| Foreword | p. v |
| Preface | p. vii |
| List of illustrations | p. xv |
| Introduction: Louis XIV and French Absolutism | p. 1 |
| Absolutism in Theory | p. 2 |
| French Absolutism in Practice | p. 3 |
| The Landed Nobility | p. 4 |
| The Robe Nobility | p. 6 |
| The Royal Commissioners | p. 9 |
| The Catholic Church | p. 10 |
| The Urban Bourgeoisie | p. 12 |
| The Lower Classes | p. 14 |
| A Note about the Text | p. 16 |
| The Documents | p. 17 |
| Confronting French Society during the Fronde | p. 19 |
| Paris Rebels against the Crown | p. 22 |
| Madame de Motteville's Account of the Parisian Disturbances in August 1648 | p. 24 |
| A Mazarinade against the Queen and the Cardinal | p. 29 |
| An Intimate Discussion between the King and the Queen Regent, His Mother, concerning the Affairs of the Day | p. 30 |
| The Parlementaires of Aix Strike Back, 1649 | p. 35 |
| Haitze's Account of the Uprising in Aix, 1649 | p. 36 |
| Agen Is Seduced by the Princes | p. 40 |
| An Account by Bru, Bookseller, 1652 | p. 41 |
| A Revolutionary Party in Bordeaux: The Ormee | p. 44 |
| Apology for the Ormee | p. 45 |
| The Ormee Abolishes the Parlement of Bordeaux | p. 47 |
| The King and the Aristocrats at Court | p. 50 |
| The King and His Family | p. 55 |
| Mademoiselle de Montpensier | p. 55 |
| Saint Maurice | p. 56 |
| Primi Visconti | p. 59 |
| The World of the Court | p. 63 |
| Saint Maurice | p. 64 |
| Primi Visconti | p. 67 |
| The Princess Palatine | p. 71 |
| Exechiel Spanheim | p. 78 |
| Managing France | p. 82 |
| Colbert's Instructions for the Commissioners Who Have Been Sent into the Provinces, September 1663 | p. 85 |
| Financial Memorandum by Colbert, Addressed to the King in 1670 | p. 91 |
| Louis XIV's Tax Flows | p. 96 |
| Reforming the Provinces: The Grands Jours d'Auvergne | p. 108 |
| Letters Patent for the Establishment of the Grands Jours | p. 109 |
| Excerpts from the Memoirs of Esprit Flechier | p. 110 |
| Reforming the Provinces: Interaction with Burgundy | p. 121 |
| Letters to and from Burgundy | p. 123 |
| Brulart to Mazarin, Dijon, January 5, 1660 | p. 124 |
| Brulart to Mazarin, Dijon, April 20, 1660 | p. 125 |
| Conde to Colbert, Dijon, June 18, 1662 | p. 126 |
| Brulart to La Vrilliere, Dijon, January 31, 1663 | p. 129 |
| Louis XIV to Brulart, Paris, February 13, 1663 | p. 129 |
| Bouchu to Colbert, Dijon, February 14, 1663 | p. 130 |
| Bouchu to Colbert, Dijon, February 17, 1663 | p. 131 |
| Brulart to La Vrilliere, Dijon, February 21, 1663 | p. 133 |
| Colbert to Bouchu, June 5, 1663 | p. 133 |
| Bouchu to Colbert, Dijon, November 13, 1663 | p. 134 |
| Brulart to Chancellor Seguier, Dijon, December 16, 1663 | p. 135 |
| Bouchu to Colbert, December 10, 1664 | p. 136 |
| Bouchu to Colbert, Dijon, January 25, 1665 | p. 137 |
| Brulart to La Vrilliere, Dijon, January 25, 1665 | p. 138 |
| La Vrilliere to Brulart, Paris, February 3, 1665 | p. 139 |
| Bouchu to Colbert, Port Digoin, October 30, 1665 | p. 140 |
| Bouchu to Colbert, Dijon, March 21, 1666 | p. 141 |
| Bouchu to Colbert, April 21, 1666 | p. 142 |
| Bouchu to Colbert, Auxerre, November 4, 1667 | p. 142 |
| Bouchu to Colbert, Dijon, June 23, 1669 | p. 144 |
| The Viscount Mayor and Echevins of Dijon to Colbert, July 14, 1669 | p. 145 |
| Bouchu to Colbert, Dijon, July 14, 1669 | p. 146 |
| Colbert to Bouchu, Paris, December 19, 1670 | p. 146 |
| Meeting the People of Dijon | p. 147 |
| Brulart to Louvois, Dijon, June 1673 | p. 147 |
