Farmers artisans and the merchants formed the gentry class.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the lead up to the industrial revolution a vast population of France was divided into four classes lowest of which was the gentry.
They were the ones paying the highest of taxes and receiving the least benefits apart from being economically the weakest out of all.
The gentry was also the most populous social class and it included the peasants who worked the land, artisans who worked on tools and specialized some work and the merchants who sold these products.