Characteristics of the Estates Society and the Enlightenment
1. The Estates Society (Ancien Régime)
This period in European history is marked by a rigid social structure divided into three estates:
1.1 Characteristics of an Estate
- Membership determined by birth or royal grant.
- Endogamy (marriage within the estate) was common.
- Strong emphasis on maintaining social hierarchy.
1.2 The Privileged Estates
1.2.1 The Nobility
Divided into high and low nobility, this estate enjoyed benefits like tax exemptions and special legal status. The high nobility lived lavishly, while the lower nobility faced economic challenges and sought marriages with the wealthy bourgeoisie.
1.2.2 The Clergy
Also divided into high and low clergy, this estate enjoyed similar privileges to the nobility. The high clergy came from noble families, while the lower clergy often lived in near poverty.
1.3 The Non-Privileged Estate: The Commoners
This estate comprised the majority of the population (around 85%), including peasants, farmers, and the growing bourgeoisie. While peasants mostly worked the land, the bourgeoisie gained wealth through trade and city development. They lacked political power but began to challenge the estate system.
2. Demographics (15th-17th Centuries)
- High mortality rate (around 40%) due to epidemics, subsistence crises, poor hygiene, war, and violence.
- High birth rate due to lack of contraception and the value of children as labor.
- Low life expectancy, limited migration, and a predominantly rural population.
3. The Enlightenment
An intellectual movement of the 18th century emphasizing:
- Reason as a tool for analyzing and reforming society.
- Human beings as the center of thought, possessing natural rights.
- Tolerance as the foundation of human coexistence.
4. Enlightened Despotism
Monarchs like Charles III adopted some Enlightenment ideas while maintaining absolute rule. Reforms under Charles III included:
- Boosting agriculture.
- Promoting new university curriculum.
- Combating discrimination against Roma people.
- Creating the Bank of San Carlos (precursor to the Bank of Spain).
- Promoting crafts and colonial trade.
- Reorganizing the army.
- Improving public order, health, and urban development.
5. Key Concepts
Definitions of terms like serf, glebe, module, censuses, tithe, banalites, domain, corvée, subsistence crisis, catastrophic mortality, old demographic regime, fever, quarantine, class society, privilege, bourgeoisie, guild, primogeniture, mortmain, manorialism, absolutism, Enlightenment, encyclopedia, physiocracy, bank, disamortization, unlinking, royal factories, reasoning, and division of powers.