A young man in his twenties took up the thread:
“Are you referring to droughts and harsh winters, my lord Earl?”
“No, that’s not the main reason.” Mirabeau waved his hand vigorously, “The grain shortage stems from the nobility’s disregard for farming. They just stay in the Palace of Versailles and have even forgotten where their domains are. This has caused land that could produce eighteen bushels to yield just twelve! It’s their stubborn refusal to plant potatoes.
Even Prussia, a country less advanced than France, hasn’t experienced a famine as severe as ours, all because they have potatoes…”
At a nearby table, Venio also spoke passionately:
“The meager harvests of the peasants are further reduced by their lords through the use of mills and ovens. And the grand nobility’s hunting grounds take up vast stretches of land where not a single wheat stalk grows!
“Merchants who want to transport grain to areas short of food have to face tolls that are everywhere between the regions… We must petition His Majesty the King to amend these injustices to prevent the outbreak of riots!”
The nobles beside him nodded in agreement:
“Right, let’s all go and entreat His Majesty the King together!”
“May His Majesty issue an edict to help those poor peasants.”
“We must unite and speak out for the suffering people!”
“Let’s seek an audience with His Majesty tomorrow…”
In today’s France, which has been influenced by Enlightenment ideas for many years, even in the Palace of Versailles, nobles who embrace the ideas of Rousseau and Voltaire are plentiful, especially among the young, where it has almost become a fashion.
So, with just a little prompting from Mirabeau and others, countless young people enthusiastically responded.
As for the conservative nobility, they had long since grown accustomed to these voices and simply pretended not to hear them. If they argued with the emerging nobility because of this, they would most likely be defeated—the young people steeped in Enlightenment thought were far superior in debate skills and theoretical knowledge.
The next morning.
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The young nobles who had had an animated discussion with Venio late into the previous night stood in the middle of the Marble Courtyard, loudly preaching the views they had heard.
Around him, initially, only a few dozen nobles who had agreed to meet after the dinner were present, but gradually more people gathered, and soon there were four or five hundred people surrounding him, listening to his speech.
Seeing this, a guard quickly went to consult with Archbishop Brienne:
“Archbishop, many people have gathered in the Marble Courtyard, what do you think…”
Archbishop Brienne, having already received the Crown Prince’s instructions, immediately waved his hand:
“They are just holding a peaceful assembly, there is no need to interfere too much.”
Forty minutes later, seeing that the crowd had grown large enough, the young man vigorously waved his hand:
“Let’s petition Queen Mary to abolish the lords’ privileges and pay attention to the peasants’ livelihoods!”
Yes, even though he was a noble himself, he could call for the abolition of noble privileges without hesitation.
This was France in that era.
Immediate bursts of approving cheers erupted from the crowd, and they then swarmed around him as they headed towards the Petit Trianon Palace.
And as their shouts spread, more nobles joined their ranks.
Of course, many young people were held back by their parents, forbidden to get involved in these rebellious acts. On this day, there was no shortage of people beaten harshly by their fathers over this matter.
Queen Mary, as the helmsman of France, was already accustomed to the nobles collectively petitioning—almost every few months, they would stir up such an event for various reasons.
She patiently listened to the people’s pleas and then amiably expressed that she would consider them seriously.
She just didn’t realize that this was only a warm-up…
The next day at the Cabinet meeting, Brienne, after asking for Queen Mary’s instructions on some routine affairs, laid a document in front of her.
“Your Majesty, this is a proposal from Viscount Chantal, the municipal commissioner of Montpellier, requesting the cancellation of some lordly privileges,” he said.
“Cancel privileges?” Queen Mary immediately thought of the petitioners from the day before and opened the document with curiosity, “… therefore, it is earnestly requested that Your Majesty cancel the nobility’s privileges of hunting, pigeon rearing, rabbit breeding, and fishing. Reduce the area of hunting grounds, and cultivate them into arable land to increase food production…
“Abolish the lord’s courts. Nowadays, these courts are completely obsolete, and besides, many lords reside in the Palace of Versailles for long periods and are unable to preside over judgments… And considering the successful operation of the courts in Paris and other cities, all disputes should be settled in court…
“Farmers need to expend a great deal of labor in tilling the fields, and if they also have to do work for their lords afterward, this will lead to neglect in the care of the fields, thus reducing food production. Therefore, the obligation of farmers to work for their lords should be abolished…
“The contracts of cultivation between the lords and the tenants should not be determined and abolished unilaterally by the lords, but should be supervised and signed under the oversight of the courts, with tenants having the option to leave the land they originally cultivated…
“The serfdom system has seriously affected…”
Queen Mary patiently read to the end, her brow furrowing ever so slightly.
The proposal dealt with the abolition of the nobility’s privileges, particularly suggestions concerning land rights, from labor services to the lords’ judicial authority, as well as hunting, breeding privileges, and even the taxes of mills and bakeries.
Furthermore, the justifications provided were high-sounding – it was to increase food production and avoid a recurrence of the unrest that had affected the entire southern provinces.
The Queen turned to look at Brienne:
“Archbishop Brienne, these rights have been traditions continued for hundreds of years, a symbol of the nobles’ dignity and identity. Perhaps, we should not focus on such insignificant matters.”
Brienne immediately responded:
“Your Majesty, these are not insignificant. Viscount Chantal is right; the traditional privileges have had a direct impact on the recent unrest.”
Previously, Joseph had told him that this matter would not involve the privileges of the Church, and moreover, the Church’s support for abolishing lordly privileges could enhance its prestige.
Hence, he had no hesitation in promoting this proposal.
Mirabeau added from the side:
“Your Majesty, the British have clearly become stronger since they abolished some of their privileges.”
This was a classic bait-and-switch.
The strength of England was more a result of their colonies and industrial development, but indeed some noble privileges were cancelled during this process, merely coinciding in time.
Talleyrand, acting as the Foreign Minister, also expressed his agreement.
As the initiator, Joseph certainly wasn’t going to oppose it.
The Justice Minister and the Minister of the Register, still unclear about the situation, kept their mouths shut.
After much hesitation, Queen Mary felt the issue was too significant and ultimately, rubbing her temple, announced that it would be discussed another day.
Joseph had not planned to settle it in one go, anyway.
In fact, even if the Queen had signed the decree today, the nobles whose interests were harmed would certainly find a way to reverse it.
After all, it was essential to overcome the Old Nobility Forces in this matter. Today’s proposal was merely meant to lure the snake out of its hole.
That very afternoon, Viscount Chantal’s proposal, like a drop of water in hot oil, blew up the entire Palace of Versailles.