A bold new study of politics and power in 17th-century France, this book argues that the French Crown centralized its power nationally by changing the way it delegated its royal patronage in the provinces. During this period, the royal government of Paris gradually extended its sphere of control by taking power away from the powerful and potentially disloyal provincial governors and nobility and instead putting it in the hands of provincial power brokers--regional notables who cooperated with the Paris ministers in exchange for their patronage. The new alliances between the Crown's ministers and loyal provincial elites functioned as political machines on behalf of the Crown, leading to smoother regional-national cooperation and foreshadowing the bureaucratic state that was to follow.

Offers a birds-eye view of society in France from 1589-1715, covering the reigns of the first three Bourbon kings - Henri IV, Louis XIII, and Louis XIV

Examining the 'long' seventeenth century, one of the most dynamic phases in French history, the author explores the upheavals in French society during this period by looking at the traditional bonds which tied together the various classes and groupings. Using examples from the lives of real people, her unique approach discusses how the turbulence of the age threw these established relationships into disarray, and explains why, by 1715, France had become a more peaceful and civilized place.

This book provides a "birds eye" view of social change in France during the "long seventeenth century" from 1589-1715. One of the most dynamic phases of French history, it covers the reigns of the first three Bourbon kings, Henri IV, Louis XIII, and Louis XIV. The author explores the upheavals in French society during this period through an examination of the bonds which tied various classes and groupings together: including rank, honour, and reputation; family, household and kinship; faith and the Church; and state and obedience to the King. Acting as a social glue against instability and fragmentation, in periods of great transformation some of these social solidarities are eroded whilst new ones emerge. Sharon Kettering shows how nuclear family ties emerged at the expense of extended kinship ties, while traditional rural ties were eroded by a combination of demographic crisis and agricultural stagnation. Urban ties of neighbourhood, sociability and work increased with rapid urbanisation. By 1715, France had become a more peaceful and civilised place, and this book discusses some of the reasons why.

This book seeks to rehabilitate the reputation of Charles d'Albert, duc de Luynes, the controversial favourite of Louis XIII often maligned by historians. Kettering argues that the traditional historical interpretation of Luynes is significantly influenced by the testimony of Richelieu, who subjected Luynes to a devastating character assassination in his memoirs. Richelieu's malice and the bias in histories based upon his memoirs justify another look at Luynes' career. This book sifts through the historical evidence to offer a new perspective on Luynes, arguing that his contributions to the early years of Louis XIII's government have been insufficiently appreciated, and in the process throws light upon a dark, unpleasant corner of Richelieu's personality often ignored by historians. As well as advanced students and historians of early modern France, this book should interest those specialising in the history of the European courts, power politics, patronage and printed pamphlet literature. -- .

Most historical scholarship concerned with the Fronde has investigated the Parlement of Paris. By focusing on the different experience of high court judges in Aix-en-Provence, Sharon Kettering illuminates the causes of resistance to royal authority and offers a new understanding of the role of provincial officials in seventeenth-century revolts. The author shows that political tensions and alignments within the court and provincial capital were as important in causing the revolts at Aix as the judges' relationship with the crown. Describing the liaisons and personalities that gave impetus to resistance, she traces the emergence of an opposition party within the Parlement of Aix after the first revolt in 1630. This party remained sporadically active until its dispersal by the crown in 1659, and it provided the leadership for the serious parlementary Fronde at Aix in January, 1649. Originally published in 1978. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Most historical scholarship concerned with the Fronde has investigated the Parlement of Paris. By focusing on the different experience of high court judges in Aix-en-Provence, Sharon Kettering illuminates the causes of resistance to royal authority and offers a new understanding of the role of provincial officials in seventeenth-century revolts. The author shows that political tensions and alignments within the court and provincial capital were as important in causing the revolts at Aix as the judges' relationship with the crown. Describing the liaisons and personalities that gave impetus to resistance, she traces the emergence of an opposition party within the Parlement of Aix after the first revolt in 1630. This party remained sporadically active until its dispersal by the crown in 1659, and it provided the leadership for the serious parlementary Fronde at Aix in January, 1649. Originally published in 1978. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

The dual themes of this volume are the characteristics of patronage relationships and their political uses in early modern France. The first essays provide an overview of the scholarly literature and suggest that the obligatory reciprocity of the patron-client exchange was a defining characteristic. The third and fourth essays compare patronage relationships with kinship and friendship, while the following two focus on the patronage role of noblewomen. Professor Kettering then looks at the role of brokerage in state formation in early modern France, comparing this with other early modern societies. In the final section she explores the role of patronage in the religious wars of the late 16th century and in the civil war of the Fronde a half century later, and the ways in which it was affected by the changing lifestyles of the great nobles during the late 17th century.