Marie Antoinette - Queen of France and Archduchess of Austria. She was the daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Francis I and his wife Maria Theresa of Austria; wife of Louis XVI; and mother of Louis XVII.
Cardinal Fleury (1653-1743) - a French cardinal who served as the chief minister of Louis XV. He was born in Lod�ve, the son of a tax farmer of a noble family.
financial and administrative problems- The main financial problem of this time was that there was not enough bread that could be made. Louis XVI did nothing and as a result started a revolution.
Demands of the Nobility- the king or his chancellor announced the object of the convocation, and set forth the demands or questions put to them by the Crown; at the other royal sessions each order made known its answers or observations by the mouth of an orator elected for the purpose. But almost all useful work was done in the sections, among which the deputies of each order were divided. At the estates of 1484 they were divided into six nations or sections, corresponding to the six g�n�ralit�s then existing. Subsequently the deputies belonging to the same government formed a group or bureau for deliberating and voting purposes.
Identify "Jacques Turgot" (1727-1781)- a French statesman and economist. Born in Paris, he was the youngest son of Michel-Etienne Turgot, "provost of the merchants" of Paris, and Madeleine Francoise Martineau, and came of an old Norman family.
Identify "Jacques Necker" (1732-1804)- a French statesman of Swiss origin and finance minister of Louis XVI. Necker was born in Geneva, Switzerland.
Explain Louis Reign- Louis� reign was a short reign. It was full of many mistakes which earned him a bad reputation with the French people. He failed to provide bread after a shortage and made a series of other bad decisions.
The Estates General (1788)
First Estate- the republican regime of France from February 25, 1848 to December 2, 1852. It came to power as a result of the 1848 Revolution and is counted as the second republic because the government during the French Revolution is counted as the first, although the revolutionary government is more often discussed as three periods: the National Convention, the Directory, and the Consulate. For the history of France during this period, see Mid-nineteenth century France.
Second Estate- the republican regime of France from February 25, 1848 to December 2, 1852. It came to power as a result of the 1848 Revolution and is counted as the second republic because the government during the French Revolution is counted as the first, although the revolutionary government is more often discussed as three periods: the National Convention, the Directory, and the Consulate. For the history of France during this period, see Mid-nineteenth century France.
Bourgeoisie- the wealthy or propertied social class in a capitalist society. The French term in turn seems to have derived from the Italian borghesia (from borgo = village), which in turn derives from the Greek pyrgos).
Proletariat- a term used to identify a lower social class. Originally it was identified as those people who had no wealth other than their sons.
Third Estate- the governing body of France between the Second French Empire and the Fourth Republic. It was a republican parliamentary democracy that was created on September 4, 1870 following the collapse of the Empire of Napoleon III in the Franco-Prussian War. It survived until the invasion of France by the German Third Reich in 1940.
Peasant life in France- The peasant life in France was very hard and horrible. During the reign of Louis XVI they didn�t even have enough bread to survive.
gabelle- originally applied to taxes on all commodities, but was gradually limited to the tax on salt. In time it became one of the most hated and most grossly unequal taxes in the country, but, though condemned by all supporters of reform, it was not abolished until 1790.
corv'ee- a term used in feudal societies. It is a type of annual tax that is payable as labor by the serf for the monarch, vassal, overlord or lord of the manor. It was used to complete royal projects, to maintain roads and other public facilities, and to provide labor to maintain the feudal estate.
The Middle Class- The middle class while not as well off as the upper class, was still quite comfortable and was less affected by the political actions going on.
Urban workers- Workers of the city that performed the menial jobs. Usually performed by the peasants.
King Louis XVI summons the Estates General (1788)