Crown and Nobility in Early Modern France (European History in Perspective, 30)

This book analyses the evolving relationship between the French monarchy and the French nobility in the early modern period. New interpretations of the absolutist state in France have challenged the orthodox vision of the interaction between the crown and elite society. By focusing on the struggle of central government to control the periphery, Bohanan links the literature on collaboration, patronage and taxation with research on the social origins and structure of provincial nobilities. Three provinical examples, Provence, Dauphine and Brittany, illustrate the ways in which elites organised and mobilised by vertical ties (ties of dependency based on patronage) were co-opted or subverted by the crown. The monarchy's success in raising more money from these pays d'etats depended on its ability to juggle a set of different strategies, each conceived according to the particularity of the social, political and institutional context of the province. Bohanan shows that the strategies and expedients employed by the crown varied from province to province; conceived on an individual basis, they bear the signs of ad hoc responses rather than a gradnoise plan to centralise. This Book Analyzes The Evolving Relationship Between The French Monarchy And The French Nobility In The Early Modern Period. New Interpretations Of The Absolutist State In France Have Challenged The Orthodox Vision Of The Interaction Between The Crown And Elite Society. By Focusing On The Struggle Of Central Government To Control The Periphery, Bohanan Links The Literature On Collaboration, Patronage And Taxation With Research On The Social Origins And Structure Of Provincial Nobilities. Three Provincial Examples, Provence, Dauphine, And Brittany, Illustrate The Ways In Which Elites Organized And Mobilized By Vertical Ties (ties Of Dependency Based On Patronage) Were Co-opted Or Subverted By The Crown.--book Jacket. Nobility: Metamorphosis. Crisis Interpretation ; More Recent Interpretations ; Patrons And Clients ; Provincial Nobility ; Political Culture Of Nobility -- Crown: State-building. The Renaissance Monarchy ; The Wars Of Religion ; The Reign Of Henry Iv ; The Reign Of Louis Xiii ; The Reign Of Louis Xiv -- Provence: The Opportunities Of Factionalism. The Revolt Of Cascaveoux ; The Fronde In Provence -- Dauphiné: The Potential In Class Conflict. Conflict In Romans ; The Case Of The Third Estate ; The Nobility's Response ; The Crown's Decisions -- Brittany: The Limits Of Elite Solidarity. Sword And Robe ; Richelieu And Brittany ; The Reign Of Louis Xiv In Brittany ; The Revolt Of 1675. Donna Bohanan. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 175-184) And Index. This text analyzes the evolving relationship between the French monarchy and the French nobility in the early modern period. New interpretations of the absolutist state in France have challenged the orthodox vision of the interaction between the crown and elite society. By focusing on the struggle of central government to control the periphery, Bohanan links the literature on collaboration and patronage with research on the social origins and structure of the provincial nobilities. Three provincial examples - Provence, Dauphine and Brittany - illustrate the ways in which elites organized and mobilized by vertical ties (ties of dependency based on patronage) were co-opted or subverted by the crown This book analyzes the evolving relationship between the French monarchy and the French nobility in the early modern period. New interpretations of the absolutist state in France have challenged the orthodox vision of the interaction between the crown and elite society. Using the three examples of Provence, Brittany, and Dauphin, Bohanan illustrates the ways in which elites organized and mobilized by vertical ties were co-opted or subverted by the crown. For some time modern historians wrote about a crisis of the nobility in fifteenth- and sixteenth-century France.