French Peasant Revolts

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French Peasant Revolts

• Presented by
• Amanda Giese
• Ronald Gutlay
• Trevor Myers
• Jennifer Nelson
• Jessica Tapia

History 318 California State University, San
Marcos November 13th, 2006
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Topics

• The History of Revolts
• Jacquerie Revolts
• Peasant Wars of 1524
• Tard Avises
• Women and Revolution

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History of Revolts
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French Peasants Revolts

• Peasants rebellions are very common in France
  between 1590 and 1715.
• These rebellions are mostly fueled by social
  inequality such as
• increasing gap between the wealthy and poor
• attitude of the nobility was that the lower
  classes were born to bear the burden of taxes
• only advancement of the social classes was
  through an unlikely marriage to upper class (no
  social mobility)

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Causes

• Another cause of peasants revolts is due to food
  scarcity from the unusual heavy rainfall that
  destroyed the crops.
• Became known as The Great Famine of 1315 due to
  the number of people who died, the vast
  geographic area that was affected and the length
  of time it lasted.
• People were so weakened by diseases such as
  pneumonia, bronchitis and others which caused
  massive death.
• Criminal activity increased due to the lingering
  effect of the Great Famine. People resorted to
  any means to feed themselves or their family.

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Economic Conditions

• Poor Economic Conditions
• Rising Inflation
• Wheat prices grew by 320, making bread
  unaffordable to peasants
• Rents paid by peasants increase
• nobles were hoarding grain to stymie the
  patriotic cause

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Economic Conditions Continued

• Peasants from several regions around France
  sacked the Castles of Nobles in France burring
  the documents that recorded the Peasants Feudal
  obligations.
• Food Shortages in cities caused prices to
  skyrocket.

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Royal Finance in Crisis

• Due to excessive debt, the French crown was in
  fiscal crisis.
• Louis XV appointed several ministers of finance
  including Jacques Turgot (1774-1776), Jacques
  Necker (1777-1781), Charles Alexandre de Calonne
  (1783).
• The Assembly of Notables refused to endorse
  measures to approve new taxes.
• The King replaced Calonne with Etiene Charles de
  Lomenie de Briene, the Archbishop of Toulouse.
• Brienne attempted to disband the parliaments and
  collect new taxes.
• This led to massive resistance across many parts
  of France, including the famous Day of the Tiles.

Etiene Charles de Lomenie de Briene
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Revolts and the Church

• Religious resentment
• The tax system allowed the Church to collect the
  tithe from everyone.
• The nobles and clergy paid very few taxes.
• The vast majority of tax money came from the
  peasants and middle class.
• The church had too much power over the Third
  Estate, representing 95 of the population which
  consisted of the peasants, artisans, merchants,
  and the professions.

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Salvation?

• Enlightenment
• European intellectual movement of the 17th18th
  century.
• Five basic ideas, reason, happiness, progress,
  and liberty.
• Peasants evolving critique of the authoritarian
  state.
• Sketched the outline of a higher form of social
  organization based on natural rights.
• Peasants felt that life would become better if
  free to use their reasons.

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Jacquerie Revolts
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Jacquerie Revolts

• The Jacquerie was a popular revolt in late
  medieval Europe that took place in northern
  France in 1358, during the Hundred Year War.
• The revolt took place mainly in The Oise Valley
  that is a part of Northern France.

Wikipedia.com
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Jacquerie Revolts

• In an effort to secure their rights, the French
  priviledged class forced peasants to pay
  increasing taxes.
• Most of these taxes were to repair war damages
  known as taille.

• The revolts were named after its peasant
  revolutionary leader Guillaume Caillet, popularly
  known as Jacques Bonhomme ("Jack Goodfellow") or
  Callet.
• After capurting French king, King John II in 1356
  by the English, power was placed in the hands of
  the States General.
• As a result, the States General was too divided
  and cannot provide effective governing.

Portrait of King John II
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• During this time, bands of English, German,
  Gascon, and Spanish were looting, raiding, and
  raping in Northern France almost at will.

• Since none of the States General could protect
  its people, why should the peasants work for
  them?

