| − | |Prior to the start of the French Revolution in 1787, the Estates in France were the social rankings into which its citizens were divided: First Estate - 1% of population, controlled 10% of land, clergy. Second Estate - 2% of population, controlled 20% of land, nobility. Third Estate - 97% of population, peasants/merchants/laborers. | + | |Prior to the start of the French Revolution in 1789, the Estates in France were the social rankings into which its citizens were divided: First Estate - 1% of population, controlled 10% of land, clergy. Second Estate - 2% of population, controlled 20% of land, nobility. Third Estate - 97% of population, peasants/merchants/laborers. |