The Dynastic State and the Army under Louis XIV

This book presents a new interpretation of the development of the French army during the personal rule of Louis XIV. Based on massive archival research it examines the army not only as a military institution but also as a political social and economic organism. Guy Rowlands asserts that the key to the development of Louis XIV''s armed forces was the king''s determination to acknowledge and satisfy the military political social and cultural aspirations of his officers and maintain the solid standing of the Bourbon dynasty.