By the end of 1789 the term Ancien Régime was commonly used in France by journalists and legislators to refer to the institutions of French life before the Revolution. It first appeared in print in English in 1794 … See more

Nine Years' War: 1688–1697
The Nine Years' War (1688–97) between France and a coalition of Austria and the Holy Roman Empire, the Dutch Republic, Spain, England and Savoy was fought in continental Europe and on the surrounding seas, and in … See more

The desire for more efficient tax collection was one of the major causes for French administrative and royal centralisation during the early modern period. The taille became a major source of royal income. Exempted were clergy and nobles (except for non-noble lands … See more

The French monarchy was irrevocably linked to the Catholic Church (the formula was la France est la fille aînée de l'église, or "France is the eldest daughter of the church"), and French theorists of the divine right of kings and sacerdotal power in the Renaissance … See more

Territorial expansion
In the mid-15th century, France was smaller than it is today, and numerous border provinces (such as Roussillon, Cerdagne, Conflent, Vallespir, Capcir, Calais, Béarn, Navarre, County of Foix, Flanders See more

Lower courts
Justice in seigneurial lands, including those held by the church or that lay within cities, was generally overseen by the seigneur or his … See more

One of the established principles of the French monarchy was that the king could not act without the advice of his counsel, and the formula "le roi en son conseil" expressed that deliberative aspect. The administration of the French state in the early modern … See more