The don gratuit or "free gift" in English, was a voluntary contribution to royal finances paid by the

First Estate The estates of the realm, or three estates, were the broad orders of social hierarchy used in Christendom (Christian Europe) from the Middle Ages to early modern Europe. Different systems for dividing society members into estates developed and ...

(the

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

) under France's

ancien regime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for "ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word fo ...

. Since they were exempt from taxation such as

taille The ''taille'' () was a direct land tax on the French peasantry and non-nobles in ''Ancien Régime'' France. The tax was imposed on each household and was based on how much land it held, and was directly paid to the state. History Originally o ...

, the First Estate was first requested to pay the don gratuit to fund the fight against the

Huguenots The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

under Henry IV and then from 1636 for the defence of the kingdom during the wars against the Protestant states. From

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Ver ...

's reign, the gift became customary. The don gratuit was decided by the church. The amount paid was very variable, often the amount would reflect the attitude the clergy had towards the kings rule. The don gratuit was also used as a bribe to the king for the clergy to retain its privileges. Between 1715 and 1788, the clergy would have contributed 288 million livres, or 2.7% of the Royal Treasury's revenue.

References

Economic history of the Ancien Régime {{france-stub