Research Guides: French Revolution & Napoleon Collections: The Ancien Régime

Uncovering the Old Regime

The Ancien Régime, or Old Regime, is the term for the sociopolitical order of France until the French Revolution. Researchers can browse our holdings to find unique primary and secondary sources to learn more about the Old Regime.

Manuscript Collections

David Bien Papers
Identifier: 01-MSS 2017-005
Date: Acquired 09/28/2017

The David Bien Papers contain research notes from different archival repositories and libraries in France and the United States. Subjects include but are not limited to the French Monarchy, financial institutions, Parlement, and the Nobility.

Finance and Credit, 1715-1787 (2 folders)
- Includes David Bien's notes on Archives National Series K primary sources and the Joly de Fleury papers on the subject of credit and budgets in Old Regime France.
Ennobling Offices, 1771-1789 (2 folders)
- Contains a list of venal offices that ennobled the holder, their capital values, length of time to receive nobility, and the proportion of office holders with nobility.

French Revolution Collection on Camille Desmoulins, Lucile Duplessis, and Arthur Dillon
Identifier: 01-MSS 2011-0329
Date: Created 1702-1876

This collection documents the Desmoulins family and includes military records related to Arthur Dillon's army regiment in Old Regime France.

Berwick Regiment lists of revenue and expenses, 1771-1772
Dillon Regiment Officer correspondence

In the Catalog

Catalog searching: You can search our library catalog online. Under the advanced search, you can narrow down the body of materials by choosing Strozier Library, Special Collections or Strozier, Napoleon Collection as a filter.

Helpful search terms in English of French for learning about the Old Regime may include:

Nobility
Kings
- Louis XIV, XV, and XVI
Military history
Institutions
- Catholic Church
- Parlement

In the Digital Library

Letter from the King
French Revolution Collection on Camille Desmoulins, Lucile Duplessis, and Arthur Dillon, 1702-1876.
01-MSS 2011-0329
Date: 1719
Item description: Letter from the king written for the Duke of Berwick and commander of the spanish army that explains the contentious relationship between France and Spain during the War of the Quadruple Alliance.
Reglement Concernant Les Cadets-Gentilshommes, August 20, 1776.
French Revolution Collection on Camille Desmoulins, Lucile Duplessis, and Arthur Dillon, 1702-1876.
01-MSS 2011-0329
Date: 1776
Item description: Rules and regulations for the troops concerning the management of receipts, supplies, lodgings, payment, clothing, etc.