Synopses & Reviews
Before the revolution of 1789, politics in France was based on the relationship between the king and the Parlement of Paris. After 1750, the two sides entered into serious conflict about Louis XV's religious, financial and administrative policies, and in 1771 the Parlement was abolished. This book examines the causes of what contemporaries called "the Revolution of 1771." It examines government under Louis XV, the role of the Parlement and how politics worked in eighteenth-century France.
Review
"Swann's readable and revealing account of judicial politics during the years 1754-1774, based on extensive research in manuscript and published sources, inevitably reviews material discussed by other historians, but he adds new information and many nuances along the way." American Historical Review"Drawing on records of the Parlement of Paris and papers and memoirs of a host of key eighteenth-century political figures, Julian Swann's rich new study represents a significant revisionist addition to the growing literature on the court...Because such new interpretations will require a re-examination of the conflicts between the monarch and court, students of eighteenth-century France will wish to consult Swann's study." The Historian
Synopsis
An analysis of the causes and consequences of the political crises between King and Parlement in eighteenth-century France.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 369-379) and index.
Table of Contents
Preface; List of abbreviations; 1. Introduction: the Parlement of Paris; 2. Historians and the parlements; 3; The king and his judges; 4. The parti janséniste and the refusal of the sacraments crisis, 1754-1756; 5. Managing the parlements: crisis and compromise, 1756-1758; 6. The Parlement and fiscal politics, 1756-1763; 7. Choiseul and the politics of appeasement, 1758-1763; 8. An unhappy peace, 1763; 9. Defending La Chalotais: the Brittany affair, 1764-1766; 10. In the eye of the storm, 1767-1770; 11. The fall of the Parlement of Paris, 1770-1771; Conclusion: Maupeou and beyond; Bibliography; Index.