The French Revolution and Napoleon's status with the Church

"What happened (involving the Third Estate) during the meeting of the Estates General that set the French Revolution in motion?"


What happened during the meeting of the Estates General set France into complete and utter chaotic revolution. It started innocently enough. The Third Estate wished to have their votes counted per head instead of per Estate. They likewise wanted to be granted more Estate members so that their vote would be able to actually count. If not, then their votes would simply be outweighed by the other two Estates due to their having more members than the Third Estate. But when their request wasn't granted sufficiently they decided to turn it up a notch. They asked the First and Second Estate to join them in establishing a new constitution for France and they did. They (The Third Estate) declared themselves the people. They would be the people's voice. They would be the people's representative. The Third Estate had declared itself a separate assembly. They were the National Assembly for the nation.

Now, I think that I should make it clear that the Third Estate really had no legal power to do this. Henceforth, a revolution sprung itself into French life and existence. People's heads were spinning
and they wanted more. They wanted change, and they were going to get it in the form of the French Revolution.



"What was the situation of the Church in France after Napoleon came to power?"




The situation of the church in France was on a sort of balance beam after Napoleon came to power. Napoleon saw how alienated the church had become through the course of the French revolution and he knew that this was nonsense. He knew that he would have to reconcile with the Catholic church in one form or another. He reconciled by using the pope and in granting the church different freedoms. Napoleon attempted to regain the church in his favor, but he still wanted them under his thumb. He made it so that bishops would have to be nominated by him and then approved by the pope. Bishops would likewise have to appoint priests from a government approved list. Church lands were not returned, and some of the clergy were angered with these events. But, some viewed it differently. Some viewed it like this. At least the "churches" were being reopened, and at least there wasn't a schism as there had been before.

Like I said, the church in France was on a sort of balance beam. They were still under government control in many ways, but at the same time they were more free than they had previously been.

Thanks for reading my essay, and please let me know if you have any thoughts, corrections, etc. My hope for my blog is to create a place where students, historians, teachers, and anyone else can come and learn. I'm hoping that I can learn from you too, and that you'll help me to make my blog as informational and fun as possible.

     

The 9th-and 10th-century invasions, and how they affected life in the West.

"Describe the ninth-and tenth-century invasions.  Apart from the physical destruction involved, how did they affect life in the West?"


The 9th-and 10th-century invasions were brought about by the Norsemen/Vikings, Magyars, and the Muslims.  These forces caused much fear and loss to the people of the 9th-and 10th-century.

The Vikings (mixture of Scandinavians/raided the coastal river cities of France) would burn down countless villages, destroyed many churches and monasteries, took innocent people into slavery, and of course looted.  I think it goes without saying that the Vikings were a treacherous people.

The Magyars (attacked Germany, northern Italy, and parts of France) would burn down French monasteries and suburbs, and they also took part in despicable looting and pillaging.

The Muslims ( based in Africa and Spain) took part in looting and plundering the places in which they were attempting to conquer, and they would even go about the horrible deed of kidnapping.

As far as how the invasions affecting life in the West goes, it is safe to say that they caused much distress.  Beside this though, they also brought upon two very important things called feudalism and manorialism.  If you would like to learn more about these two aspects of life in history, please proceed to the section of this essay dedicated to them below.


"Describe feudalism and manorialism."


Feaudalism and manorialism came about as a creative response to the outside invasions of the 9th-and 10th-century.  The victims of the Vikings would try to find protection through people called lords by becoming the lord's vassal.  The vassal would be given land and protection from the Vikings in exchange for service to the lord.  These are the basic ideas of feudalism and manorialism.


I hope that you have enjoyed this essay, and please let me know what you think!