... were all social groups, additional political groups were the republicans, the royalists and the Bonapartists. The aristocrats had lost a colossal amount during the French Revolution and then the Napoleonic regime. They lost their feudal rights and the right to seigniorial posts. This left the group significantly poorer and with less prestige. Beck noticed that during the period of the revolution, around 40% of the aristocracy disappeared. Beck reached this figure by examining, pre and post revolution election rolls and from 1789 to 1820, the aristocracy's holdings of land dropped from 25% to 20%. However the aristocracy did benefit from Episcopal posts and from 1815 onwards 80% of these posts fell to aristocrats. Another sore point for the aristocracy was the issue of their land that was lost in the revolution and under Napoleon. Louis refused but under Charles X he decided to pay around 1400 francs to every man ...

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