 one of the central events of the french revolution was to abolish feudalism, and the old rules, taxes and privileges left over from the age of feudalism. the national constituent assembly, acting on the night of 4 august 1789, announced, "the national assembly abolishes the feudal system entirely."stewart, p 107 for full text it abolished both the seigneurial rights of the second estate (the nobility) and the tithes gathered by the first estate (the catholic clergy).furet, 1989markoff, the old judicial system, founded on the 13 regional parlements, was suspended in november 1789, and finally abolished in 1790. paul r. hanson, the a to z of the french revolution (2007) p 250-51 ==the event== the viscount de noailles and the duke d'aiguillon proposed the redemption and consequent abolition of feudal rights and the suppression of personal servitude, as well as the various privileges of the nobility. members of the first estate were at first reluctant to enter into the patriotic fervour of the night but eventually the bishops of nancy and chartres sacrificed their tithes. historian georges lefebvre summarizes the night's work: :without debate the assembly enthusiastically adopted equality of taxation and redemption of all manorial rights except for those involving personal servitude â which were to be abolished without indemnification. other proposals followed with the same success: the equality of legal punishment, admission of all to public office, abolition of venality in office [the purchase of an office], conversion of the tithe into payments subject to redemption, freedom of worship, prohibition of plural holding of benefices, suppression of and eights.... privileges of provinces and towns were offered as a last sacrifice. in the course of a few hours, france abolished game-laws, seigneurial courts, the purchase and sale of posts in the magistracy, of pecuniary immunities, favoritism in taxation, of surplice money, first-fruits, pluralities, and unmerited pensions. towns, provinces, companies, and cities also sacrificed their special privileges. a medal was struck to commemorate the day, and the assembly declared louis xvi the "restorer of french liberty." j.m. thompson, the french revolution (1943), pp 90-111 furet emphasizes that the decisions of august 1789 survived and became an integral part of: :the founding texts of modern france. they destroyed aristocratic society from top to bottom, along with its structure of dependencies and privileges. for this structure they substituted the modern, autonomous individual, fr
1789_events_of_the_French_Revolution Feudalism