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Jacquerie Revolts Continued

• From this spurred bloody rebellions in several
  regions of Northern France in 1358.
• Many revolted to rid the world of nobles but also
  some revolted because it was what everyone else
  was doing.

www.answers.com
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Revolts in Parts of Northern France

• During these times, author Jean Froissart
  portrays peasants as mindless, thugs who went on
  a rampage, set on spreading destruction to the
  nobles by destroying castles and murdering noble
  families in cruel ways.
• Parts of N. France such as Montdider and Senlis
  were attacked by the peasant army and in Rouen
  and Rhemis revolts still occurred.

www.google.com
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www.google.com

• This period of personal government was damaging
  to the state due to the lack of a king.
• French nobles end up taking control of the
  revolts, which was lead by Charles the Bad of
  Navarre.
• Guillaume Cale, who was the leader of the
  rebellions was invited to talk with Charles, but
  was deceived instead by French nobles.
• Cale was executed for the leadership of the
  rebellion and some say to use him as a example
  of what would happen to the rest.
• The word "Jacquerie" later became a synonym for
  French peasant uprisings, and for centuries the
  nobility lived in fear of a repeat performance,
  and reacted ruthlessly to any future outbreaks.

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Peasant Wars of 1524
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Peasant Wars of 1524

• Peasants wars took place between 1524-1525
• It was the most popular war within the Holy Roman
  Empire.
• Focused in Southern, Central and Western areas of
  Germany.
• Involved the following social classes
• Princes
• Lesser nobility
• Clergy
• Patricians
• Burghers
• Plebeians
• Peasants

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Causes of the Peasant Wars

• Princes had the right to levy taxes, so they
  would raise taxes for peasants and tried to force
  Roman Civil Law
• Peasants wanted more privileges because they were
  not allowed to hunt, fish, wed, have land, with
  out permission of whom they were subject to.
• Reformation- Catholicism in favor of political
  and financial independence

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Peasant Wars-Class Struggles and reformations

• International trade Increased.
• The introduction of the plebeian class
  strengthened lower class interests.
• Plebeians represented a new class which was
  similar to peasantry with out the oppression they
  had before.
• Plebeians and Peasants felt that Clergy should
  not have the right of being tax exempt.
• After many complaints filed by the lower classes,
  the revolution started.

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Peasant Wars Class Struggles Continued

• Parties split into three groups
• 1st group All those opposed to the opposition
  of order of Catholicism included - Clergy,
  Patricians and Princes.
• 2nd Group Those who condemned the patricians
  practice of nepotism who believed in bureaucracy
  -Burghers and Princes.
• 3rd Group Lead by preachers, The plebeians,
  and peasants tried to end medieval society and
  tried to start a new society under Gods name.

Etiene Charles de Lomenie de Briene
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Peasant Wars Continued

• Peasants Plebeians form
• The 12 Articles of the Black Forest
• The articles were directed to feudal lords and
  princes.
• These articles were drafted by distressed
  burghers, guilds men, and miners.
• The articles portrayed man as godly, bound to
  scripture, and wanting nothing more than his
  legitimate rights.
• The Articles included the right of each community
  to choose their pastor, issues of economic
  justice, an end to the small tithes on cattle,
  free access to fish and game, free access to
  firewood as needed and the return of expropriated
  common fields

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Failure of the Peasant Wars

• Cities and nobles made peace with the armies.
• By the end of the war over 75,000 people died.
• The two things that raised from the wars were
  territorial princes and Lutheran Churches.

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Tard Avises
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History

• 1593- Groups of French Peasants in Perigord and
  Limousin begin to arm against Henri IV.
• In the autumn of that year, 12,000 peasants meet
  in Lubersac and then Magnac.
• Groups of Peasants decide to send two delegates
  to the King to draw attention to the deplorable
  living conditions in the countryside.

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Displeasure Spreads

• On April 3rd, 1594, the townsfolk of Perigord
  create a list of grievances similar to those
  created in Lubersac and Magnac.
• The grievances call for the region to be exempted
  from taxation by the King and the immediate
  removal of all soldiers loyal to the King.

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The Council in Paris

• May 23rd through May 27th, 1594 Delegates from
  Limousin, Perigord, Lubersac, Dognon, and Magnac
  are granted an audience with the Council in
  Paris.
• The Council hears the complaints by the different
  regions and makes a favorable recommendation to
  the King.
• Most of the requests made by the delegates are
  agreed to by the Council.

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Creation of a Peasant Army

• Out of these smaller revolts, an organized
  movement appears known as the Tard Avises (AKA
  The Late Advised).
• The Tard Avises had Colonels, and a General that
  had been elected by their local parishes.
• Armed and Ready for War, they could be called
  upon to challenge the power of the Kings
  garrisons.

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A Political Voice?

