- Early Modern France, Lorraine, House of Hapsburg-Lorraine, House of Bourbon, Transnationalism, Frontier Regions (borderland Studies), and 15 moreNationalism, National Identity, Court history, Aristocracy, Elites, Nobility, Early Modern History, Diplomacy, Royal Status, Savoy, Women's Studies, Women's History, French History, Habsburg Studies, and Courts and Elites (History)edit
- My DPhil focused on the family of the Lorraine-Guise, as exemplars of foreign princes at the court of Louis XIV, with... moreMy DPhil focused on the family of the Lorraine-Guise, as exemplars of foreign princes at the court of Louis XIV, with emphasis on the family's finances, marriage contracts, wills, roles for women, and roles at court, in the French provinces, and on the wider European stage.
More recently I have been researching and writing about frontier identities in an early modern, pre-nationalistic context. This work focuses on the border regions between France, Germany and the Low Countries. Within this context, I am embarking on a new study of the court and nobles of the Duchy of Lorraine (16th to 18th centuries).
Other side projects I continue to pursue include a more in-depth examination of same-sex relationships between princes at the French court; the political and cultural roles of kings' brothers ('Monsieur'); and further exploration of the position in noble society of 'women alone'--widows and spinsters--in early modern France.edit
For the first time, this volume brings together the history of the royal spare in the monarchy of early modern France, those younger brothers of kings known simply as ‘Monsieur’. Ranging from the Wars of Religion to the French... more
For the first time, this volume brings together the history of the royal spare in the monarchy of early modern France, those younger brothers of kings known simply as ‘Monsieur’.
Ranging from the Wars of Religion to the French Revolution, this comparative study examines the frustrations of four royal princes whose proximity to their older brothers gave them vast privileges and great prestige, but also placed severe limitations on their activities and aspirations. Each chapter analyses a different aspect of the lives of François, duke of Alençon, Gaston, duke of Orléans, Philippe, duke of Orléans and Louis-Stanislas, count of Provence, starting with their birth and education, their marriages and political careers, and their search for alternative expressions of power through the patronage of the arts, architecture and learning. By comparing these four lives, a powerful image emerges of a key development in the institution of modern monarchy: the transformation of the rebellious, politically ambitious prince into the loyal defender – even in disagreement – of the Crown and of the older brother who wore it.
This volume is the perfect resource for all students and scholars interested in the history of France, monarchy, early modern state building and court studies.
Ranging from the Wars of Religion to the French Revolution, this comparative study examines the frustrations of four royal princes whose proximity to their older brothers gave them vast privileges and great prestige, but also placed severe limitations on their activities and aspirations. Each chapter analyses a different aspect of the lives of François, duke of Alençon, Gaston, duke of Orléans, Philippe, duke of Orléans and Louis-Stanislas, count of Provence, starting with their birth and education, their marriages and political careers, and their search for alternative expressions of power through the patronage of the arts, architecture and learning. By comparing these four lives, a powerful image emerges of a key development in the institution of modern monarchy: the transformation of the rebellious, politically ambitious prince into the loyal defender – even in disagreement – of the Crown and of the older brother who wore it.
This volume is the perfect resource for all students and scholars interested in the history of France, monarchy, early modern state building and court studies.
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From oaths and hand-kissing to coronations and baptisms, Power and Ceremony in European History considers the governing practices, courtly rituals, and expressions of power prevalent in Europe and the Ottoman Empire from the medieval age... more
From oaths and hand-kissing to coronations and baptisms, Power and Ceremony in European History considers the governing practices, courtly rituals, and expressions of power prevalent in Europe and the Ottoman Empire from the medieval age to the modern era.
Bringing together political and art historical approaches to the study of power, this book reveals how ceremonies and rituals - far from simply being ostentatious displays of wealth - served as a primary means of communication between different participants in political and courtly life. It explores how ceremonial culture changed over time and in different regions to provide readers with a nuanced comparative understanding of rituals and ceremonies since the middle ages, showing how such performances were integral to the evolution of the state in Europe.
