Death and the Crown: Ritual and Politics in France Before the Revolution (Studies in Modern French and Francophone History) - Softcover

Byrne, Anne

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1526160765 ISBN 13: 9781526160768

Publisher: Manchester University Press, 2022

Synopsis

Looking at royal ritual in pre-revolutionary France, Death and the crown examines the deathbed and funeral of Louis XV in 1774, the lit de justice of November 1774 and the coronation of Louis XVI, including the ceremony of the royal healing touch for scrofula. It reviews the state of the field in ritual studies and appraises the situation of the monarchy in the 1770s, including the recall of the parlements and the many ways people engaged with royal ritual. It answers questions such as whether Louis XV died in fear of damnation, why Marie Antoinette was not crowned in 1775 and why Louis XVI's coronation was not held in Paris. This lively, accessible text is a useful tool for undergraduate and postgraduate teaching which will also be of interest to specialists on this under-researched period. -- .

About this title

About the Author

Anne Byrne is a former British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow, now Honorary Research Fellow, at Birkbeck, University of London -- .

From the Back Cover

'This is one of the most important books to be published on the twilight of the ancien régime in several decades. In this meticulously researched and splendidly written study, Dr Anne Byrne presents us with the most scholarly account to date of the turbulent accession to the throne of Louis XVI.'
Ambrogio Caiani, University of Kent

In May 1774 Louis XV died, triggering a sequence of rituals that had not been seen in France for more than half a century. Death and the crown explores how these rituals unfolded and how they were viewed by the French people, just fifteen years before the Revolution.

Beginning with the deathbed of Louis XV, the book covers his funeral, the lit de justice of November 1774, and the coronation of Louis XVI and related ceremonies in June 1775. Threads of continuity emerge to form a compelling picture of the place these ceremonies occupied in the culture of 1770s France. New light is shed on the position of monarchy, the recall of the parlements and the conduct of the coronation. The book also provides an overview of the current state of the field of ritual studies in English and French, situating ritual in relation to court studies and political history.

Providing rich detail on an under-researched period, Death and the crown is essential reading for students and scholars working on monarchy, court society, ritual and politics.

Edition details

• Publisher: Manchester University Press
• Publication date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1526160765
• ISBN 13: 9781526160768
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 264