It had long been common knowledge in Versailles, even before the French Revolution broke out, that marriage was made for money. The rewards the king could grant his subjects could not compare to the dowries brought by young women. One could say that the dowry lay at the heart of every marriage contract, constituting the largest exchange of property between two families.
There had once been a count who was to inherit the land left behind by his father, only to find that it had been mortgaged to someone else. To claim his inheritance, he had to pay off that debt. The dowry his bride brought gave him immediate cash flow while also clearing several of his father's debts. Thus, even notaries would warn young men, "The cost of living is too high these days. You young people must never marry a girl with a dowry of less than 100,000 Francs."
The provincial nobility was far better off than the Parisian nobility. Many nobles actually needed the king's assistance just to maintain a lifestyle befitting their rank. Yet even those subsidies were graded, ranging from 2,400 to 20,000 Livre. For example, Guébriant, whose husband had died in battle, received 3,000 Livre a year—but that had been before the king was beheaded.
Since the sixteenth century, France's royal family had been spending more than it earned. Those who bought annuities were gambling their principal and their lives against the debtor. If they were lucky enough to live long, they could collect more interest. But now the king was dead, and the kingdom had become a republic. Could those annuities still be paid?
Many people had that very question, so Finance Minister Gaudin established a Sinking Fund, specifically to purchase annuities and repay public debt. He would offer those willing to sell