This collection of essays is of immense value to both historians and art historians interested in representations of power and the political culture of Europe from 1450 onwards.
Bringing together political and art historical approaches to the study of power, this book reveals how ceremonies and rituals - far from simply being ostentatious displays of wealth - served as a primary means of communication between different participants in political and courtly life. It explores how ceremonial culture changed over time and in different regions to provide readers with a nuanced comparative understanding of rituals and ceremonies since the middle ages, showing how such performances were integral to the evolution of the state in Europe.
This collection of essays is of immense value to both historians and art historians interested in representations of power and the political culture of Europe from 1450 onwards.
Research Interests: Ottoman History, Ritual, Heraldry, History of Hungary, Baptism, and 14 moreEarly Modern Italy, Sweden, Denmark, late medieval and early modern history of European nobility and courts, Coronations, Masquerade, Baroque Ceremonies, Historia de Madrid, Court Studies, Palermo, History of Savoy's Duchy, Ceremonial and Symbolic Representations of Sovereignty In Early Modern Europe, Royal Palaces, and royal sites
Significant Others explores the transformative possibilities of alterity or otherness and offers concrete case studies that provide a greater understanding and nuance with regard to aspects of deviance and difference in premodern court... more
Significant Others explores the transformative possibilities of alterity or otherness and offers concrete case studies that provide a greater understanding and nuance with regard to aspects of deviance and difference in premodern court cultures.
Both public and nominally private spaces were subject to the important influence of significant others, such as women, ethno-religious minorities, and marginalized and/or difficult-to-categorize men. From their positions within and ties to court cultures, these diverse outsiders - ‘others’ - played crucial roles in maintaining a fluidity essential for the successful sustaining of territorial monarchies and polities, challenging our understanding of the more narrowly defined elite behaviours that shaped premodern dynasties, rulers, societies, and cultures of the past. By exploring a variety of case studies from history and literature, such as Moroccan Jews as dhimmis (‘protected persons’), to bastards, mistresses, and sodomites in ancien régime France, to the transformative role of magic in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, this volume makes use of empirical and contextually informed research to respond to theoretical questions posed by recent historiography.
With a cross-disciplinary approach, this collection of essays will be a valuable resource for all students and scholars interested in the diverse aspects and contexts of premodern ‘others’.
Both public and nominally private spaces were subject to the important influence of significant others, such as women, ethno-religious minorities, and marginalized and/or difficult-to-categorize men. From their positions within and ties to court cultures, these diverse outsiders - ‘others’ - played crucial roles in maintaining a fluidity essential for the successful sustaining of territorial monarchies and polities, challenging our understanding of the more narrowly defined elite behaviours that shaped premodern dynasties, rulers, societies, and cultures of the past. By exploring a variety of case studies from history and literature, such as Moroccan Jews as dhimmis (‘protected persons’), to bastards, mistresses, and sodomites in ancien régime France, to the transformative role of magic in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, this volume makes use of empirical and contextually informed research to respond to theoretical questions posed by recent historiography.
With a cross-disciplinary approach, this collection of essays will be a valuable resource for all students and scholars interested in the diverse aspects and contexts of premodern ‘others’.
Research Interests: Medieval Studies, History of Sexuality, Early Modern Europe, Social History, Franco-Ottoman Alliance, and 15 moreDalmatian history, Homosexuality, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Queenship in Medieval and Early Modern Europe, Louis XIV, Identity and Alterity, Ottoman Diplomacy and Europe, Convivencia, Court Studies, Dhimmis, Illegitimacy, Royal Mistresses, Othering and Alterity, History of Morocco, and History of Jews of morocco
Dynastic Change: Legitimacy and Gender in Medieval and Early Modern Monarchy examines the strategies for change and legitimacy in monarchies in the medieval and early modern eras. Taking a broadly comparative approach, Dynastic Change... more
Dynastic Change: Legitimacy and Gender in Medieval and Early Modern Monarchy examines the strategies for change and legitimacy in monarchies in the medieval and early modern eras.
