Old Regime

The Old Regime or Ancien Régime refers to the aristocratic social and political order of France between the 14th and 18th centuries under the Valois and Bourbon dynasties. It is the prevailing political and social model in place in France prior to the French Revolution, and which was deliberately destroyed by the Revolution. The Old Regime was characterized by a rigid class system that reflected a hierarchical feudal order, with a strong monarch, strong Catholic Church, and strong local nobility. The Church and the nobility owned nearly all the land and the peasant farmers had no say whatever. The middle class intellectuals, lawyers and businessment had little political power.

Society and Population

The Ancien Régime covered a territory of around 200,000 square miles in 1700, and supported 20 million people. At least 80% of the population were peasants.

France had the second largest population in Europe around 1700. Britain had five or six million, Spain had eight million, and the Austrian Habsburgs had around eight million. Russia was the most populated European country at the time. France's lead slowly faded after 1700, as other counbtries grew faster.

Military

The proud French army was controlled by the aristocracy, and most soldiers were peasant volunteers. There was not draft until the Revolution in 1798.

See also

• Louis XIV
• Louis XV
• Louis XVI
• French Revolution

Bibliography

• Doyle, William. Old Regime France: 1648-1788 (2001) excerpt and text search
• Goubert, Pierre. Louis XIV and Twenty Million Frenchmen (1972), social history from Annales School
• Jones, Colin. The Great Nation: France from Louis XV to Napoleon (2002) excerpt and text search
• Le Roy Ladurie, Emmanuel. The Ancien Regime: A History of France 1610 - 1774 (1999), survey by leader of the Annales School excerpt and text search
• Lynn, John A. The Wars of Louis XIV, 1667-1714 (1999) excerpt and text search
• Wolf, John B. Louis XIV (1968), the standard scholarly biography online edition