What was absolutism, and how did it work? What was the function of the ostentatious display surrounding Louis XIV at Versailles? What is gained-and what is lost-by approaching such expressions of absolutism as propaganda, as present-day scholars tend to do?0In this sweeping reco…
Introduction. The problem with absolutism ; Beyond mere propaganda ; Approaching absolutism differently: royal glory and royal exemplarity ; The dream of absolutism -- The grammar of absolutism. The dream of a book like no other ; Taking Louis XIV's Mémoires seriously ; Absoluti…
"How seriously should we take the notion of absolute monarchy during the reign of Louis XIV? Was its excessiveness-reinforced by outlandish artworks and buildings-mere propaganda or satire? Not at all, argues Hall Bjørnstad in this meticulous work of political and cultural histo…