The general states were established by the French king Philip IV in 1302. This was done in order to gain support in the face of influential estates for the fight against Pope Boniface VIII. The general states had three chambers in which the townspeople, the clergy and the nobility met. At first, the last two were recruited by the king. However, by the end of the 15th century they became elective.
Decision principle
The history of France says that each question was considered separately by each of the houses of assembly. The decision was adopted by a majority vote. It was finally approved at a joint meeting of the three chambers. Moreover, each of them had only one vote. In such conditions, privileged classes (nobility, clergy) always received the majority. They didn’t need to agree among themselves.
Convenience
The general states in France were not a permanent body like the parliament in Britain. The frequency of their convocation has not been established. The king assembled the states at his discretion. The convening of the General States most often occurred during times of various upheavals and political instability. The list of issues discussed and the duration of the meetings were determined by the king.
The main reasons for convening
General states were convened in order to express the opinion of the estates on issues such as the declaration of war, the conclusion of peace, and other important topics. The king sometimes consulted, found out the position of the meeting on various bills. However, the decisions of the General States were not binding and were advisory in nature. The most common reason for convening meetings was the Crown’s urgent need for money. French kings often turned to the estates for financial assistance. Regular taxes were discussed at the meetings, which were then introduced for only one year. Only in 1439, King Charles VII received the go-ahead to levy a permanent fee - the royal waist. However, if it was a question of some additional taxes, it was necessary to collect the General States again.
The relationship between the Crown and the congregation
General states often turned to the kings with complaints, protests and requests. They decided to make various proposals, criticize the actions of royal officials and the administration. But since there was a direct connection between the requests of the General States and the results of their voting on the funding requested by the king, the latter was often inferior to them.
The assembly as a whole was not an ordinary tool of royal power, although it helped it strengthen its position in the country and strengthen. States often opposed the Crown, not wanting to make the decisions it needed. When the estate assembly showed character, the monarchs for a long time stopped its convocation. For example, for the period 1468-1560. the states were collected only once in 1484.
Conflict between royalty and states
The royal power almost always sought the right decisions from the States General. But this does not mean that the assembly has always unconditionally obeyed the kings. The most serious conflict between royalty and states dates from 1357. It occurred during the urban uprising in Paris, when King Johann was captured by the British.
The work of the General States was attended mainly by representatives of the townspeople. They developed a reform program called the Great March Ordinance. In exchange for the funding provided to the authorities, they demanded that control over the collection of taxes and the spending of funds be carried out by a meeting that was supposed to discuss these issues three times a year without the permission of the king. Of the composition of the participants, reformers were vested with extraordinary powers: the right to control the activities of royal officials, dismiss them and punish them (up to the death penalty). But the attempt by the Generals to subjugate finances was not successful. After the suppression of the uprising in Paris and the peasant uprisings of Jacquerie, the crown rejected all reformist demands.
Powers of Deputies
Elected deputies had an imperative mandate. Their position on all issues was clearly regulated by the instructions of the voters. After the deputy came back 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 estate 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 estate in the assembly was not allowed. Kings often opposed some regional states when they were overly influenced by local feudal nobility. For example, in Languedoc, Normandy, etc.
Reasons for the loss of importance by the General States
General states were created in conditions when the powers of large feudal lords were not much less than the power of the king himself. The meeting was a convenient counterweight to the local rulers. At that time they had their own armies, minted their own coin and depended little on the Crown. However, royal power was strengthened over time. The French monarchs gradually increased their influence by building a centralized vertical.
In the XV century, on the basis of the royal curia, the Great Council was created, which included the Legists, as well as 24 senior representatives of the spiritual and secular nobility. He 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 of the highest nobility to govern provinces or groups of baljazi. Centralization also affected cities. Kings were given the opportunity to restrict citizens in various rights, to change previously issued charters.
The Crown also unified the judiciary. This made it possible to reduce the influence of the clergy. The royal power was further strengthened by the right to collect a permanent tax. Charles VII organized a regular army with a clear hierarchy of subordination and centralized leadership. And this led to the fact that medieval France became less dependent on large feudal lords.
Permanent garrisons and military units appeared in all regions. They were supposed to suppress any disobedience and speeches of local feudal lords. Significantly increased the impact 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) met. With his consent, new taxes could be introduced. As a result of the strengthening of royal power, the General States in France gradually lost their importance.