Taking a broadly comparative approach, Dynastic Change explores the mechanisms employed as well as theoretical and practical approaches to monarchical legitimisation. The book answers the question of how monarchical families reacted, adjusted or strategised when faced with dynastic crises of various kinds, such as a lack of a male heir or unfitness of a reigning monarch for rule, through the consideration of such themes as the role of royal women, the uses of the arts for representational and propaganda purposes and the impact of religion or popular will. Broad in both chronological and geographical scope, chapters discuss examples from the 9th to the 18th centuries across such places as Morocco, Byzantium, Portugal, Russia and Western Europe, showing readers how cultural, religious and political differences across countries and time periods affected dynastic relations.
Bringing together gender, monarchy and dynasticism, the book highlights parallels across time and place, encouraging a new approach to monarchy studies. It is the perfect collection for students and researchers of medieval and early modern monarchy and gender.
Taking a broadly comparative approach, Dynastic Change explores the mechanisms employed as well as theoretical and practical approaches to monarchical legitimisation. The book answers the question of how monarchical families reacted, adjusted or strategised when faced with dynastic crises of various kinds, such as a lack of a male heir or unfitness of a reigning monarch for rule, through the consideration of such themes as the role of royal women, the uses of the arts for representational and propaganda purposes and the impact of religion or popular will. Broad in both chronological and geographical scope, chapters discuss examples from the 9th to the 18th centuries across such places as Morocco, Byzantium, Portugal, Russia and Western Europe, showing readers how cultural, religious and political differences across countries and time periods affected dynastic relations.
Bringing together gender, monarchy and dynasticism, the book highlights parallels across time and place, encouraging a new approach to monarchy studies. It is the perfect collection for students and researchers of medieval and early modern monarchy and gender.
Research Interests: Gender Studies, Legitimacy and Authority, Medieval History, Early Modern History, English History, and 15 moreEighteenth-Century British History and Culture, Morocco, Russian History, Medieval Crown of Aragon, Byzantium, Monarchy, Medieval Germany, Portugal (History), History of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Early modern Spain, The Kingdom of Naples, History of Sweden, Court Studies, História de Portugal, and Royal Studies
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This article examines a major figure of the court of Louis XIV who has never received a full academic study. It demonstrates how a royal favourite in a same-sex context in the early modern period can be analysed in a similar manner to... more
This article examines a major figure of the court of Louis XIV who has never received a full academic study. It demonstrates how a royal favourite in a same-sex context in the early modern period can be analysed in a similar manner to more well-known royal mistresses, or “maîtresses en titre”. It presents a thorough portrait of Prince Philippe of Lorraine, better known as the Chevalier de Lorraine, in the full context of his family (a cadet branch of the princely house of Lorraine), his friends (the household of Monsieur, Philippe, Duke of Orléans, brother of the king), and court culture more generally at the end of the seventeenth century. Such an analysis demonstrates a number of things: that, contrary to much recent scholarship on homosexual identities and relationships in the early modern period, long-term partnerships did exist, although they were unorthodox; and that, like other royal favourites, the Chevalier de Lorraine maintained his position at the top of a powerful court hierarchy through both the support of his family and a prominent patronage network. Patronage in particular is examined, citing both usages of clientage and brokerage, as the chief means for self-enrichment and survival at the court of France in this period. By the end of his life, the Chevalier de Lorraine had become one of the most successful courtiers due to the combined factors of his princely birth and continued support of this family, his long-term cultivation of his position as “maître en titre” of Monsieur, and the effective management of a large patronage network.
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In the era of centralisation of the great powers in Europe, dynasties ruling smaller states on the margins between France, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire developed strategies for survival. One of these was to establish a presence at the... more
In the era of centralisation of the great powers in Europe, dynasties ruling smaller states on the margins between France, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire developed strategies for survival. One of these was to establish a presence at the courts of these larger states, by sending members of the ruling dynasty itself. This article looks in particular at the court of France, where such princely emissaries established lineages known to historians as the «foreign princes», the princes étrangers. The French monarchy desired the presence of these princes as well, for various political and ceremonial reasons. The successes and failures of the foreign princes sent to the French court can be measured at the individual level and the wider dynastic level, and are examined by scrutinising activities of secular princes (male and female) as well as prelates. The results are varied, and depended on a variety of ever-shifting factors, notably the establishment of kinship ties with the royal dynasty, a solid independent financial base, and individual character. By the end of the period, some smaller states had survived; others had not.
