Ancien Regime structure

• What taxes do the third estate pay?

  taille (land tax) Gabelle (salt tax) tithe (tax to the church) and peasants have to pay tax and rent to their seigneur on grains they harvest.
• What are the ranks of nobility in the 2nd estate?

  nobless d'epee - live with King and considered his intendants. Nobless de robe - monarchy sells legal and administrative offices in exchange for hereditary titles as well as 70,000 venal offices. the lower level usually live in country estates and depend on their fuedal rights to survive.
• What is the Church's role in the 1st Estate?

  they own 1/10 th of the land and make up 0.5% of the population. they controll education, hospitals and poor relief and power of censorship and publish government messages.
• What levels of the 3rd estate are there?

  boeurgoisie many richer than nobles and they own 1/5th of french wealth. They also own most industrial commercial capital. Many also richer than nobles but not the same priviledges therefore there is growing resentment. peasants - make up 80% of the population and pay tax and rent to seigneur.
• What taxes are the 1st and 2nd estate exempt from?

  They don't have to py land tax, instead, the church pay government annually 16 livres which is only 5% of their income. They are exempt from conscription and corvee (manual labour on roads)