This book provides an overall interpretation of a decisive period in French history, from the chaos of the Wars of Religion to the death of Louis XIV. A clear but economical narrative of the major political events is combined with an analysis of the long-term factors which decisively moulded the evolution of both state and society.

List of Illustrations; Introduction; 1. The Crisis of the Monarchy; 2. Economy and Society; 3. The Government of France, 1598-1715: i) Henri IV to Richelieu, 1598-1624; ii) The Ministry of Richelieu; iii) The Regency, The Fronde, and The Ministry of Cardinal Mazarin; iv) The Personal Rule of Louis XIV; 4. Belief and Culture; Appendix: graphs; Bibliography; Glossary; Index

Robin BriggsLecturer in Modern History and Fellow, All Souls College, Oxford

From reviews of the first edition: `A very fine, thorough and conscientious study of a formative period in French history... his account of the French provinces in the age of Richelieu and Louis XIV ... is one of the best things of its kind in English.' Sunday Telegraph