The Limits of Absolutism in ancien régime France (Variorum Collected Studies)

This selection of articles is organized around three broad themes: the nature of the governing system in France (’Absolutism’); the political crisis of the mid-17th-century (the ’Fronde’); and the development of royal finance. The author first considers the growth of the French state in its ideological and institutional aspects, then the opposition such developments provoked, much centred on the figure of Cardinal Mazarin. In the last section particular attention is given to fiscal history, including a comparison of mid-18th-century France with the other states of Europe. Professor Bonney would argue that the ’fiscal imperative’, the increased requirements posed by the costs of war, and the long-term consequences of fiscal growth may be seen as one of the decisive factors in the development of the modern state. Cover Series Half Title Title Copyright Contents Introduction Dedication The Development of the Monarchical System I Absolutism: what's in a name? II Bodin and the development of the French monarchy III Was there a Bourbon style of government? Resistance to the Development of the Monarchical System: Mazarin and the Fronde IV The French Civil War, 1649–53 V The English and French Civil Wars VI Cardinal Mazarin and his critics: the remonstrances of 1652 VII Cardinal Mazarin and the great nobility during the Fronde VIII La Fronde des officiers: mouvement réformiste ou rébellion corporatiste? IX Mazarin et la Fronde: la question de responsibilité The Development of Royal Finance X The secret expenses of Richelieu and Mazarin, 1624–61 XI The failure of the French revenue farms, 1600–60 XII The state and its revenues in ancien régime France XIII Louis XIII, Richelieu, and the royal finances XIV 'Le secret de leurs families': the fiscal and social limits of Louis XIV's dixième XV Comparative fiscal systems on the eve of modernity: the French enquiry of 1763 Additional notes Index These 13 essays in English and 2 in French are organized around three broad themes: the nature of the governing system in France (absolutism); the political crisis of the mid-17th century (the Fronde); and the development of royal finance. The growth of the French state is considered.