Urban Protest in Seventeenth-Century France The Culture of Retribution [Paperback]

An original contribution to the comparative study of crowds, urban power, and absolutism.This lucid and wide-ranging survey is the first comparative study in English to explore popular uprisings in the cities of seventeenth-century France. Through close analysis of eyewitness narratives from protesters and authorities in more than fifteen cities, William Beik examines the complex social interaction between angry crowds and hard-pressed authorities. He adds a completely new chapter to the history of the crowd and traces the difficult and fragile connections between elite and popular culture in early modern France.This lucid and wide-ranging survey is the first comparative study in English to explore popular uprisings in the cities of seventeenth-century France. Through close analysis of eyewitness narratives from protesters and authorities in more than fifteen cities, William Beik examines the complex social interaction between angry crowds and hard-pressed authorities. He adds a completely new chapter to the history of the crowd and traces the difficult and fragile connections between elite and popular culture in early modern France.This lucid and wide-ranging survey is the first comparative study in English to explore popular uprisings in the cities of seventeenth-century France. Through close analysis of eyewitness narratives from protesters and authorities in more than fifteen cities, William Beik examines the complex social interaction between angry crowds and hard-pressed authorities. He adds a completely new chapter to the history of the crowd and traces the difficult and fragile connections between elite and popular culture in early modern France.Preface; List of figures; List of maps and illustrations; List of tables; 1. Introduction: urban protest; 2. Everyday resistance; 3. The culture of retribution; 4. The position of the magistrates; 5. The ambivalence of the magistrates; 6. Notable uprisings before 1661; 7. Notable uprisings under Louis XIV; 8. FactionlS(