The First & Second Estates

The First Estate consisted of the clergy & numbered about 130,000 people. These people owned approximately 10 percent of the land. They were exempt from the taille, France's chief tax. The clergy was radically divided and the higher clergy, members of aristocratic families, shared the interests of the nobility. The Parish priests were often poor and from the class of commoners. The Second Estate, included about 350,000 people & the noble owned about 25 to 30 percent of the land. They played an important & even a crucial role in French society in the 18th century. They held many leading positions in the government and possessed many privileges including tax exemptions. The nobles sought to expand their power at the expense of the monarchy and many of them said they were defending liberty by resisting the arbitrary actions of the monarchy. They also sought to keep their control over positions in the military, the Church, and the government.

Information found in Book, Page 548