Assembly of Notables
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Assembly of Notables was an assembly consulting the King of France. It was similar to the Estates General, however its members were not elected, but chosen by the King. The last two of such Assemblies preceded the Estates-General of 1789. The first of them was convened on February 22, 1787 by Charles Alexandre de Calonne, the minister of finance of France to discuss financial state of France. The second was convened in 1788 to discuss various issues related to convocation of Estates General.
The first stage of the French Revolution was the Nobles' revolt in which the privileged orders resisted the efforts of Jacques Necker and the court to reform the state's finances. A key event associated with this stage was the Assembly of Notables. It was a council of eminent men of Paris and the surrounding regions.
France had borrowed heavily to finance its war effort during the American Revolution, and again to pay arrears on the original loans. A mounting debt crisis caused Calonne to convoke an assembly of notables, in hopes they would agree to a land tax. They refused, and on May 25 the assembly was dissolved.
[edit] References
- Lefebvre, Georges; The French Revolution, Volume I: From its Origins to 1793 Elizabeth Moss Evanson (translator), New York, Columbia University Press (1962). ISBN 0-231-08598-2.
| This article or section relies largely or entirely upon a single source. Please help improve this article by introducing appropriate citations of additional sources. |
es:Asamblea de notables fr:Assemblée des notables lb:Notabeleversammlung