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An introduction to the conflicts faced in the early modern period between royal siblings in France and Britain .
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The deepening study of courts and courtly societies in the early modern world has provided political, social, and cultural historians with new insights into how (and why) such societies functioned, but have too often focused exclusively... more
The deepening study of courts and courtly societies in the early modern world has provided political, social, and cultural historians with new insights into how (and why) such societies functioned, but have too often focused exclusively on the singularity of a monarch, or at best, his immediate family. This essay explores similar themes of the functionalities of patronage, dynasticism and piety in the context of the high court aristocracy, represented here by the House of Guise, and in particular by its women, caretakers of family image. Using inventories from two periods in the seventeenth century, and, more specifically, key pieces of material culture representative of familial pride and piety, it demonstrates how court families shifted their behaviour in a climate of increased centralization and royal domination. In line with current revisionism of notions of ‘absolutism’, this study also reinforces the more nuanced vision of a courtly society driven by crown-noble co-operation and competition rather than control.
Full-text of this article is not available in this e-prints service. This article was originally published in The Court Historian - The International Journal of Court Studies, published by and copyright The Society for Court Studies. ...... more
Full-text of this article is not available in this e-prints service. This article was originally published in The Court Historian - The International Journal of Court Studies, published by and copyright The Society for Court Studies. ... There are no files associated with this item.
Revisionist historians have come to recognize that the most significant marker of Louis XIV's success as a monarch was not to be found in absolutist domination, but in his ability to balance factions, both at his court, in the army and in... more
Revisionist historians have come to recognize that the most significant marker of Louis XIV's success as a monarch was not to be found in absolutist domination, but in his ability to balance factions, both at his court, in the army and in the administration of France. This article examines a particular event in the early years of the king's personal reign which clearly demonstrated to the young king the benefits and the necessity for such balance. The treaty of Montmartre properly belongs in the sphere of foreign affairs, a minor treaty in the long history of negotiations between France and the sovereign duchy of Lorraine. But because its inception and subsequent destruction were inextricably linked to the ambitions of several prominent court clans – princes étrangers, princes du sang, princes légitimés – the events of February 1662 demonstrate how the driving force of dynasticism and the disorders caused by imbalance of favours impressed upon Louis XIV the importance of maintaining himself above faction.
In June 1682, a shocking scandal rocked the court of Versailles: a number of the most high-ranking sons of the aristocracy were unmasked as members of a confraternity devoted to debauchery and were sent away from court. One of these was... more
In June 1682, a shocking scandal rocked the court of Versailles: a number of the most high-ranking sons of the aristocracy were unmasked as members of a confraternity devoted to debauchery and were sent away from court. One of these was the King’s own illegitimate son, the Comte de Vermandois. A close examination of this incident, using the memoirs of one of the great court insiders, the Marquis de Sourches, reveals the complexity of the King’s relationship with senior courtiers and members of his own family and same-sex behaviour. Louis XIV repeatedly affirmed his abhorrence of the sin, and yet, actively tolerated senior courtiers whose services were useful to him and to the monarchy. Yet 1682 can be seen as a turning point in the reign of Louis XIV, a move towards greater piety at court connected to events like the deaths of the Queen and his mistress Mlle de Fontanges, the Affair of the Poisons and the rise of Madame de Maintenon. This essay argues that the scandal of June 1682 and the subsequent death of young Vermandois contributed just as much to this pivot to piety, though at the same time, a quiet toleration remained for those senior courtiers and members of the royal family whose lifestyle differed from that of the King and his pious inner circle. They became the Other on the inside: outsiders tightly connected to the most intimate court insiders. This toleration is in contrast to the increased tightening of the laws against sodomy and similar crimes amongst the population of France more generally in the late years of the reign of Louis XIV. And though it is hardly surprising to claim that during the ancien régime, there was a separate set of standards for the elites and for the masses, a closer examination of the attitudes towards sexual deviance at court in the middle years of the reign of Louis XIV is revelatory also in understanding the shift away from Versailles and its inner circle by courtiers, artists and society, turning Versailles itself into the Other by the end of the reign.
