Estate System Essay

793 Words4 Pages
Explain the estate system of 1302 when Phillip III divided the society into 3 classes? The estate system was division of three different groups. The first estate was made up of the clergy (the Church people). They made up 1% of the population and owned 10% of the land. They also taxed the peasants heavily to avoid paying taxes themselves. The second estate was made up of nobles and kings. They were about 4% of the population but owned 20% of the land. They lived rich lives and taxed peasants to avoid paying their taxes. The Third estate was everybody else. They were workers and farmers. Some were rich but never went up to the 2nd or 1st estate. The third estate was taxed heavily making the poor poorer and this helped the rich stay rich. The first estate included King Louis XVI and his clerics. These people never paid taxes and, in essence, did the least amount of work. In a time of famine and bad harvest, they squandered countless quantities of money on superfluous causes and selfish indulgences. They ate exceptionally well and were clothed and sheltered in the best of circumstances possible. Because of their lavish life, members of the first estate saw no need for change and were blind to any social problems. They were in such a mentality that if they could better their lives in such a fashion, then there was certainly no need for reform. The second estate was similar in many respects to the first. Those in this estate were noblemen and noblewomen of high breeding and social status. These people were supposed to pay taxes in wartime; however, because they were not used to paying taxes, this rule was rarely enforced. This estate added to the strain on the economy, and yet the people of this class lived luxuriously enough that they did not care. They, too, saw no problem in the Estates-General or in social structure. Again, the members of this estate saw only
Open Document