The States General were established by the French King Philip IV in 1302. This was done in order to gain support in the face of influential estates to fight against Pope Boniface VIII. The States General consisted of three chambers, in which the townspeople, the clergy and the nobility sat. At first, the last two were recruited by the king. However, by the end of the 15th century, they became elective.
Decision-making principle
The history of France says that each issue was considered by each of the houses of the assembly separately. The decision was made by majority vote. It was finally approved at a joint meeting of the three chambers. And each of them had only one vote. Under such conditions, the privileged estates (the nobility, the clergy) always received the majority. It cost them nothing to agree among themselves.
Frequency of convocation
The Estates General in France was not a permanent body, like Parliament in Britain. The frequency of their convocation has not been established. The king assembled the states at his own discretion. The convocation of the Estates-General most often occurred at times of various upheavals and political instability. List of discussionsquestions and the duration of the meetings were determined by the king.
Main reasons for convening
The States General were convened to express the opinion of the estates on such matters as declaring war, making peace, and other important topics. The king sometimes consulted, found out the position of the assembly on various bills. However, the decisions of the States General were not binding and were advisory in nature. The most common reason for calling meetings was the urgent need of the Crown for money. French kings often turned to the estates for financial assistance. The meetings discussed the next taxes, which at that time were introduced only for one year. Only in 1439 did King Charles VII receive the go-ahead to levy a permanent fee - the royal talis. However, if it came to any additional taxes, it was necessary to collect the States General again.
Relationship between the Crown and the Assembly
The states general often turned to the kings with complaints, protests and requests. It was customary for them to make various proposals, to criticize the actions of royal officials and the administration. But since there was a direct connection between the requests of the States General and the results of their votes on the funding requested by the king, the latter often yielded to them.
The assembly as a whole was not the usual tool of royal power, although it helped her to strengthen her position in the country and strengthen herself. States oftenopposed the Crown, not wanting to make the decisions she needed. When the class assembly showed character, the monarchs stopped its convocation for a long time. For example, for the period 1468-1560. the states were assembled only once, in 1484.
Conflict between roy alty and States-General
Roy alty almost always sought the right decisions from the States General. But this does not mean that the assembly has always unconditionally submitted to the kings. The most serious conflict between roy alty and states dates back to 1357. It happened during the urban uprising in Paris, when King Johann was a prisoner of the British.
The work of the States General was attended mainly by representatives of the townspeople. They developed a program of reforms, which was called the "Great March Ordinance". In exchange for the funding provided to the authorities, they demanded that the collection of taxes and spending of funds be controlled by an assembly that was supposed to discuss these issues three times a year without the permission of the king. Reformers were elected from the participants, who were endowed with emergency powers: the right to control the activities of royal officials, dismiss them and punish them (up to the death pen alty). But the attempt of the States General to subjugate the finances was not successful. After the suppression of the uprising in Paris and the peasant uprisings of Jacquerie, the crown rejected all reform demands.
Powers of deputies
Elected deputies had an imperative mandate. Their position on all issues was clearregulated by the instructions of voters. After the deputy returned from this or that meeting, he was obliged to report to his electorate.
Local meetings
In certain regions of the country (Flanders, Provence) at the end of the XIII century. local class assemblies begin to form. At first they were called councils, parliaments, or simply representatives of the three estates. However, in the 15th century, the term "states" was firmly entrenched in them. By this time they were already available in almost all provinces. And in the 16th century, the word “provincial” began to be added to the term “states”. The peasant class was not allowed in the meetings. It was not uncommon for kings to oppose certain regional states when they were over-influenced by the local feudal nobility. For example, in Languedoc, Normandy, etc.
Reasons for the loss of importance by the States General
The states-general were created in conditions when the powers of large feudal lords were not much less than the power of the king himself. The assembly was a convenient counterbalance to local rulers. At that time, they had their own armies, minted their own coins and depended little on the Crown. However, royal power grew stronger over time. The French monarchs gradually increased their influence, building a centralized vertical.
In the 15th century, on the basis of the royal curia, a Great Council was created, which included legalists, as well as 24 higher representatives of the spiritual and secular nobility. It met every month, but the decisions were advisory in nature. In the same century, the post of lieutenant general appeared. They were appointed by the king from among the representatives of the highest nobility to govern provinces or groups of bailjas. Centralization also affected cities. The kings got the opportunity to restrict citizens in various rights, change previously issued charters.
The crown also unified the judiciary. This made it possible to reduce the influence of the clergy. The right to collect a permanent tax further strengthened the royal power. Charles VII organized a regular army with a clear chain of command and centralized leadership. And this led to the fact that medieval France became less dependent on large feudal lords.
Permanent garrisons and military formations appeared in all regions. They were supposed to stop any disobedience and speeches of local feudal lords. Significantly increased the influence on public affairs of the Paris Parliament. The crown also established the Council of Notables, in which only the highest representatives of the estates (except the peasantry) sat. With his consent, new taxes could be introduced. As a result of the strengthening of royal power, the States General in France gradually lost their importance.
