Politics in eighteenth-century France was dominated by the relationship between the crown and the magistrates of the Parlement of Paris. The Parlement provided a traditional check upon the King's authority, but after 1750 it entered a period of prolonged confrontation with the government of Louis XV. The religious, financial and administrative policies of the monarchy were subject to sustained opposition, and the magistrates employed arguments which challenged the foundations of royal authority. This struggle was brought to an abrupt conclusion in 1771, when Chancellor de Maupeou implemented a royal revolution, breaking the power of the Parlement. In order to explain why the crown and the Parlement drifted into conflict, this study re-examines the conduct of government under Louis XV, the role of the magistrates, and the structure of judicial politics in eighteenth-century France.

On the accession of Louis XIII in 1610 following the assassination of his father, the Bourbon dynasty stood on unstable foundations. For all of Henri IV's undoubted achievements, he had left his son a realm that was still prey to the ambitions of an aristocracy that possessed independentmilitary force and was prepared to resort to violence and vendetta in order to defend its interests and honour. To establish his personal authority, Louis XIII was forced to resort to conspiracy and murder, and even then his authority was constantly challenged. Yet a little over a century later, asthe reign of Louis XIV drew to a close, such disobedience was impossible. Instead, a simple royal command expressing the sovereign's disgrace was sufficient to compel the most powerful men and women in the kingdom to submit to imprisonment or internal exile without a trial or an opportunity tojustify their conduct, abandoning their normal lives, leaving families, careers, offices, and possessions behind in obedience to their sovereign.To explain that transformation, this volume examines the development of this new "politics of disgrace", why it emerged, how it was conceptualised, the conventions that governed its use, and reactions to it, not only from the perspective of the monarch and his noble subjects, but also the greatcorporations of the realm and the wider public. Although that new model of disgrace proved remarkably successful, influencing the ideas and actions of the dominant social elites, it was nevertheless contested, and the critique of disgrace connects to the second aim of this work, which is to useshifting attitudes to the practice as a means of investigating the nature of Ancien Regime political culture and some of the dramatic and profound changes it experienced in the years separating Louis XIII's dramatic seizure of power from the French Revolution.

An account of the relationship between Louis XV, the clergy of France, and the Parlement of Paris in the mid-eighteenth century.

Stone portrays the members of this great court of law as strategically situated individuals who worked to advance their own corporate pretentions while simultaneously advocating a precarious balance of monarchical, aristocratic, middle-class, and popular" interests. Their apparent radicalism on matters of consent to taxation, freedom from arrest, and political representation disguised their efforts to preserve the traditional legalistic French monarchy." Originally published in 1981. A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.

First Published in 2004. Power and Politics in Old Regime France is a major history of the politics of the first half of the reign of Louis XV. It is based on exhaustive archival research and offers the first comprehensive analysis of the neglected ministries of the duc de Bourbon and the cardinal de Fleury. Peter R. Campbell deals first with court, faction and policy. A second section offers new interpretations of the crises provoked by Jansenism and the Paris parlement. By contrasting the methods and practices of political management in this period of successful government with the crisis of the old regime in the 1780s, he illuminates the underlying character of politics in the old regime and raises new questions about its collapse. An unusually substantial bibliography represents an invaluable resource to the researcher.

First Published in 2004. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

The French Revolution, an event of world historical importance that gave birth to modern politics, has long been a subject of debate. Naturally, the question of its origins remains a key area of controversy. This collection of essays by a team of distinguished experts in the field offers original but approachable views and interpretations that will engage students and scholars alike. Each chapter contains new research and focuses upon a major strand of the present debate. The Origins of the French Revolution explores: - The process of decision-making - the financial crisis - The Paris parlement - Pamphlet literature - The ideas of the Enlightenment - Peasant involvement - The Estates General of 1789 Chapters on art and theatre, on the development of cultural history, and the corrosive role of religious conflict upon the fabric of the monarchy ensure that stimulating new perspectives now form a key part of future discussion. A full introduction considers the nature of the debate and offers a thought-provoking interpretation of the crisis of the absolute monarchy that led to the collapse of state and society in the summer of 1789.