History 31.1.

2023 notes

Grievances of the Estates

KEY QUESTIONS: What grievances did each estate hold? How did the American War of Independence
affect France?

First Estate: The first estate was heavily divided between the poorer Lay Clergy and the richer
bishops and cardinals, who were often corrupt and very rarely held mass. Peasants were angry at the
church for the lack of engagement with communities; while church schools and hospitals existed,
they were often run by local priests, not the Catholic Church overall. Long absences from parishes
were common, with some bishops and cardinals spending most of the year outside of their parishes.

- Simon Schama “It was the clergy, more than any other group in France, that the division
between rich and poor was most bitterly articulated.

Second Estate: The Second Estate was also divided: The ancient Noblesse d’epee comprised the
majority of the nobility, but were often poor (60% of them lived in poverty). The Noblesse d’court
(Who obtained their nobility through purchase of Venal offices and service to the crown). The
Second Estate were also aggrieved by their lack of political power, as the king had not called a
meeting of the Estates General since 1628.

Third Estate: Though the Third Estate was very diverse, they were all aggrieved by heavy taxes that
were levied upon them by the First and Second Estates. More specifically, the bourgeoise wished to
join the ranks of the nobility and the according privileges. Urban workers were concerned that
Fnce’s trade deals with Britain may lead to their jobs being wiped out, and the peasantry was
worried about the extremely high taxes and their lack of mobility.

Populati on Breakdown of France by Social Class

Social Class Population amount

First Estate - Clergy 169,500
Second Estate - Nobility 125,000
Third Estate – Bourgeoise 2,000,000
Third Estate - Artisans 2,000,000
Third Estate – Landowning Farmers 5,000,000
Third Estate – Sharecroppers 11,000,000
Third Estate - Serfs 1,000,000

National Debt
France was in heavy debt from two unsuccessful wars: The Seven Years War against Britain and
Prussia, and the War of Austrian Succession against Austria, Bavaria, and Prussia. As a result of this,
Jacques Turgot was appointed in 1774 to fix the French economy. However, he was immensely
unpopular amongst the nobility and bourgeoise for his attempts to reduce their privilege and bring
in more taxes. He was sacked on the 12th May 1776 after demanding that Marie Antoinette curtail
her spending.

- Jacques Turgot “The first gunshot fired [ Of a future war ] will drive the kingdom into
bankruptcy.
- William Doyle “The French State lacked rational organisation and uniform principles, and it
was not enough to attempt to solve financial problems.”