| Request by the City Council of Dijon for a Monitory, November 21, 1668 | p. 148 |
| Extract from the Deliberations of the City Council, April 7, 1671 | p. 149 |
| Petition about Drunken Husbands, April 8, 1672 | p. 149 |
| Illegal Vending, June 30, 1673 | p. 150 |
| Illegal Production, September 11, 1673 | p. 151 |
| Homelessness, September 2, 1674 | p. 151 |
| Illegitimate Births, April 27, 1675 | p. 152 |
| A Riot by Winegrowers, January 1684 | p. 153 |
| Petition to the Mayor and Echevins from the Protesters | p. 154 |
| Debauchery of Youth, March 28, 1688 | p. 154 |
| Social Unrest: The Revolts of 1675 | p. 156 |
| Eyewitness Account by Ferrant, Agent of the King's Tax Receiver Le Maigre, Bordeaux, March 30, 1675 | p. 157 |
| The Mayor and Consuls of Bergerac to de Seve, Intendant of Bordeaux, May 3, 1675 | p. 160 |
| La Case, Tax Collector from Quimper [Brittany], to Colbert, June 24, 1675 | p. 161 |
| Dallier, Tax Farmer from Nantes, to Colbert, June 25, 1675 | p. 162 |
| The Bishop of Saint Malo to Colbert, July 23, 1675 | p. 162 |
| Absolutism and the Churches | p. 166 |
| Divine Right Monarchy | p. 167 |
| Bossuet's Vision in Politics Drawn from the Very Words of Holy Scripture | p. 167 |
| Bossuet Chides Louis XIV about the State of His Soul | p. 170 |
| Dealing with the Gallican Church and the Pope | p. 173 |
| Pope Innocent XI to Louis XIV, December 29, 1679 | p. 174 |
| Memoirs of the Intendant Foucault on the Resistance over the Regale, 1679-1680 | p. 175 |
| Declaration of the Clergy of France, 1682 | p. 177 |
| Dealing with the Jansenists | p. 178 |
| Suppression of the Abbey of Port Royal des Champs by d'Argenson, Paris Lieutenant of Police, 1709 | p. 179 |
| Dealing with the Huguenots | p. 183 |
| Commission for the Execution of the Edict of Nantes, 1663 | p. 185 |
| Commentary by Saint Maurice, November 23, 1668 | p. 186 |
| Verbal Abuse, Protestants to Catholics [Summary], 1678 | p. 186 |
| Memoir by the Intendant d'Aguesseau on How to Convert the Pastors and Huguenots of Languedoc, 1679 | p. 187 |
| Verbal Abuse: Catholics to Protestants [Summary], 1680 | p. 189 |
| Letter of the Intendant d'Aguesseau to Secretary of State Chateauneuf, Toulouse, September 29, 1682 | p. 189 |
| Demolition of the Main Protestant Temple in Montpellier, 1682 | p. 189 |
| Report of the Intendant d'Aguesseau on the Situation in Montpellier and Languedoc, July 18, 1683 | p. 191 |
| D'Aguesseau's List of Protestants Who Have Left Languedoc in Violation of the Royal Orders, August 3, 1685 | p. 192 |
| Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, Fontainebleau, October 25, 1685 | p. 193 |
| Royal Dragoons in Languedoc, 1685 | p. 196 |
| List of Property Belonging to Protestants Who Have Fled from the Diocese of Montpellier [Summary], 1686 | p. 196 |
| Epilogue | p. 197 |
| The Princess Palatine Remembers Louis XIV | p. 197 |
| The King and His Image | p. 199 |
| Charles Perrault on Colbert's Plans to Glorify the King | p. 200 |
| Chapelain to Colbert, Paris, November 18, 1662 | p. 201 |
| Report to the Estates of Languedoc on the Equestrian Statue of the King, October 30, 1686 | p. 204 |
| The King's Own Words | p. 204 |
| Excerpts from Louis XIV's Memoires for the Instruction of the Dauphin | p. 206 |
| Conclusion | p. 219 |
| Appendices | |
| A Louis XIV Chronology (1638-1715) | p. 223 |
| Questions for Consideration | p. 227 |
| Selected Bibliography | p. 229 |
| Index | p. 237 |
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