Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0582307066, Paperback)

Offers a birds-eye view of society in France during the 'long' seventeenth century from 1589-1715, one of the most dynamic phases in French history Covering the reigns of the first three Bourbon kings - Henri IV, Louis XIII, and Louis XIV - the author explores the upheavals in French society during this period by looking at the traditional bonds which tied together the various classes and groupings. Using examples from the lives of real people, her unique approach discusses how the turbulence of the age threw these established relationships into disarray, and explains why, by 1715, France had become a more peaceful and civilized place. Those interested in French History.