A detailed analysis of the limitations of the system which relied
on intermediaries and private suppliers to finance, build and
maintain the French navy. Although Louis XIV's navy did not "win"
in any recognisable sense during the wars of the later seventeenth
and early eighteenth centuries, it was nevertheless one of the
largest military institutions of the entire early modern world at a
key moment in the evolution of the modern state and modern warfare.
This book examines how Louis XIV's navy was financed, arguing that
the way the state spends money, and the relative efficiency and
accountability of that spending, is fundamental to understanding
the effectiveness of a military system. It outlines how the French
crown depended on fiscal intermediaries and private suppliers,
explores how its failure to control the spending and activities of
its contractors fundamentally limited France's strategic
possibilities at sea, and discusses how these structural problems
were progressively and disastrously exposed as the state's
financial situation deteriorated. The book sets the activities of
the French navy in the wider context of the wars of the period,
showing that France necessarily had to give precedence to the
funding of its army. Overall, the book highlights the limitations
of the contractor state, demonstrating that early modern navies
were both too complex and investment-heavy to be entirely
outsourced.
General
Imprint: |
Boydell & Brewer
|
Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
Release date: |
December 2023 |
First published: |
2023 |
Authors: |
Benjamin Darnell
|
Dimensions: |
234 x 156mm (L x W) |
Pages: |
320 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-83765-054-5 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
1-83765-054-3 |
Barcode: |
9781837650545 |
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