Louis XIV and Absolutism: A Brief Study with Documents (Bedford Series in History & Culture) [Paperback]

William Beik (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 20, 2000 | ISBN-10: 031213309X | ISBN-13: 978-0312133092 | Edition: First Edition

This unique collection of documents with commentary explores the meaning of absolute monarchy by examining how Louis XIV of France became one of Europe’s most famous and successful rulers. In the introduction, William Beik succinctly integrates the theoretical and practical nature of absolutism and its implications for the development of European states and society. The documents, newly translated and carefully selected for their readability, examine the problems of the Fronde, Colbert’s grasp of the economic and fiscal dimensions of the kingdom, the taming of the rural nobility, the interaction of royal ministers and provincial authorities, the repression of Jansenists and Protestants, popular rebellions, and royal image-making. Explanatory notes, a chronology, a map, a geneaology chart, and 9 striking images further strengthen this volume’s usefulness in the undergraduate classroom.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Beik has selected documents that offer an appropriate balance between elite and popular views and experiences of Louis XIV's absolute monarchy, and between the center of power and the periphery. The translations are consistently lively, and the topics should generate some spirited discussion. The general introduction, the chapter introductions, the headnotes, and the editorial interjections are well crafted and have just the right touch of informality to appeal to undergraduate students' - Albert N. Hamscher, Kansas State University 'William Beik supplies us with a comprehensive. yet accessible array of documents that illustrate the complex dynamics of political power during the reign of Louis XIV. These primary sources lead us away from the trite simplifications connected to 'absolutism' and provide us with a much more accurate view of the actual day-to-day functioning of the French government in this period. This collection will appeal to a broad range of students at different levels and provides instructions with an excellent new cache of transalted documents on early modern France' - Sarah Chapman, Oakland University 'This book offers a wide range of valuable documents on the critical issues of seventeenth-century French history. Professor Beik has done a fine job of translating documents he chose judiciously and has also provided insightful commentaries. This volume is bound to captivate students and lays the foundation for stimulating class discussions' - John Hurt, University of Delaware

About the Author

WILLIAM BEIK is professor of history at Emory University. An authority on the social and institutional history of seventeenth-century France, he is the author of Abolutism and Society: State Power and Provincial Aristocracy in Languedoc (1985), which won the 1986 Herbert Baxter Adams Prize of the American Historical Association, and of Urban Protest in Seventeenth-Century France: the Culture of Retribution (1987). He has written numerous articles and is coeditor of the New Approaches to European History series at Cambridge University Press.

Product Details

• Paperback: 247 pages
• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's; First Edition edition (January 20, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031213309X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312133092
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #281,639 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive book with interseting documents, December 2, 2011

By 

Katie Gustafson - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Louis XIV and Absolutism: A Brief Study with Documents (Bedford Series in History & Culture) (Paperback)

This books is not a traditional textbook. The author tells you about a certain situation or topic than provides primary documents from various sources showing different sides to that situation (Reformation in the Provinces, Religion, Managing France, The Aristocracy, etc). It's nice to get the eyewitness accounts of the events instead of just having the author tell you about them.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Absolutism documents, December 3, 2007

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Matthew Koster "goldenboydude46" (Illinois State University) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Louis XIV and Absolutism: A Brief Study with Documents (Bedford Series in History & Culture) (Paperback)

The books is very informative adn filled with useful documents along with Beik's own historical information. Very dry read, hard to get through

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Missing Pages, June 9, 2011

By 

lope - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Louis XIV and Absolutism: A Brief Study with Documents (Bedford Series in History & Culture) (Paperback)

This was a brand new book, that was printed and bound with missing chapters. If time allowed I would attempt to return, and get a complete copy, however, I am in the class currently that is using this book. This is the first time I have really had any problems, but it definitely caught me off guard.