Absolutism and Society in Seventeenth-Century France: State Power and Provincial Aristocracy in Languedoc (Cambridge Studies in Early Modern History)

Why was Louis XIV successful in pacifying the same aristocrats who had been troublesome for Richelieu and Mazarin? What role did absolutism play in reinforcing or changing the traditional social system in seventeenth-century France? This analysis of the provincial reality of absolutism argues that the answers to these questions lie in the relationship between the regional aristocracy and the crown. Starting with a critical examination of current approaches to state and society by institutional, social "Annales," and Marxist historians, the author calls for a new class analysis based on the findings of all these schools. Frontmatter (page N/A) List of tables (page x) List of figures (page xi) Preface (page xii) List of abbreviations (page xvi) Map: Languedoc in the seventheeth century (page xviii) PART ONE: INTRODUCTION (page 1) 1 Absolutism and class (page 3) 2 Languedoc and its rulers (page 34) PART TWO: THE DISTRIBUTION OF AUTHORITY (page 57) 3 Urban setting and local authorities (page 59) 4 The sovereign courts: a provincial perspective (page 77) 5 The royal agents: a national linkage (page 98) 6 The Estates: central bargaining place (page 117) 7 Contradictory aspirations and practical problems (page 149) 8 The inadequacy of authority (page 179) 9 The prospects for provincial solidarity (page 198) PART FOUR: THE PROVINCE AND THE CROWN (page 221) 10 Channels of personal influence (page 223) 11 Tax flows and society (page 245) 12 Collaborating with the king: positive results and fulfilled ambitions (page 279) 13 Basking in the sun: the triumph of authority and hierarchy (page 303) Conclusion (page 329) Appendix: Breakdown of taxes from the diocese of Toulouse, 1677 (page 340) Select bibliography (page 348) Index (page 369) Why was Louis XIV successful in pacifying the same aristocrats who had caused so much trouble for Richelieu and Mazarin? What role did absolutism play in reinforcing or changing the traditional social system in seventeenth-century France? In this analysis of the provincial reality of absolutism, Professor Beik argues that the answers to these questions lie in the relationship between the regional aristocracy and the crown. Starting with a critical examination of current approaches to state and society by institutional, social, 'Annales', and Marxist historians, he calls for a new class analysis based on the findings of all these schools.This is the first appearance as a paperback of Professor Beik's book, which won the 1986 Herbert Baxter Adams Prize awarded by the American Historical Association for the year's outstanding work in European history. Why was Louis XIV successful in pacifying the same aristocrats who had caused so much trouble for Richelieu and Mazarin? What role did absolutism play in reinforming or changing the traditional social system in seventeenth-century France? Here Professor Beik argues that the answers to these questions lie in the relationship between the regional aristocracy and the crown. This is a study of the exercise of power in one French province under absolutism.