The social structure of France was divided among three groups: the First Estate, the Second Estate, and theThird Estate. Each social group had a varied type of people within theirstructure, which presented the different views of the people. The First Estate was the Church. During the ancien regime, the churchwas equal in terms of its social, economic, and spiritual power. The FirstEstate owned nearly 10 per cent of all land in France. It paid no taxesbut, to support church activities such as school running and caring for thepoor, they collected a tithe, or a tax on income. About one-third of theentire clergy in France served as parish priests. Also included in thisestate were the nobles. Some of the nobles lived in luxury in major citiesin France, such as Versailles or Paris. Parish priests usually lived ahardworking life. This Estate was the minority of the people in France, having approximately 1 to 2 per cent of the population. The Second Estate in French life was the nobility. They enjoyedextensive rights and privileges. They made up less than 2 percent of thepopulation. They, like the First Estate, paid hardly any taxes.Economically, the nobility was characterized by great land wealth. Nobleswere generally the richest members of the society. Typical sources ofincome were rents and dues for the use of their farms or estates. The First and Second Estates were grouped together because they had similarpolitical beliefs. The Third Estate consisted of the commoners. It included the bourgeoisie, peasants and city workers. The bourgeoisie, or the middleclass, were by far, the wealthiest. In the bourgeoisie, there were themerchants and manufacturers, lawyers, doctors and others similar to thosetypes of professions. Peasants made up the largest group within the ThirdEstate. They were forced to pay hefty taxes, tithes to the church, andrents to their landlords for the land that they lived on. The last groupwithin the Third Estate were the city workers.