RC Church an integral part of feudal system Provided the ‘ideology’ supporting absolute monarchy – the ‘divine right of Kings’ Employees of the Church – the clergy represented a privileged elite in Ancien regime system – the First Estate – exempt from tax, not subject to laws of country (Church law and Church courts), exempt from military service Church was wealthy owning 15% of all land and collecting 1/10 th of everyone's income in church taxes (the tithe) Catholicism ran deep in rural France making much of the peasantry supporters of the Church, monarchy and the Ancien Regime system The urban population less tied to religion – emerging working class far more likely to be anti church or ant clerical – emerging middle class far more likely to be protestant and/or influenced by Enlightenment idea AND anti the power of RC Church THE CHURCH IN THE ANCIEN REGIME

One of the major reforms of the revolution was a series of measures effectively taking state control of the church called The Civil Constitution of Clergy ( ) Peasant population of France objected to the sale of church land to bourgeois urban protestants with subsequent loss of communal feudal rights Under these measures Church remained official religion of France but lost much of its privileges and power THE CHURCH IN THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

Church tithe abolished Monastic orders such as Jesuits not allowed to be involved in education Full civil rights for protestants (1789) and Jews (1792) In place of tithe Church lands confiscated by state and profits used to pay clergy salaries Exemption from tax abolished Clergy to take an oath of allegiance to civil constitution – many priests refused – major focus point for counter revolutionary forces ‘Minority’ religion given the conditions in which to flourish challenging the dominance of Roman Catholicism CIVIL CONSTITUTION OF CLERGY

Splits country into supporters of Pope and catholic independence (monarchists, ultras, aristocrats and catholic peasants) and anti clericalists (republicans, liberals, workers, middle class, protestants and other minorities) Big regional differences – general rural-urban division of religious grounds ‘Counter revolution’ in rural areas against urban protestant revolution CONSEQUENCES OF CIVIL CONSTITUTION

By 1794 Robespierre and the Convention in power Robespierre (heavily influenced by Enlightenment's JJ Rousseau) tried to replace Catholicism with ‘the worship of Reason’ Attempted to close churches, remove religious symbols – even Notre Dame turned into a temple of Reason Causes enormous resentment amongst peasantry – source of lasing division through the next century DE-CHRISTIANISATION DURING REVOLUTION

Very popular amongst urban revolutionaries – ‘sans culottes’ Huge backlash against policy from rural peasants Policy slowed then dropped in face of widespread hostility CONSEQUENCES OF DE- CHRISTIANISATION

Emperor Napoleon I reached a religious settlement with the Pope and the Church called The Concordat of 1801: 1.Pope’s role as head of RC Church in France accepted by government. 2.Catholicism recognised as ‘religion of majority’ AND freedom of worship for Catholics guaranteed. 3.Pope and church in return accepted permanent of loss of church lands during the Revolution. 4.Napoleon I retained the right to appoint bishops – which he used to place supporters in positions. 5.Tolerance of Protestants and Jews guaranteed in law. THE CHURCH UNDER NAPOLEON I

A compromise which fed the ‘bonapartist legacy’ that the Bonapartes were ‘friends of Catholicism’ – religion had been under very real threat during the Revolution Temporarily unites France over the religious question but divisions remain under the surface SIGNIFICANCE OF CONCORDAT

Catholics were enthusiastic supporters of the Restoration 1815 settlement saw a revival of Catholicism across Europe as absolutism was restored by Vienna Settlement Bourbons claims to legitimacy based on religion Restored to role in education and as the religion of France – Jesuits return Backlash against revolutionary ideas in French countryside – revenge attacks on both Bonarpatists and those who carried out de Christianisation during the ‘White Terror’ Bourbons supported by a strong rural religious populism and Charles X especially tried to harness this in his religious revival; RELIGION AND THE BOURBONS

Louis 16 th more cautious but couldn’t contain the religious zeal of the ‘ultras’ either during the White Terror or at the end of his reign Charles X with his feudal style coronation, belief in the ‘royal touch’ and Law of Sacrilege shatters the uneasy compromise in society set up by Napoleon – angers liberals, protestants, middle class and working class Religion reinstated to education system at school and University level where Chairs in political economy and philosophy are abolished Religion (Catholicism) key to Bourbon ideology – not just ‘divine right’ but in an orchestrated attack on Enlightenment ideas such a ‘progress’ ‘humanism’ ‘anti clericalism’ The prominent Catholic De Maître advised the government of both Louis and Charles – strident anti intellectual and anti Enlightenment but also promulgating a critique of bourgeois laissez faire capitalism which won favour with sections of the poor peasantry Religion a MAJOR factor in the downfall of Charles X as his religious revival and the appointment of Polignac as it alienated the urban bourgeoisie and was seen as a break in the compromise between Old France and New France the Restoration constitution was supposed to represent LOUIS AND CHARLES

LP a deliberate attempt to steer a new compromise between Catholics and anti clericalism Strong secular element to July monarchy – regime very cautious about using religion to maintain social order because of Catholicism's close ideological ties to the Bourbons Leading figures such as Guizot were protestants Law of Sacrilege repealed and RC Church only to be ‘the religion of the majority’- minority religious freedoms guaranteed LP NEVER popular with Catholics or legitimists or for that matter peasantry – seen as an ‘urban bourgeois’ From 1832 LP adopted a policy of ‘appeasement’ towards Catholics granting them some concessions over church appointments – backfires – stokes up legitimist opposition culminating in an attempted coup by Duc de Berri 1832 However LP regime always lacked support of RC Church (a reason for its fall?) – popular instead amongst protestants and sceptics (always the minority) THE CHURCH AND LOUIS PHILIPPE

‘Church and education… the twin pillars of ruling elite hegemony’ (Magraw) Guizot’s 1833 Education Act unpopular with Catholics. A primary school in every village and a teacher training college in every department established by Guizot – new ‘bourgeois’ values of thrift and sobriety taught. Guizot believed education and the teaching of ‘moral values’ could calm social unrest. RC Church remained important BUT Guizot’s reform the start of much greater role for the State. Literacy up from 47-60% under LP Guizot also angered Catholics by insisting catholic schools be inspected by the State Teacher training secular – clerics who were teachers could not continue without a certificate THE CHURCH AND EDUCATION UNDER LOUIS PHILIPPE

Church and clergy fervent supporters of Louis Napoleon in Presidential election campaign 1848 and first to approve of the later Coup D’Etat WHY? Napoleon seen as better alternative to ‘godless socialism’/ a restoration of the Bourbons not practical/ Bonapartist legacy won support from peasants –seen as ‘church friendly’ As President in 1850 Louis Napoleon passes the Falloux Laws extending RC influence in education – reversing Guizot's education law – teachers no longer state trained. Falloux also abolished the restriction on Catholic secondary school numbers and placed bishops on the boards of universities. Teacher Training Colleges, Universities and academic put under close supervision WHY- response to the ‘Red Menace’ post June Days – also to strengthen Catholic support for Napoleon’s evolving regime (on the journey to emperor) THE CHURCH AND 2 ND REPUBLIC AND NAPOLEON III

RC Church (and Napoleon’s catholic wife) also heavily influenced foreign policy in Mexican adventure Fine balance between offending urban France and keeping Catholic support difficult for Napoleon to achieve THE CHURCH AND NAPOLEON III