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This chapter looks at the Meuse Valley in the longue duree as a frontier space between France and the Holy Roman Empire, between the duchies of Bar and Lorraine. It looks in particular at small sovereignties that are in this valley,... more
This chapter looks at the Meuse Valley in the longue duree as a frontier space between France and the Holy Roman Empire, between the duchies of Bar and Lorraine. It looks in particular at small sovereignties that are in this valley, notably the principalities of Commercy and Chateau-Regnault, as well as Sedan and Charleville, and their owners, known at the French court as the 'princes etrangers'. The chapter concludes by looking at visual marks of sovereignty such as coins, and the complexities of owning semi-sovereigns spaces in this region, as pertains in particular to the Croy family (the overall subject of this volume), sovereign barons of Fenetrange.
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This chapter explores some of the ancient traditions being drawn upon at the turn of the seventeenth century, notably the development from elective, clan-based monarchy to primogeniture, and the development of the apanage system to... more
This chapter explores some of the ancient traditions being drawn upon at the turn of the seventeenth century, notably the development from elective, clan-based monarchy to primogeniture, and the development of the apanage system to recompense the loss of power to cadet members of the dynasty. It also explores how this system foundered in the early seventeenth century, with the increasing tightening of French ‘absolutism’, and how subsequent younger siblings in France modified their behaviour to resituate themselves into a new form of centralized ‘modern’ monarchy. Historians have long recognized that the last decades of the sixteenth century and the first years of the seventeenth were particularly anxious times, especially in terms of dynastic politics. The junior lines continued to be separated from the main line as late as the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and were only held together by a House strategy of keeping all of the dynastic territories within one of the Imperial Circles.
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The name Lunéville conjures up images of the moon, the celestial body that governs the night: the time for dreams. The moon also offers a pale contrast to the brilliance of the sun, a fitting image of the relationship between Lunéville... more
The name Lunéville conjures up images of the moon, the celestial body that governs the night: the time for dreams. The moon also offers a pale contrast to the brilliance of the sun, a fitting image of the relationship between Lunéville and Versailles. The palace at Lunéville, constructed in the first decades of the eighteenth century by Léopold, Duke of Lorraine, was intended to compare favourably with, but not to outshine or threaten, the newly completed palace of the Sun King at Versailles. It was built to demonstrate that the Duke was a proper sovereign, a full member of the society of princes, not anyone's subject. A few decades later, the palace of Lunéville was used for similar purposes by its last full-time resident, the former king of Poland, Stanislas Leszczyński, who desired a residence and a court worthy of a royal sovereign, albeit a sovereign who had lost his genuine sovereignty. This chapter will examine the palace of Lunéville and those who lived in it during the reigns of these two princes, with specific reference to aspiration and representation. Duke Léopold made use of his dynastic links to both the Bourbon and Habsburg dynasties, as well as to his own family's more ancient connections with the former Crusader kingdom of Jerusalem and the kingdom of Naples, eventually winning full recognition of his royal rank by both the emperor and the king of France. He built his palace to represent this rank both in visual iconography and spatial layout. In contrast, Stanislas had already formally obtained royal rank before he arrived in Lorraine, as king of Poland from 1704 to 1709, but was committed to maintaining this status by displaying one of the main attributes of royal status—magnificence—through his active use of court patronage on a grand scale. Both were dreaming of a royal crown, one for the future and one from the past.
