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The Ancien Régime (until 1789)
The Ancien Régime goes from the end of the 16th century to 1789. It is an absolute monarchy by divine right.
Key points of the sheet
- People consider that the king's power comes from the will of God. The king has all the powers.
- Society has three orders: the clergy, the nobility and the Third Estate (tiers état).
- The clergy and the nobility have hereditary rights; for example, they do not pay taxes. The Third Estate is 90% of the population and pays most of the taxes.
- King Louis XIV, called the Sun King, is an important figure. He embodies absolute monarchy.
- Political rights are very limited. Universal suffrage does not exist and most of the population has no equality before the law.
- The only real legacy of the Ancien Régime is the centralisation of power. This organisation of the State has been kept.
Words to know
- Ancien Régime
- It is the period from the end of the 16th century to 1789.
- absolute monarchy by divine right (monarchie absolue de droit divin)
- The king's power comes from the will of God, and the king has all the powers.
- Third Estate (tiers état)
- It is the third order: 90% of the population, with no privilege, paying most of the taxes.
- clergy (clergé)
- It is the first order. It has hereditary rights.
- nobility (noblesse)
- It is the second order. It has hereditary rights.
- hereditary rights (droits héréditaires)
- They are rights passed down from generation to generation.
- universal suffrage (suffrage universel)
- It is the right to vote given to all citizens who have electoral capacity. It does not exist under the Ancien Régime.
- centralisation of power (centralisation du pouvoir)
- It is the organisation of the State around a unified administration and a strong central authority.
Test yourself: 3 questions
What share of the population does the Third Estate represent?
In French, the language of the exam: Quelle part de la population représente le tiers état ?
The Third Estate represents 90% of the population.
What is the only real legacy of the Ancien Régime?
In French, the language of the exam: Quel est le seul véritable héritage de l'Ancien Régime ?
The only real legacy of the Ancien Régime is the centralisation of power.
Under the Ancien Régime, where does the king's power come from?
In French, the language of the exam: Sous l'Ancien Régime, d'où vient le pouvoir du roi ?
In a monarchy by divine right, people consider that the king's power comes from the will of God.
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Questions on the ministry's list that rest on this sheet
More in this topic (Political regimes since 1789)
- The Fifth Republic (Vème République)
- The Second Republic (1848-1851)
- The end of absolute monarchy and the beginning of the First Republic (1789-1792)
Source
Sheet “L'Ancien Régime (jusqu'en 1789)” of the French Ministry of the Interior: formation-civique.interieur.gouv.fr. Content published under the Etalab Open Licence 2.0. This page is a plain-language adaptation made by Hexaciv, which is not an official site: if in doubt, the ministry's text is the one that counts.
Ministry sheet read on 23 October 2026, still identical on 25 October 2026.