In the history of France, there was a special advisory body under the king, called the States General. The role and influence of this institution of power has changed over time. One of the main functions of the states was to discuss taxation issues and provide financial support to the monarch.
What is the States General of France
States General - this name was given to one of the branches of government in France in the past. Three social groups were represented here at once: the clergy, the nobles and the so-called third estate. Moreover, the latter was the only estate in the country that paid taxes to the treasury.
The States General had predecessors. These were the enlarged meetings of the royal council, where the city leaders were admitted, as well as the assemblies of estates in the provinces.
The states-general met quite irregularly, only as needed - in connection with certain events that took place in France.
The preconditions for the emergence of the General States of France arose after the formation of a centralized state in this country, which needed effective management. The growth of cities led to the exacerbation of social contradictions and the expansion of the class struggle. The king's power had to adapt the existing political structure to changing conditions. The king needed effective means in order to resist the powerful opposition, which included the feudal oligarchy.
Under these conditions, at the end of the 13th century, an alliance of royal power and representatives of various social groups, including the third estate, began to form. This union, however, did not differ in strength and was entirely built on compromises.
Reasons for the Convening of the States General
The states-general were a reflection of a political compromise between the government and the estates of the country. The formation of such a social institution marked the beginning of transformations in the French state, which from a feudal monarchy began to turn into a class-representative monarchy.
The French state, along with the royal possessions, included the lands of spiritual and secular feudal lords, as well as numerous cities that had a number of rights and freedoms. The king's power was not unlimited, his authority was not enough for the sole decision-making regarding the rights of the third estate. By that time, the monarch's power, which was not yet strong, was in dire need of visible support from all strata of society.
The first States General in the history of France were convened in 1302 by Philip IV the Handsome.
Reasons for convening the States General:
- unsuccessful military policy of the state;
- difficulties in the economy;
- conflict between the king and the pope.
It would be more correct to say that the events cited became the reasons for the formation of a representative assembly. The real reason was the laws of the formation and development of the French monarchy.
The first States General were an advisory body under the monarch. This body was convened only on the initiative of the king himself at critical moments. The purpose of the convening of the states was to help the government. The main content of the activities of the advisory body was reduced to voting on taxation issues.
Those who represented the propertied strata of the state sat in the States-General. The organ consisted of three estates:
- clergy;
- nobles;
- representatives of the urban population.
About one-seventh of the States General were lawyers.
Meetings
Each of the estates represented in the States General held separate meetings. The estates met together only twice - in 1468 and 1484. If disagreements arose during the discussion of issues in different social groups of the advisory body, voting was also carried out by estates. Each estate had one vote, regardless of the total number of participants. As a rule, the first two (upper) estates received an advantage over the third.
There was no strict periodicity for the convocation of the States General. All major issues of the organ's activities were decided by the king. In doing so, he was guided by personal considerations and political circumstances. The king determined the length of the meetings and the issues to be discussed.
Here are some examples of issues that the State General has convened by the royalty to discuss:
- conflict with the Knights Templar (1038);
- agreement with England (1359);
- issues related to the conduct of religious wars (1560, 1576).
The most common reason for convening a consultative body under the king was financial issues. The head of state often appealed to different estates in order to obtain approval for the introduction of the next tax.
Strengthening the role of the States General and their decline
During the Hundred Years War (1337-1453), the importance and role of the States General increased. This was explained by the fact that the royal power at that time was in a particularly acute need for money. It is believed that it was during the Hundred Years War that the States General achieved the greatest influence in the state. They began to exercise the right to approve taxes and fees and even tried to initiate the creation of laws. In an effort to avoid abuse, the States-General moved to the designation of special officials who were responsible for collecting taxes.
In the XIV century, uprisings rocked France from time to time. During this period, the States General began to claim a special role in governing the country. However, the disunity between the individual estates did not allow the body to receive additional political rights.
In 1357, an uprising of the townspeople broke out in Paris. At this time, there was a sharp conflict between the authorities and the States General. At that time, only the third estate took part in the activities of the organ. The delegates put forward a program for reforming the state. Before agreeing to subsidize the government, the representatives of the third estate demanded that the money be collected and spent by the representatives of the states themselves. For this, it was proposed to assemble the States-General every three years, regardless of the king's wishes.
However, the attempt by the states to arrogate to themselves control, financial and partly legislative powers ended in failure. When the popular unrest subsided, the emboldened royal power rejected the demands of the third estate.
The enmity that existed between the nobles and the townspeople did not allow the advisory body to significantly expand its rights and powers, which the British parliament achieved. By the middle of the 15th century, a significant part of French society agreed that the monarch had every right to impose new taxes without coordinating these issues with the States General. The widespread introduction of a permanent direct tax brought good revenues to the treasury and relieved the rulers of the state from the need to coordinate their financial policies with representatives of different classes.
By the end of the 15th century, an absolute monarchy in its complete form was taking shape in France. The very idea that the king's power can be limited by some organ becomes blasphemous at that time. For these reasons, the institution of the States General itself began to slide towards its decline.
The period when the role of this body increased again was the time of the Huguenot Wars. Royal power was weakening, so the two religious camps deliberately sought to use the authority of the states for their own purposes and interests. However, the split in society was too great and did not allow to ensure the convocation of such a composition of deputies, whose decisions could be recognized as legitimate by both warring parties.
During the period of complete domination of absolutism, the States General were out of work. Henry IV was an absolute monarch in the full sense of the word. Only at the dawn of his reign, he allowed a meeting of the so-called notables to take place, the deputies of which he himself appointed. The meeting limited itself to approving taxes for several years in advance, and then asking the king to rule the country on his own.
Between 1614 and 1789, no meetings of the States General were held in France. Its meeting took place only at the moment of an acute political crisis, which resulted in the outbreak of a bourgeois revolution in the country. On May 5, 1789, at a critical moment for himself, the king once again convened the States General. Subsequently, this assembly declared itself the highest representative and legislative body of France, which had entered the time of the revolution.
After the end of the bourgeois revolution, the name of the States General was given to some representative bodies. They considered the most pressing issues of political life and to some extent reflected public opinion.
