History of France

Ancien Régime
Louis XIV of France, under whose reign the Ancien Régime reached an absolutist form of government; portrait by Hyacinthe Rigaud, 1702 ©Image Attribution forthcoming. Image belongs to the respective owner(s).
1500 Jan 1 - 1789

Ancien Régime

France

The Ancien Régime, also known as the Old Regime, was the political and social system of the Kingdom of France from the Late Middle Ages (c. 1500) until the French Revolution starting in 1789, which abolished the feudal system of the French nobility (1790) and hereditary monarchy (1792). The Valois dynasty ruled during the Ancien Régime up until 1589 and was then replaced by the Bourbon dynasty. The term is occasionally used to refer to the similar feudal systems of the time elsewhere in Europe such as that of Switzerland.

Last Updated: Thu Sep 29 2022

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