How does authority become power? How does power justify itself to achieve its ends? For over two hundred years, the Valois kings relied on a complex mixture of ideologies, ruling a monarchical commonwealth with a coherent theory of shared governance. Forged in the Hundred Years War, this commonwealth built on the defense of the public good (bien public) came undone both practically and theoretically during the Wars of Religion. Just as certain kings sought to expand the royal prerogative, so, too, elites fought to preserve their control over local government. Using town archives from more than twenty cities to complement traditional sources of political theory, The French Monarchical Commonwealth, 1356–1560 establishes the relationship between seemingly theoretical constructs, like the Salic Law, and the reality of everyday politics.
Author(s): James B. Collins
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 330
City: Cambridge
Cover
Half-title page
Title page
Copyright page
Contents
List of Illustrations
Preface
Introduction
1 La chose publique de nostre royaume
2 Political Vocabulary in Action
3 Murder, Justice, and la chose publique in an Age of Madness
4 The Commonwealth under Siege: Louis XI
5 The chose publique and Urban Government
6 The Orléanist Offensive: Puissance absolue and Republicanism
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
