merit.
There were also distinctions between the Versailles nobles and the non-Versailles nobles, known as the provincial nobility or Hoberaux. The latter were less wealthy.
Nobles also didn't have to pay the taille/land tax and were not subject to the corvee/forced labor. The paid instead the "twentieth" income tax. In adddition, they collected feudal dues and had exclusive fishing and hunting privileges.
2. Established churches.
3. Urban labor force and guild associations.
4. Rural peasents with high taxes and feudal dues.
Further, drees code was tied to social class. Also, please keep in mind that privileges were not "individual," they were "community," (as a group).
5 comments:
It's to read some quality historical comment on something other than Egypt for once (I'm obsessed).
I'd like to know more about French history, for instance, is it really true that France has never won a battle of any significance?
Very nice. I've always fround information about the French history very interesting. I never really learn much about it at school but I've been looking up lots of information ever since.
I've not had an interest in French history per se, but rather in history as a whole. I love the ideals of the 1800 eras though; so elegant, pristine-like, and structured.
How did it change?
Nice summary.
I want to visit France sometime and learn some history first hand.
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