• Having a military presence now, the Tard Avises
  were able to gain some power for the peasants.
• The King was forced to send his soldiers against
  the Tard Avises and throughout 1594 and 1595
  there were several small skirmishes.
• By the end of 1595, even though the Tard Avises
  had beaten badly by the Kings garrisons, a truce
  is announced granting many of the promises made
  by Henri IV at the Council in Paris to the
  peasants.
• With the announcement of these promises, the Tard
  Avises were no longer needed and no additional
  military actions were taken by them during Henri
  IVs reign.

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WomenAnd Revolution
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Wants and Interests

• Peasant women during the 17th century French
  revolts were concerned with the well being of
  their families.
• The revolts regarding the anxieties of women
  involved
• Food, in particular bread.
• Taxes on the necessities of life.

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Food

• Bread was a large contributor to the revolts.
• Craftsmens wives did not have the availability
  to make bread, as wealthier households had, thus
  they were forced to buy their daily bread from
  bakers.
• The women found this bread to be lighter or
  dearer than they were accustomed.
• To which the Bakers argued with the explanation
  that the regulations set by the town hall were
  invalid due to the rise in prices for grain, and
  the drop in flour production.
• Along with the increase of grain prices and the
  drop in producing flour came the bakers inability
  to produce a substantial amount of bread.
• This limited production of bread, resulted in the
  bakers often selling out of bread in the early
  mornings to the wealthier people of the towns and
  thus leaving nothing for the craftsman wives.

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Food Continued

• These women then began accusing the bakers of
  hoarding their supplies until the town council
  would raise bread prices.
• The craftsmen wives would label the bakers as
  Robbers indicating that the bakers were
  depriving their families of their daily bread.
• Results
• As a result to anger toward the bakers by the
  women, French peasants began to take action
  against their idea of mistreatment from the
  bakers.
• Mobs began to be formed in front of the bakeries.
• Mobs were being formed at the river banks to
  which boats were awaiting the transfer of grain
  and were often unloaded and then set fire.
• There are a total of 17 related grain riots
  during the French peasant revolts that can be
  attached to a specific location.

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Taxes

• In 1709 women of Bayonne were positive that the
  government was getting ready to place taxes on
  everything that could be eaten or burned.
• Gossip rose among the peasant women about taxes
  being placed on new clothing, bread and water as
  well as a duty to be put on items such as herbs,
  butter, eggs and laundry.
• A rumor also began to circulate among peasant
  women about a tax being placed on childbirth,
  which would be a tax that directly affected the
  peasant women.
• It was said that at Pau in 1657 the tax was to be
  thirty livers for every newborn child, and at
  Aubenas in 1670 the tax was to be ten livers for
  a boy and five livers for a girl.
• Women were concerned with the ability to take
  care of her family in these harsh conditions.

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Taxes Continued

• The rumors of the implementing of this numerous
  list of taxes, conjured up by the French
  Peasants, proved to be false but just the idea of
  it ignited an intolerable flame in the eyes of
  the peasants. Many uprisings were the result of
  these tax rumors.
• Uprising in Villefranche-de-Rouergue in 1627.
• Riots in Guyenne in 1635.
• Revolts in Montepellier in1645.

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Conclusions

• Women in the French peasant revolts were troubled
  for the future of their families. The revolts
  that these women gave rise to, and the revolts
  that they often participated in gives a clue into
  the wants and interest that the French peasant
  women had during the troubled 17th century
  France.

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The End
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References

• Answer com. Jacquerie. http//www.answers.com/Ja
  cquerie. Accessed 11/9/06.
• Berce, Yves-Marie. History of Peasant Revolts.
  New York. 1990.
• Encyclopedia Britannica. 2004.
• Huppert,George. After the Black Death.
  Indiana.1998.

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References Continued

• Léonard, Émile G. A History of Protestantism,
  Volume 1, The Reformation, Thomas Nelson and
  Sons, Ltd. 1965.
• Manceron, Claude. The French Revolution. New
  York. 1977.
• Ozment, Steven, The Age of Reform, 1250-1550,
  Yale University Press. 1980.

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References Continued

• Sepinwall, Alyssa Goldstein. The Abbe Gregoire
  and the French Revolution. California. 2004.
• Stayer, James M. The German Peasants' War and
  Anabaptist Community of Goods. McGill-Queens
  University Press. 1991.
• Wikipedia. French Revolution. http//en.wikipedia.
  org/wiki/French_Revolution. Accessed 11/10/06.
• Wikipedia. Jacquerie. http//www.wikipedia.org/wi
  ki/Jacquerie. Accessed 11/9/06.
• Wikipedia. Peasants War. http//en.wikipedia.org
  /wiki/Peasants'_WarCauses. Accessed 11/10/06.