'A new generation of political historians would do well to follow William Beik's admirable model of investigation.' The Times Literary Supplement

• List of tables; List of figures; Preface; List of abbreviations; Map; Part I. Introduction: 1. Absolutism and class; 2. Languedoc and its rulers; Part II. The Distribution of Authority: 3. Urban setting and local authorities; 4. The sovereign courts: a provincial perspective; 5. The royal agents: a national linkage; 6. The Estates: central bargaining place; Part III. The province on its own: 7. Contradictory aspirations and practical problems; 8. The inadequacy of authority; 9. The prospects for provincial solidarity; Part IV. The province and the crown: 10. Channels of personal influence; 11. Tax flows and society; 12. Collaborating with the king: positive results and fulfiled ambitions; 13. Basking in the sun: the triumph of authority and hierarchy; Conclusion; Appendix; Select bibliography; Index.

'A new generation of political historians would do well to follow William Beik's admirable model of investigation.' The Times Literary Supplement

• List of tables; List of figures; Preface; List of abbreviations; Map; Part I. Introduction: 1. Absolutism and class; 2. Languedoc and its rulers; Part II. The Distribution of Authority: 3. Urban setting and local authorities; 4. The sovereign courts: a provincial perspective; 5. The royal agents: a national linkage; 6. The Estates: central bargaining place; Part III. The province on its own: 7. Contradictory aspirations and practical problems; 8. The inadequacy of authority; 9. The prospects for provincial solidarity; Part IV. The province and the crown: 10. Channels of personal influence; 11. Tax flows and society; 12. Collaborating with the king: positive results and fulfiled ambitions; 13. Basking in the sun: the triumph of authority and hierarchy; Conclusion; Appendix; Select bibliography; Index.

'A new generation of political historians would do well to follow William Beik's admirable model of investigation.' The Times Literary Supplement

• List of tables; List of figures; Preface; List of abbreviations; Map; Part I. Introduction: 1. Absolutism and class; 2. Languedoc and its rulers; Part II. The Distribution of Authority: 3. Urban setting and local authorities; 4. The sovereign courts: a provincial perspective; 5. The royal agents: a national linkage; 6. The Estates: central bargaining place; Part III. The province on its own: 7. Contradictory aspirations and practical problems; 8. The inadequacy of authority; 9. The prospects for provincial solidarity; Part IV. The province and the crown: 10. Channels of personal influence; 11. Tax flows and society; 12. Collaborating with the king: positive results and fulfiled ambitions; 13. Basking in the sun: the triumph of authority and hierarchy; Conclusion; Appendix; Select bibliography; Index.