Origins of French Absolutism 1598-1661

<p>This controversial study takes the provocative line that the French monarchy was a complete success. James turns the idea of royal absolutism on its head by redefining the French monarchys success from 1598 - 1661. </p><p><em>The Origins of French Absolutism, 1598-1661</em> maintains that building blocks were not being laid by the so-called architects of absolutism, but that by satisfying long-established, traditional ambitions, cardinal ministers Richelieu and Mazarin undoubtedly made the confident, ambitious reign of the late century possible.</p> <p>Introduction to the Series</p><p>Acknowledgements</p><p>Chronology</p><p>Map: France in 1620</p><p>Introduction</p><p><b>PART ONE: THE BACKGROUND</b></p><p>1. EARLY BOURBON MONARCHY</p><p>The ‘Peace’ Of Nantes</p><p>The Recovery Of Royal Authority</p><p>The Early Reign Of Louis XIII</p><p><b>PART TWO: ANALYSIS</b></p><p>2. RELIGION </p><p>The Catholic Reformation</p><p>The Cardinal Ministers</p><p>The Huguenots</p><p>Jansenism</p><p>3. WAR</p><p>Early Aims and Ambitions</p><p>France in the Thirty Years' War, 1635-48</p><p>Mazarin and the Peace Of The Pyrenees, 1648-59</p><p>4. GOVERNMENT</p><p>Popular Rebellion</p><p>Money</p><p>Officers of the Crown</p><p>Fronde of the Parlement, 1648-49</p><p>Personal Government</p><p>5. SOCIAL ORDER</p><p>The Fronde of the Nobles, 1650-53</p><p>Louis XIII and the Nobility</p><p>Historians and the Nobility</p><p>The Dynastic State</p><p><b>PART THREE: ASSESSMENT</b></p><p>6. THE ORIGINS OF FRENCH ABSOLUTISM?</p><p>The Fouquet-Colbert Rivalry</p><p>The End Of Government By First Minister?</p><p>The Golden Years, 1559-61</p><p><b>PART FOUR: DOCUMENTS</b></p><p>Who’s Who</p><p>Further Reading </p><p>References</p><p>Glossary</p><p>Index </p>