Home > Ancien Régime

Ancien Régime means Old Regime or Old Order in French; in English, the term refers primarily to the social and political system established in France under the Valois and Bourbon dynasties, and secondarily to any regime which shares the former's defining features: a feudal system under the control of a powerful absolute monarchy supported by the doctrine of the Divine Right of Kings and the explicit consent of the established Church.

The Ancien Régime developed out of the French monarchy of the Middle Ages, and was swept away centuries later by the French Revolution of 1789. Europe's other ancien régimes had similar origins, but diverse ends: some gradually became constitutional monarchiesA constitutional monarchy is a form of government established under a constitutional system which acknowledges a hereditary or elected monarch as head of state. Modern constitutional monarchies usually implement the concept of trias politica, and have the, others were torn down by wars and revolutions.

The analogous term "Antiguo Régimen" is often used in SpanishThis article is about the international language known as Spanish. For other languages spoken in Spain see Languages of Spain Spanish is an Iberian Romance language, and the third or fourth most spoken language in the world. It is spoken as a first langua. However, although Spain was strongly affected by the French Revolution and its aftermath, the break was not as sharp as in France.

See also: Old EuropeOld Europe is a term used differently by politicians and historians depending on context. Politics In January 2003 the term "Old Europe" surfaced mockingly with U. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, to refer to those European countries who were not in