Manchester University Press Death and the Crown: Ritual and Politics in France Before the Revolution (Studies in Modern French and Francophone History)

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. Review 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 Anne Byrne presents us with the most scholarly account to date of the turbulent accession to the throne of Louis XVI in 1774. It will be invaluable and essential reading for scholars and students of eighteenth-century France alike.' --Ambrogio Caiani, Senior Lecturer in Modern European History, University of Kent 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. About the Author Anne Byrne is a former British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow, now Honorary Research Fellow, at Birkbeck, University of London