Overview

How does authority become power? How does power justify itself to achieve its ends? For over two hundred years, the Valois kings relied on a complex mixture of ideologies, ruling a monarchical commonwealth with a coherent theory of shared governance. Forged in the Hundred Years War, this commonwealth built on the defense of the public good (bien public) came undone both practically and theoretically during the Wars of Religion. Just as certain kings sought to expand the royal prerogative, so, too, elites fought to preserve their control over local government. Using town archives from more than twenty cities to complement traditional sources of political theory, The French Monarchical Commonwealth, 1356–1560 establishes the relationship between seemingly theoretical constructs, like the Salic Law, and the reality of everyday politics.

Full Product Details

9781108461283

Table of Contents

Reviews

Author Information

James B. Collins is Professor of History at Georgetown University. His seven books include The State in Early Modern France (Cambridge University Press, 1995; 2nd ed. 2008) and La monarchie républicaine ( 2016), based on his lectures at the Collège de France. His work has been translated into French, Spanish, Polish, and Chinese.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available