This paper will focus on the fairly extensive, yet mostly unknown, household accounts of Marguerite de Lorraine, duchesse d’Orleans (1615-72), and her daughter, Isabel d’Orleans, duchesse de Guise (1646-96), kept. These were mostly... more
This paper will focus on the fairly extensive, yet mostly unknown, household accounts of Marguerite de Lorraine, duchesse d’Orleans (1615-72), and her daughter, Isabel d’Orleans, duchesse de Guise (1646-96), kept. These were mostly compiled to document the successions of these two women, the aunt and the cousin of Louis XIV, and add an important dimension to the evolving perception of the court of the Sun King as multi-focal—in this case, the court of the Palais du Luxembourg—even extending its influence into international affairs in a manner not solely linked with policy at Versailles. The succession documents connect the cadet branch of the French royal house to the houses of Lorraine and Tuscany, but also demonstrate the interlocking links between the various focal points of the French monarchy. We can see many of the same names as principal actors within the royal and Orléans households. Both of these representational features—international and domestic links—were evident to contemporaries and formed an important part of royal image making. In contrast, this paper will then focus on how these documents represent these women to us as historians, looking at some of the more personal (though not necessarily more private) aspects of the inventories and testaments. We can examine pious legacies they made, the titles of books they owned and the paintings they displayed. Finally, at the more general level, these records also demonstrate the legacy of these princesses, through the evolution of ceremonial etiquette applicable to a growing number of French royal females who stayed in France rather than moved abroad, ie, the rights given to Petites-Filles de France, which were then used as precedent for princesses of the blood in the eighteenth century. Neither woman made a huge impact on the history of France in the seventeenth century, but a study of their household documents allows us to see the construction of the Bourbon monarchy from the inside, and the contribution of its junior members to the overall public façade, notably in the spheres of piety and etiquette.
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The second part of the book explores the complex and enduring fiscal crises ... The third section of Carrier's work addresses the multifaceted issue of social ... For the most part Carrier does not see the Fronde as a class struggle,... more
The second part of the book explores the complex and enduring fiscal crises ... The third section of Carrier's work addresses the multifaceted issue of social ... For the most part Carrier does not see the Fronde as a class struggle, with the ... James R. Farr. A Tale of Two Murders: ...
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This book is a welcome addition to the 'European History in Perspective' series, a succinct study of the political careers, methods and ideologies of two individuals who shaped conceptions of government for France and indeed for... more
This book is a welcome addition to the 'European History in Perspective' series, a succinct study of the political careers, methods and ideologies of two individuals who shaped conceptions of government for France and indeed for Europe in the seventeenth century. David Sturdy ...
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... This also true with other members of my original doctoral committee: Melinda Zook and John Contreni at Purdue, and Robert Bireley, SJ at Loyola-Chicago. ... Essays in Honor and Memory of Bodo Nischan, ed. John Headley, 120... more
... This also true with other members of my original doctoral committee: Melinda Zook and John Contreni at Purdue, and Robert Bireley, SJ at Loyola-Chicago. ... Essays in Honor and Memory of Bodo Nischan, ed. John Headley, 120 (Aldershot, 2004). ...
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This chapter examines the changing role of the younger brother of the king in the monarchy of France, from the Wars of Religion to the Revolution. It traces the evolution of the relationship between these princely siblings, from one of... more
This chapter examines the changing role of the younger brother of the king in the monarchy of France, from the Wars of Religion to the Revolution. It traces the evolution of the relationship between these princely siblings, from one of competition and a desire for independence to a tighter bond of loyalty and an understanding that the needs of the dynasty must always proceed individual desires. Like other major grandees in this period, they recognised that cooperation with the Crown as an embodiment of the state was usually more beneficial for their personal and dynastic success than competing with it. This was not always a smooth transition, and the first two princes examined here, François, duke of Alençon, and Gaston, duke of Orléans, spent much of their lives in rebellion against royal authority of their elder brothers. The second pair, Philippe, duke of Orléans, and Louis-Stanislas, count of Provence, learned to express independent authority in different, less threatening, ways...
