The Dynastic State and the Army under Louis XIV

Guy Rowlands was lecturer in early modern history at Exeter College, Oxford, 1995-98, and is now Pybus lecturer in European history at Newnham College, Cambridge. This is his first book.

• General introduction: 'Absolute monarchy', dynasticism and the standing army; Part I. 'Patrimonial Bureaucracy': The Le Tellier Dynasty and the Ministry of War: Introduction; 1. The Secretary of State for War and the dynastic interests of the Le Tellier family; 2. The ebb and flow of Le Tellier power, 1661–1701; 3. The use and abuse of servants: the Ministry of War, venality and civilian power in the army; 4. Financing war: the treasury of the Extraordinaire des guerres; 5. Corruption and the pursuit of self-interest in the Ministry of War; Part II. The Forging of the French Officer Corps and the Standing Army under Louis XIV: Introduction; 6. In the name of sustainability: reforming the structure of the standing army and the officer corps; 7. The business of a regiment; 8. The pressures and temptations of service; Part III. The High Command of the French Armies: Introduction; 9. The commanders-in-chief and the delegation of royal authority; 10. The appointment of general officers; 11. The summits of ambition and the rewards of good service: the bienfaits du roi and the high command; Conclusion: the preservation of the dynasty; Appendix 1: Defining the grands; Appendix 2: The proportion of revenue generated by the Extraordinaire des guerres as a 'primary receiver'; Bibliography.

Review of the hardback: 'This is an extraordinarily well-researched and important book which does much more than improve our understanding of the administration of the army under Louis XIV; it forces us to reconsider the very nature of the late seventeenth-century state.' The English Historical Review