The French Monarchical Commonwealth, 1356–1560

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The French Monarchical Commonwealth, 1356–1560 is written by James B. Collins and published by Cambridge University Press. It's available with International Standard Book Number or ISBN identification 1009254847 (ISBN 10) and 9781009254847 (ISBN 13).

How does authority become power? How does power justify itself to achieve its ends? For over two hundred years, the Valois kings relied on a complex mixture of ideologies, ruling a monarchical commonwealth with a coherent theory of shared governance. Forged in the Hundred Years War, this commonwealth built on the defense of the public good (bien public) came undone both practically and theoretically during the Wars of Religion. Just as certain kings sought to expand the royal prerogative, so, too, elites fought to preserve their control over local government. Using town archives from more than twenty cities to complement traditional sources of political theory, The French Monarchical Commonwealth, 1356–1560 establishes the relationship between seemingly theoretical constructs, like the Salic Law, and the reality of everyday politics.