Levied on an individual's total income (common in northern France).
Levied on the value of land ownership (common in southern France). Taille
Because it was arbitrary and increased steadily over centuries to fund wars, it became a primary grievance cited by revolutionaries. 2. Linguistic Meaning (French Language) Levied on an individual's total income (common in
It began in the Middle Ages as a payment from peasants to their lords in exchange for protection. By 1439, during the Hundred Years' War, King Charles VII made it a permanent royal tax to fund a standing army. The tax was deeply unpopular because it fell
The tax was deeply unpopular because it fell almost entirely on the Third Estate (peasants and commoners). The First Estate (clergy) and Second Estate (nobility) were largely exempt. Types of Taille:
In modern French, translates to "size," "height," or "waist," depending on the context.
The taille was the most significant direct tax in France during the Ancien Régime (pre-1789). It was a central symbol of the inequality that eventually led to the French Revolution.