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This article examines the visual strategies employed in the early modern period by a dynasty ruling a smaller state, the Duchy of Lorraine, to survive in the face of expansion by larger neighbours (notably France). The central argument... more
This article examines the visual strategies employed in the early modern period by a dynasty ruling a smaller state, the Duchy of Lorraine, to survive in the face of expansion by larger neighbours (notably France). The central argument posits that in order to be treated as fully royal (and therefore with inherent rights to exist independently, as full members of the society of princes), princes like the dukes of Lorraine had to appear as royal in their visual representation. The article therefore looks at different examples of selfrepresentation produced by the dynasty over time, including genealogical treatises, coins, portraits, and printed material, in order to see how this was achieved and what symbols were used. What emerges is a sense that this strategy was more closely tied to dynasticism, not necessarily state-building, and while it can be said to have failed for the Duchy of Lorraine as a state, it proved successful, even beyond what had been imagined, for the dynasty itsel...
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In order to take a fresh look at the subject, this volume provides a broad discussion on the formation of dynastic identities in relationship to the lineage's own history, other families within the social elite, and the ruling dynasty.
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While the current discussion of ethnic, trade, and commercial diasporas, global networks, and transnational communities constantly makes reference to the importance of families and kinship groups for understanding the dynamics of... more
While the current discussion of ethnic, trade, and commercial diasporas, global networks, and transnational communities constantly makes reference to the importance of families and kinship groups for understanding the dynamics of dispersion, few studies examine the nature of these families in any detail. This book, centered largely on the European experience of families scattered geographically, challenges the dominant narratives of modernization by offering a long-term perspective from the Middle Ages to the twenty-first century. Paradoxically, “transnational families” are to be found long before the nation-state was in place..
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Abstract The deepening study of courts and courtly societies in the early modern world has provided political, social, and cultural historians with new insights into how (and why) such societies functioned, but have too often focused... more
Abstract The deepening study of courts and courtly societies in the early modern world has provided political, social, and cultural historians with new insights into how (and why) such societies functioned, but have too often focused exclusively on the singularity of a monarch, or at best, his immediate family. This essay explores similar themes of the functionalities of patronage, dynasticism and piety in the context of the high court aristocracy, represented here by the House of Guise, and in particular by its women, caretakers of family image. Using inventories from two periods in the seventeenth century, and, more specifically, key pieces of material culture representative of familial pride and piety, it demonstrates how court families shifted their behaviour in a climate of increased centralization and royal domination. In line with current revisionism of notions of ‘absolutism’, this study also reinforces the more nuanced vision of a courtly society driven by crownnoble co-operation and competition rather than control.
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AbstractRevisionist historians have come to recognize that the most signiWcant marker of Louis XIV's success as a monarch was not to be found in absolutist domination, but in his ability to balance factions, both at his court, in... more
AbstractRevisionist historians have come to recognize that the most signiWcant marker of Louis XIV's success as a monarch was not to be found in absolutist domination, but in his ability to balance factions, both at his court, in the army and in the administration of France. This ...
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In contrast to the “unexpected heir,” the French monarchy in the seventeenth century provides two interesting examples of “expected heirs,” second sons who were heirs to their elder brothers, but then were ultimately pushed aside once a... more
In contrast to the “unexpected heir,” the French monarchy in the seventeenth century provides two interesting examples of “expected heirs,” second sons who were heirs to their elder brothers, but then were ultimately pushed aside once a dauphin arrived on the scene. The careers of Gaston, Duke of Orleans (1608–1660) and his nephew Philippe, Duke of Orleans (1640–1701) are useful to study in the context of royal second sons both because of these expectations, but also as indicators of change within the French monarchy itself, which in this period was centralizing, and junior princes were finding their roles increasingly under-defined. Whereas Gaston expressed frustration through rebellion against his older brother, Philippe transformed his role into one of loyal support, and focused his energies away from politics and instead towards patronage of the arts, a model for princes in succeeding centuries.
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Adel und Nation passen nicht unbedingt zusammen. Hier die soziale Elite, dort die umfassende Gemeinschaft. Dieses Spannungsverhaltnis, das sich vielfach im Laufe des 19.
