French Nobility in the 17th and 18th Centuries Essay Example
Paper Assignment #1
The Nobility of France:
17th and 18th Century Impressions
The nobility of the Kingdom of France has been evaluated by various scholars of history. There is something to be said, however, for those who chronicled their impressions while living them in the 17th and 18th centuries. The excerpts of Charles Loyseau’s A Treatise on Orders, written in 1610, and Isabelle de Charriere’s The Nobleman, written in 1763 provide two very different glimpses on the French nobility from differing time periods. From these two accounts, it is clear that there was a marked shift in the way some viewed the nobility and their role in the operation of the French state. While Loyseau praises the nobility nearly wholeheartedly, Charriere’s perspective raises questions on the true nature of the nobility later on in French history. All in all, these writings demonstrate a contrast worthy of evaluation. Charles Loyseau was born in 1564 and was a jurist by trade. Additionally, he was purported to be a legal scholar. His writing reflects this and as such do seem to fit the characterization as a “social anatomy of France.” (Mason and Rizzo 1999: 16) On the nobility, Loyseau seems for the most part uncritical of their role in French society. Despite a brief mention of the “tyranny of the gentlemen” faced by the Third Estate he is largely understanding of the nobility’s role (Mason and Rizzo 1999: 23). Loyseau’s understanding of the nobility seems to reflect his own beliefs about the nature of the universe. That is to say, he feels the nobility represents more than just a social order but rather a reflection of the celestial order. In reference to the Estates General or the three orders he feels as though they are “following the example of the celestial hierarchy…” Isabelle De Charriere, on the other hand, was born over one hundred years after the death of Loyseau and into a family of noble birth. In her autobiographical work, she begins to expound some criticisms of
The Nobility of France:
17th and 18th Century Impressions
The nobility of the Kingdom of France has been evaluated by various scholars of history. There is something to be said, however, for those who chronicled their impressions while living them in the 17th and 18th centuries. The excerpts of Charles Loyseau’s A Treatise on Orders, written in 1610, and Isabelle de Charriere’s The Nobleman, written in 1763 provide two very different glimpses on the French nobility from differing time periods. From these two accounts, it is clear that there was a marked shift in the way some viewed the nobility and their role in the operation of the French state. While Loyseau praises the nobility nearly wholeheartedly, Charriere’s perspective raises questions on the true nature of the nobility later on in French history. All in all, these writings demonstrate a contrast worthy of evaluation. Charles Loyseau was born in 1564 and was a jurist by trade. Additionally, he was purported to be a legal scholar. His writing reflects this and as such do seem to fit the characterization as a “social anatomy of France.” (Mason and Rizzo 1999: 16) On the nobility, Loyseau seems for the most part uncritical of their role in French society. Despite a brief mention of the “tyranny of the gentlemen” faced by the Third Estate he is largely understanding of the nobility’s role (Mason and Rizzo 1999: 23). Loyseau’s understanding of the nobility seems to reflect his own beliefs about the nature of the universe. That is to say, he feels the nobility represents more than just a social order but rather a reflection of the celestial order. In reference to the Estates General or the three orders he feels as though they are “following the example of the celestial hierarchy…” Isabelle De Charriere, on the other hand, was born over one hundred years after the death of Loyseau and into a family of noble birth. In her autobiographical work, she begins to expound some criticisms of