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France Under Louis XV, Vol. 1 of 2
Excerpt from France Under Louis XV
A just idea cannot be formed Of the character of the French monarchy, nor of the probability of the king exercising wisely his great authority, without considering his modes of life, his social surroundings, the barriers of etiquette in which he was inclosed, the artificial panoply in which he 'was encased. Ver sailles, in the early part of the eighteenth century, wit nessed an existence, splendid indeed, but the formality of which had sti?r'ened into rigidity not unlike that of the courts of ancient Assyrian and Babylonian kings; if its etiquette was not SO benumbing as the sombre state Of Madrid, yet it did not help a monarch to understand the needs of his people, nor to perform the duties of his Office.
A just idea cannot be formed Of the character of the French monarchy, nor of the probability of the king exercising wisely his great authority, without considering his modes of life, his social surroundings, the barriers of etiquette in which he was inclosed, the artificial panoply in which he 'was encased. Ver sailles, in the early part of the eighteenth century, wit nessed an existence, splendid indeed, but the formality of which had sti?r'ened into rigidity not unlike that of the courts of ancient Assyrian and Babylonian kings; if its etiquette was not SO benumbing as the sombre state Of Madrid, yet it did not help a monarch to understand the needs of his people, nor to perform the duties of his Office.
513 pages, Paperback
First published September 27, 2015
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