From Publishers Weekly
Historians have long argued about the true intent of Louis XVI regarding the French Revolution. Was the king prepared to accept a limited monarchy or did he intend to restore the old regime? Price, a specialist on 18th-century France, has unearthed a treasure trove of vital material-memoirs, diaries, official documents and correspondence-connected with the diplomatic representatives of the king, in particular the Baron de Breteuil, the king's prime minister in July 1789, when a Parisian mob stormed the Bastille. With the royal family in prison, Breteuil secretly traveled all over Europe with two goals: to help the royal family escape from Paris and to restore the absolute monarchy. Price takes us inside the world of 18th-century diplomacy, showing Breteuil's attempts to win financial and military backing from Austria, Sweden, Russia and other European monarchies. In June 1792, the royal family attempted its famous failed escape to Varennes. Breteuil eventually gained military support from Marie Antoinette's native Austria. Both Austria and Prussia invaded France in 1792, but were surprisingly defeated at the Battle of Valmy. The king was tried and executed in January 1793, Marie Antoinette shortly thereafter. What Price proves beyond doubt is that Louis had numerous chances to compromise with the revolution. He refused, choosing instead an ill-fated agenda of restoring absolute monarchy. This exhaustively researched study should be the definitive diplomatic history of the fall of Louis XVI. 16 pages of color photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
In this engrossing work of historical scholarship, Price has managed to unravel a complex web of intrigue that has baffled historians since the demise of the ancien r gime. Through brilliant detective work, Price (senior lecturer, Univ. of Bradford; Preserving the Monarchy) has uncovered documents that shed a definitive light on the French Crown's policy toward the revolution. Specifically, he has located among other significant archival materials a "large buff ledger" that itemizes secret missions that the Marquis de Bombelles undertook on behalf of Louis XVI. (Bombelles was the prot g of Baron de Breteuil, who was the French monarch's designated envoy to the Courts of Europe from 1791 until the collapse of the French monarchy.) Up to now, a paucity of documentary evidence has made it very difficult for students of the French Revolution to determine the Crown's true intentions during the critical early years of revolutionary turmoil. Price proves that the French king and queen made a concerted effort to undermine the work of the Constituant Assembly and to gain foreign support for restoration of royal authority. This definitive study moves well beyond such works as Michel Vovelle's The Fall of the French Monarchy. Highly recommended for both academic and public libraries.
Jim Doyle, Sara Hightower Regional Lib., Rome, GACopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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