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The First Estate was the Catholic clergy. You might think of this as a collection of mild-mannered parsons, but the Bishops in France were nominated by the King, and invariably chosen from noble families - and the parish clergy, generally of the middle class, were inclined to resent this. Further, a Bishop's income was up to a hundred times as much as a parish priest's. In about a quarter of parishes, the priest earned about the same as a labourer. As a result, the elections for the First estate produced a large number of discontented delegates who were prepared to vote with the Third Estate. Again, the King had miscalculated; he thought the clergy would elect the noble Bishops.

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13y ago
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14y ago

No, the nobility was the Second Estate. The First was the Clergy.

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9y ago

The First Estate of the French social order was Roman Catholic priests.

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13y ago

The Catholic Clergy.

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Q: What does 'the first estate' mean when dealing with the French Revolution?
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Related questions

What is a first estate?

The First Estate during the French Revolution was the nobility.


The First Estate of the French Revolution?

The Catholic Clergy.


What percent was the First Estate from the French Revolution of the French Population?

The third estate held 97% [of which held 80% peasants] the Second estate held 1% and the First estate held 2%.


What was the least powerful social class before the french revolution?

First Estate


Least powerful social class before the french revolution?

first estate


What are the names of the 3 Estates involved in the French Revolution?

The First Estate which was the Catholic Clergy. The Second Estate which consisted of the Nobles. Everyone else was in the Third Estate.


What are the three estates in the French Revolution?

The three Estates were the First Estate which included the Catholic Clergy, the Second Estate which consisted of the French Nobles and the Third Estate which was the commoners who represented 95 to 97% of the population.


What were the percentages of the 3 estates of French Society just before the Revolution?

Just before the French revolution, the 3 estates of French society were the first estate made up of the Clergy, the second estate made up of nobles and the third estate made up of the peasants. During this time, the first estate made up 0.5% of the population, the second estate made up 1.5% and the third estate made up the remaining 98%.


Who controlled the first estate in the estates general before the french revolution?

The First Estate was Catholic clergy, so essentially, the Pope.


Who controlled the First Estate in the the Estates-General before the French Revolution?

Pope John Paul II


What estate in french revolution does a pig farmer belong to?

The third estate. The first estate was made up of the clergy, the second estate was made up of the nobles and the peasants made up the third estate.


Which groups in the French Revolution benefited from the French Revolution?

The third estate, made up of peasants, artisans and workers, which was 97% of the population, were those who benefited from the French Revolution. In particular the Bourgeoisie, a section of the third estate who were relatively wealthy, such as bankers, lawyers, doctors and other similar professions, benefited the most from the French Revolution because the Revolution put them in power. The first and the second estates, meaning the clergy and nobility, were the groups that lost the most from the French Revolution. They would not recover their pre-Revolution position until the Congress of Vienna of 1815 reinstated the French monarchy.