Provincial Power and Absolute Monarchy

The Estates General of Burgundy, 1661–1790

Julian Swann author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Cambridge University Press

Published:21st Aug '03

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Provincial Power and Absolute Monarchy cover

The first book in English to study the history of the Estates General of Burgundy.

This is the first book in English to study the history of the Estates General of Burgundy during the classic period of absolute monarchy. It sheds light on the government of Louis XIV, the history of Burgundy and the wider political history of eighteenth-century France.This is the first book in English to study the history of the Estates General of Burgundy during the classic period of absolute monarchy. Although not a representative institution in any modern sense, the Estates were constantly engaged in a process of bargaining with the French crown, and this book examines that relationship under the Ancien Régime. Julian Swann analyses the organization, membership and powers of the Estates and explores their administration, their struggles for power with rival institutions and their relationship with the crown and with the Burgundian people. The Estates proved remarkably resilient when confronted by the challenges posed by the Bourbon monarchy, and by the reign of Louis XVI they were seemingly more powerful than ever. However the desire to protect their privileges and to extend their authority had not been accompanied by an attempt to forge a meaningful relationship with the people they claimed to serve.

'Based upon sound statistical evidence and thorough archival research, this is a tightly written examination … which is unlikely to be superseded in this generation.' History
'Based on careful archival research, gracefully written, and cogently argued, Swann's book is a welcome addition to the literature on the role of institutions in the old regime and the coming of the French Revolution. Those who wish to gain a better understanding of the often obscure mechanisms of power in eighteenth-century France will find this book well worth reading.' European History Quarterly

ISBN: 9780521827676

Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 30mm

Weight: 910g

478 pages