Louis XIV and the Parlements: The Assertion of Royal Authority

(Paperback)

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Description

This study examines the political and economic relationship between Louis XIV and the parlements of France, the Parlement of Paris and all the provincial tribunals. It explains how the king managed to overcome the century-old opposition of the parlements to new legislation, and to impose upon them the strict political discipline for which this reign is known. The work calls into question the current revisioninst understanding of the reign of Louis XIV and insists that, after all, absolute government had a harsh reality at its core. When the king died in 1715, the regent, Philippe d'Orleans, after a brief attempt to befriend the parlements through compromise, resorted to the authoritarian methods of Louis XIV and perpetuated the Sun King's political and economic legacy.

Reviews

"John Hurt's remarkable book combines detailed narrative with a wide-ranging argument. It will stand as a definitive summary of both government policies and their effects on the judges. This is a model historical study, altogether compelling."--"H-France Book Reviews"
"Hurt's argument is presented in a lively style and is backed by impressive scholarship. By highlighting the harsh treatment of the Parlements in such an effective way, Hurt has performed a real service; his work will reopen debate and give scholars of seventeenth-and eighteenth-century France cause for reflection. His book should also be compulsory reading for undergraduates as they attempt to decide whether absolutism was a historical myth or a painful reality."--"French History"

Author Bio

John J. Hurt is Associate Professor of History at the University of Delaware