Maritime Power and the Power of Money in Louis XIV's France

Maritime Power and the Power of Money in Louis XIV's France

Author: Benjamin Darnell

Publisher: Boydell & Brewer

Published: 2023-12-19

Total Pages: 295

ISBN-13: 1837650543

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A detailed analysis of the limitations of the system which relied on intermediaries and private suppliers to finance, build and maintain the French navy. Although Louis XIV's navy did not "win" in any recognisable sense during the wars of the later seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, it was nevertheless one of the largest military institutions of the entire early modern world at a key moment in the evolution of the modern state and modern warfare. This book examines how Louis XIV's navy was financed, arguing that the way the state spends money, and the relative efficiency and accountability of that spending, is fundamental to understanding the effectiveness of a military system. It outlines how the French crown depended on fiscal intermediaries and private suppliers, explores how its failure to control the spending and activities of its contractors fundamentally limited France's strategic possibilities at sea, and discusses how these structural problems were progressively and disastrously exposed as the state's financial situation deteriorated. The book sets the activities of the French navy in the wider context of the wars of the period, showing that France necessarily had to give precedence to the funding of its army. Overall, the book highlights the limitations of the contractor state, demonstrating that early modern navies were both too complex and investment-heavy to be entirely outsourced.


The Third Reign of Louis XIV, c.1682-1715

The Third Reign of Louis XIV, c.1682-1715

Author: Julia Prest

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-12-08

Total Pages: 369

ISBN-13: 1317014103

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The personal rule of Louis XIV, following on from a long period of royal minority and apprenticeship, lasted 54 years from 1661 to 1715. But the second half of this personal rule has, until recently, received significantly less scholarly attention than the 1660s and 1670s. This has obscured some of the very real changes and developments that occurred between the early 1680s and the mid-1690s, by which time a new generation of younger royals had come to prominence, France was engulfed in international war on a greater scale than ever before, and the king was visibly no longer as vigorous or healthy as he had once been. The essays in this volume take a close look at the way a new set of political, social, cultural and economic dispensations emerged from the mid-1680s to create a different France in the final decades of Louis XIV’s reign, even though the basic ideological, social and economic underpinnings of the country remained very largely the same. The contributions examine such varied matters as the structure and practices of government, naval power, the financial operations of the state, trade and commerce, social pressures, overseas expansion, religious dissent, music, literature and the fine arts.


International Politics and Warfare in the Age of Louis XIV and Peter the Great

International Politics and Warfare in the Age of Louis XIV and Peter the Great

Author: William Young

Publisher: iUniverse

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 541

ISBN-13: 0595329926

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Peace of Westphalia (1648), ending the Thirty Years' War, resulted in the rise of the modern European states system. However, dynasticism, power politics, commerce, and religion continued to be the main issues driving International politics and warfare. Dr. William Young examines war and diplomacy during the Age of Louis XIV and Peter the Great. His study focuses on the later part of the Franco-Spanish War, the Wars of Louis XIV, and the Anglo-Dutch Wars in the West. In addition, the author explores the wars of the Baltic Region and East Europe, including the Thirteen Years' War, Second Northern War, War of the Holy League, and the Great Northern War. The study includes a guide to the historical literature concerning war and diplomacy during this period. It includes bibliographical essays and a valuable annotated bibliography of over six hundred books, monographs, dissertations, theses, journal articles, and essays published in the English language. International Politics and Warfare in the Age of Louis XIV and Peter the Great is a valuable resource for individuals interested in the history of diplomacy, warfare, and Early Modern Europe.


The French Revolution: A Very Short Introduction

The French Revolution: A Very Short Introduction

Author: William Doyle

Publisher: Oxford Paperbacks

Published: 2001-08-23

Total Pages: 152

ISBN-13: 0192853961

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Beginning with a discussion of familiar images of the French Revolution, this work looks at how the ancien régime became ancien as well as examining cases in which achievement failed to match ambition.


Seapower and Naval Warfare, 1650-1830

Seapower and Naval Warfare, 1650-1830

Author: Dr Richard Harding

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2002-01-04

Total Pages: 378

ISBN-13: 1135364869

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

From the author of "Amphibious Warfare in the Eighteenth Century" and "The Evolution of the Sailing Navy, 1509-1815", this book serves as a single- volume survey of war at sea and the expansion of naval power in the 18th century. The book is intended for undergraduate courses on 18th century European history, and for amateur and professional military historians, and for navy colleges, and navy and ex-navy professionals.


From Louis XIV to Napoleon

From Louis XIV to Napoleon

Author: Professor Jeremy Black

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-04-03

Total Pages: 341

ISBN-13: 1135357641

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Much of the period 1661-1815 appeared to be the age of France. France was the greatest power in Western Europe in the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and Louis XIV and Napoleon seemed to dominate their periods. yet when Louis XIV died in 1715, and again after Napoleon's attempt to resume power was defeated at Waterloo a century later, France appeared as a waning power. This failure in Europe was matched on the world scale. France was overtaken by Britain in the struggle for maritime predominance, and ended the period with her empire in ruins. From Louis XIV to Napoleon is a scholarly yet accessible account which considers why France was not more successful and throws light on French history, international relations, warfare and the rise and fall of French power.


The Military Enlightenment

The Military Enlightenment

Author: Christy L. Pichichero

Publisher: Cornell University Press

Published: 2017-11-15

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 1501712292

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Military Enlightenment brings to light a radically new narrative both on the Enlightenment and the French armed forces from Louis XIV to Napoleon. Christy Pichichero makes a striking discovery: the Geneva Conventions, post-traumatic stress disorder, the military "band of brothers," and soldierly heroism all found their antecedents in the eighteenth-century French armed forces. Readers of The Military Enlightenment will be startled to learn of the many ways in which French military officers, administrators, and medical personnel advanced ideas of human and political rights, military psychology, and social justice.


The Seaforth Bibliography

The Seaforth Bibliography

Author: Eugene Rasor

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2009-04-17

Total Pages: 951

ISBN-13: 1473812399

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This remarkable work is a comprehensive historiographical and bibliographical survey of the most important scholarly and printed materials about the naval and maritime history of England and Great Britain from the earliest times to 1815. More than 4,000 popular, standard and official histories, important articles in journals and periodicals, anthologies, conference, symposium and seminar papers, guides, documents and doctoral theses are covered so that the emphasis is the broadest possible. But the work is far, far more than a listing. The works are all evaluated, assessed and analysed and then integrated into an historical narrative that makes the book a hugely useful reference work for student, scholar, and enthusiast alike. It is divided into twenty-one chapters which cover resource centres, significant naval writers, pre-eminent and general histories, the chronological periods from Julius Caesar through the Vikings, Tudors and Stuarts to Nelson and Bligh, major naval personalities, warships, piracy, strategy and tactics, exploration, discovery and navigation, archaeology and even naval fiction. Quite simply, no-one with an interest and enthusiasm for naval history can afford to be without this book at their side.


European War and Diplomacy, 1337-1815

European War and Diplomacy, 1337-1815

Author: William Young

Publisher: iUniverse

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 309

ISBN-13: 0595298745

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The history of international relations and warfare of early modern Europe has gained popularity in recent years. This bibliography provides a valuable listing of books, dissertations, and journal articles in the English language for scholars and general readers interested in diplomatic relations and warfare from the Hundred Years' War to the Napoleonic Wars.