War and Government in the French Provinces [Hardcover]

This book is a detailed examination of war and government in Picardy.David Potter's detailed examination of war and government in Picardy, a region of France hitherto neglected by historians, has much to say about the development of French absolutism and the participation of the nobility in the government of the kingdom.David Potter's detailed examination of war and government in Picardy, a region of France hitherto neglected by historians, has much to say about the development of French absolutism and the participation of the nobility in the government of the kingdom.Few studies of the history of provincial France have hitherto spanned the conventional medieval/early-modern divide, and David Potter's detailed examination of war and government in Picardy, a region of France hitherto neglected by historians, has much to say about the development of French absolutism. Picardy emerged as a province after the campaigns of 14701477, and its experience of the first period of absolutism provides an enlightening contrast with that of other, more outlying provinces: the Picard nobility was notable for the extent of its participation in the army, the court and the government of France. David Potter provides a detailed analysis of the organisation of French military power in the province, and its impact during the period of the Habsburg-Valois wars. The work concludes with Picardy about to enter a difficult period of civil war.Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; Notes on transcriptions of documents, units of money and measures; Introduction; 1. Return to allegiance: Picardy and the Franco-Burgundian Wars, 147093; 2. The provincial governors and politics; 3. The governors' staff and household; 4. The Picard nobility and royal service; 5. Military organisation in Picardy during the Habsburg-Valois wars; 6. 'Les fruictz que la guerre rapporte': the effects of war on the Picard countryside, 152160; 7. War, taxation and the towns; 8. Peace negotiations and the formation of lģ