Institutions of Louis XVI

Louis XVI’s institutions comprised the structured organization of government and society in France. Key elements included the monarchy, which held supreme authority; the Estates-General, a representative council representing clergy, nobles, and common people, called intermittently; and the royal court, where officials managed administration and diplomacy. The Parlement of Paris acted as a high court and legislative body, while various bureaucracies handled taxation and law enforcement. These institutions were designed to support royal authority but often created tensions between different social classes and regions, contributing to the unrest that eventually led to the French Revolution.