InNo+christopherc2012+08.27.10

Government of France

 * France was governed by King Louis the Sixteenth (Louis XVI)
 * Absolute monarch (unlike King of Britain, who shared powers with parliament)
 * Louis lived in thousand-room palace of Versailles, 18km outside Paris
 * nobles lived with him helping him run affairs

Marie Antoinette

 * Louis' wife, Marie Antoinette, was an Austrian archdutchess
 * married when she was 14, and Louis was 15
 * grew unpopular over the years
 * called 'Austrian woman'
 * sounded like the world 'bitch' in french
 * spent lots of money on clothes, jewelery, gambling, and having favorites in court
 * believed to be unfaithful to Louis
 * Louis gave her a palace within Versailles in 1774
 * spent money on garden, and built a village

**Abuse of Power**

 * many people thought the King had too much power
 * use of 'sealed letters' and it orders a person into exile or imprisonment for as long as the King wanted
 * king's ministers could use them
 * names are used for no reason, and is a cruel attack on one's liberty
 * 14,000 letters used under Louis, mainly against people who disagreed with the government
 * sent into exile or in royal prisons
 * allowed King to impose authority
 * people critisized him as a dictator

**Financial Problems**

 * France was in debt for nearly 100 years, since it spent more than it collected from taxes
 * in 1786, finance minister Calonne informed Louis that the government was going to collapse
 * reform of tax system
 * imposed land tax, but clergy and nobles got out of it
 * refused to register at Parlement, Paris law courts
 * Calonne invited 150 nobles to approve new tax
 * only those loyal to king were invited
 * refused to agree on new tax
 * only Estate General, national parliament elected by 3 estates could approve
 * Assembly of Nobles dismissed and tried to introduce tax without approval
 * nobles of Paris Parlement refused to register, and the entire Parlement was exiled
 * people protested against the above decisions
 * 4 people died in Grenoble, 'Day of Tiles' when protesters pelted soldiers with tiles
 * went for 6 months
 * In August 1788, Louis ordered elections for an Estate General, first meeting on May 1798

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**Summary**
This section of the textbook explains some of the attempts that King Louis did that made him very unpopular among the citizens of France. It also explains some of the weaker parts of the government and also how it was unfair to the people of France. These are also all factors that led up to the French Revoultion.

**Questions**
There are alot of unfair things that the King could do, I wonder if there are other, unusual punishements for them?

A tour of the palace of Versailles, one of the largest in the world media type="youtube" key="G93EhIGlVS0?fs=1" height="385" width="640"