Expansion and crisis in Louis XIV's France
Subtitle: Franche-Comté and absolute monarchy, 1674-1715
By: Darryl Dee.
Series: Changing perspectives on early modern Europe -- 13
Publisher: University of Rochester Press
Published: 2009
Place of publication: Rochester, NY
Language: eng
Number of pages: 245
ISBN-13: 9781580463034
Subjects: Franche-Comté (France) -- History -- 17th century; Franche-Comté (France) -- History -- 18th century; France -- History -- Louis XIV, 1643-1715; France -- Territorial expansion -- History -- 17th century
Description: Driven by a desire for glory and renown, Louis XIV presided over France's last great burst of territorial expansion in Europe. During the first three decades of his rule, his armies conquered numerous territories along France's borders. After 1688, however, the tide of conquest turned as the kingdom was plunged into crisis. For the remainder of his reign, the king and his people endured wars against grand alliances of European powers, ecological disasters, economic depression, state bankruptcy, and demographic stagnation. Expansion and Crisis in Louis XIV's France examines these central, yet understudied, aspects of the age of the Sun King through the experience of Franche-Comté, a possession of the Spanish Empire with a long history of autonomy, conquered by Louis XIV in 1674. Dee's detailed research reconstructs the ensuing dialogue--sometimes harmonious, sometimes discordant--between the king and the elites who ruled this province. The integration of Franche-Comté into France proved to be a protracted process involving confrontation, negotiation, and compromise. The resulting regime was then severely-tested by the challenges of Louis XIV's late reign; its survival demonstrated how the king had brought a distinctly early modern state to the height of its development. This study ofers significant new insights into the growth of the territorial state in early modern Europe, the nature of the French absolute monarchy, and the political legacy of the Sun King.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.