Mazarin: The Crisis of Absolutism in France [Paperback]

Geoffrey Treasure (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 25, 1997 | ISBN-10: 0415162114 | ISBN-13: 978-0415162111 | Edition: New edition

Mazarin was the model statesman of the early modern period in French history. This book follows his career from pupil of the Jesuits, through legate in Paris and Avignon, to service for Louis XIII and beyond. Mazarin's role in the survival of absolute monarchy during the upheavals of the Fronde and his guidance of the young Louis XIV are given full weight. His crucial part in many diplomatic exchanges, and in particular those which brought an end to the Thirty Years War and the Franco-Spanish War, is examined in detail. His life is placed in the context of a study of the times, highlighting the rapidly changing nature of government.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...substance with style....
–Canadian Journal of History, April 1998

This synthesis should remain the standard English-language biography of Mazarin for years to come.
–American Historical Review, 2/98

This is a fine life-and-times, full of sensible judgments and explanations. Mr. Treasure has worked his way carefully through the period of Mazarin's lifetime, 1602-1661, and has reflected deeply on the principal characters and their motives....
–Sixteenth Century Journal, winter 1996

This excellent work is the first avilable in English since Arthur Hassell's biography of Mazarin of 1903....In addition to the biographical narrative, Treasure's Mazarin includes concise chapters describing the social and financial posture of France during the period, seventy pages of lively, expansive and judgmental notes that are themselves worthy of a review, and a glossary of French words appropriate to the work. Mazarin would be appreciated by professional historians, students, and the general reading public. It should become the definitive biography of Mazarin in English for the forseeable future.
–History, winter 1997

The numerous years of research which have gone into this volume marks this work as a superb study of a time where only civil revolts and political turmoil prevailed in the daily lives of its citizens. Highly recommended.
–Historical Media Review, 6/96

About the Author

Geoffrey Treasure teaches at the Harrow School and is the author of The Making of Modern Europe, 1648-1780 (1985).

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; New edition edition (May 25, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415162114
• ISBN-13: 978-0415162111
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,305,045 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Long Road to Absolutism, March 28, 2000

By 

Jason Cullen (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mazarin: The Crisis of Absolutism in France (Paperback)

Treasure's book while providing some biographical detail of Cardinal Jules Mazarin, Louis XIV's one and only chief Minister, takes a much broader sweep through the political, religious and social dynamics of mid-seventeenth century France and provides insight into the practical limits to royal authority; tempered often by power struggles between competing elites, Parlements, and local customs and rights. This book provides an excellent single volume account of this tumultuous period in the history of early modern France to both students and general readers, who will gain an understanding of how devolved royal power could be, as opposed to the the monolithic state so often portrayed in film. The book's excellent endnotes and bibliography will be of particular use to the student; as will the detailed chapters on the oft neglected Fronde, likewise Section IV concerning the culmination of the Thirty Years War. Overall a welcome addition to the libraries of serious students and francophiles alike. I suggest Francois Bluche's biography of Louis XIV as a suitable complement to Treasure's Mazarin.