Ancien régime

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The ancien régime (; French: [ɑ̃sjɛ̃ ʁeʒim] ; lit. 'former regime') was the political and social system of the Kingdom of France that the French Revolution overturned. This was accomplished through the abolition in 1790 of the feudal system of the French nobility, the declaration of a republic in 1792, and the execution of Louis XVI in 1793. "Ancien régime" is now a common metaphor for "a system or mode no longer prevailing". The administrative and social structures of the ancien régime in France evolved across centuries of state-building, legislative acts (like the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts), and internal conflicts. The attempts of the House of Valois to reform and re-establish control over the scattered political centres of the country were hindered by the Wars of Religion from 1562 to 1598. During the House of Bourbon, much of the reigns of Henry IV (r. 1589–1610) and Louis XIII (r. 1610–1643) and the early years of Louis XIV (r. 1643–1715) focused on administrative centralization...

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