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In the era of centralisation of the great powers in Europe, dynasties rul- ing smaller states on the margins between France, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire developed strategies for survival. One of these was to establish a presence at... more
In the era of centralisation of the great powers in Europe, dynasties rul- ing smaller states on the margins between France, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire developed strategies for survival. One of these was to establish a presence at the courts of these larger states, by sending members of the ruling dynasty itself. This article looks in particular at the court of France, where such princely emissaries established lineages known to historians as the «foreign princes», the princes etrangers. The French monarchy desired the presence of these princes as well, for various political and ceremonial reasons. The successes and failures of the foreign princes sent to the French court can be measured at the individual level and the wider dynastic level, and are examined by scrutinising activities of secular princes (male and female) as well as prelates. The results are varied, and depended on a variety of ever-shifting factors, notably the establishment of kinship ties with the royal dynast...
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The death of Henri IV in 1610 abruptly reopened a key political debate for the Guise and their social peers: would they continue to support the new Bourbon monarchy, or take up once more their role as defenders of aristocratic privilege... more
The death of Henri IV in 1610 abruptly reopened a key political debate for the Guise and their social peers: would they continue to support the new Bourbon monarchy, or take up once more their role as defenders of aristocratic privilege against royal absolutism? What strategies were required to secure lasting social pre-eminence of the Grandees in an increasingly centralising state? In this chapter, Jonathan Spangler examines this issue specifically through the case study of Henriette-Catherine de Joyeuse, Duchess of Guise, as a ‘regent’ of the Guise family, by looking at her relationships with the two Queens-Regent of France in the seventeenth century, and her relationship with her son, Duke Henri II. This chapter focuses on how Guisard women like the Duchess Henriette-Catherine de Joyeuse made use of an international reputation and the ambiguous roles afforded to aristocratic widows to ensure their family’s survival and its pre-eminent reputation in the changing political environm...
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... laughter and computer parts in Oxford, 1 thank Polly Jones, Tanvi Rai, John Appleby-Alis, Gavin Kelly, Milan Bharadia, Sebastian Kalhat ... de France, demonstrated in this case by great expenditures made recently to restore two of the... more
... laughter and computer parts in Oxford, 1 thank Polly Jones, Tanvi Rai, John Appleby-Alis, Gavin Kelly, Milan Bharadia, Sebastian Kalhat ... de France, demonstrated in this case by great expenditures made recently to restore two of the Guises' greatest architectural monuments, the ...
Female succession to a royal throne came in many forms across the span of European history. It could quite literally change the course of history. This symposium is organised by the Society for Court Studies and the Universidad Rey Juan... more
Female succession to a royal throne came in many forms across the span of European history. It could quite literally change the course of history.
This symposium is organised by the Society for Court Studies and the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid (URJC), with support from Purdue University (Indiana), and will be held 25-26 May 2023, on the campus of URJC near the Palace of Aranjuez.
Proposals, in English, of about 500 words, must include the title and a summary of the paper, and be accompanied by a short biography (200 words) and the applicant’s contact details. Presentations should be given in English, as we are planning to produce a follow-up publication. Proposals can be sent to the team organisers at femalesuccession@gmail.com no later than Friday 16 September 2022. Applicants will be notified of acceptance by 18 December 2022.
This symposium is organised by the Society for Court Studies and the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid (URJC), with support from Purdue University (Indiana), and will be held 25-26 May 2023, on the campus of URJC near the Palace of Aranjuez.
Proposals, in English, of about 500 words, must include the title and a summary of the paper, and be accompanied by a short biography (200 words) and the applicant’s contact details. Presentations should be given in English, as we are planning to produce a follow-up publication. Proposals can be sent to the team organisers at femalesuccession@gmail.com no later than Friday 16 September 2022. Applicants will be notified of acceptance by 18 December 2022.
Research Interests:
Female succession to a royal throne came in many forms across the span of European history. It could quite literally change the course of history.