The travails of conscience
Subtitle: the Arnauld family and the Ancien Régime
By: Alexander Sedgwick.
Series: Harvard historical studies ;; 128; Harvard historical studies ;; v. 128.
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Published: 1998
Place of publication: Cambridge, Mass
Language: eng
Number of pages: 297
Subjects: Arnold family; Port-Royal des Champs (Abbey) -- History; Jansenists -- France -- Political activity; Despotism -- Religious aspects -- Christianity; Religion and politics -- France -- History; Fronde; Royalists -- France -- Biography; France -- History -- Wars of the Huguenots, 1562-1598; France -- Genealogy
Description: The Arnauld family rose to prominence at the end of the sixteenth century by attaching themselves to the king. Their power and influence depended upon absolute loyalty and obedience to the sovereign whose own power they sought to enhance. Dictates of conscience, however, brought all that to an end and put them in conflict with both king and pope.

The dramatic appeal of this book is underscored by a tumultuous period of French history which coincides with and punctuates the Arnauld family's struggle with the world. We see how this extraordinary family reacted to momentous political and religious developments, as well as the ways in which individual members, by means of their own convictions, helped shape the history of their time.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 289-292) and index.