Synopses & Reviews
A unique, comparative description of the great monasteries of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe.
Review
"An illuminating study of an understudied topic... Recommended." Choice
Synopsis
In the Catholic countries of seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century Europe, communities of monks and nuns were growing in number and wealth. They constructed vast buildings, dominated education, and played a large part in the practice and patronage of learning, music, and the arts. This lavishly-illustrated book offers a unique, comparative description of these communities, their wealth, growth, life, and importance - and then explains their catastrophic decline and fall between 1750 and 1815 through reforming rulers, 'Enlightenment', and the French Revolution.
About the Author
Derek Beales is Professor Emeritus of Modern History, University of Cambridge, and a Fellow of Sidney Sussex College.
Table of Contents
Introduction; Part I. At the Brim of Prosperity: 1. The Counter-Reformation and the monasteries; 2. The German Catholic lands; 3. France; 4. Spain and Portugal; 5. Italy; Part II. The Time of Reform: 6. The suppression of the Jesuits; 7. Patterns of reform (i): France: the commission des réguliers; 8. Patterns of reform (ii): the Austrian monarchy: the Joseph(in)ist solution; Part III. The Time of Revolution: 9. The revolution in France;10. The impact of the Revolution outside France; Conclusion; Bibliographical essay; Index.