Albert N. Hamscher is Kenneth S. Davis Professor of History at Kansas State University.

This detailed, chronologically wide-ranging study provides an unusual and valuable anatomizing of the neglected ‘underside’ of Ancien Re´gime French administration. … Hamscher’s study is remarkable for the depth and detail of its research, with material collated from thirty-five departmental archives as well as Paris collections. . . . An Appendix provides comprehensive detail of this combination of general patterns and regional variations. This is an extraordinary piece of sustained research into the workings of a hitherto unexplored aspect of the Ancien Re´gimes.

• List of TablesList of ChartsAcknowledgmentsMoney-Distance-WeightAbbreviationsIntroductionChapter One: The French Monarchy and Criminal “Frais de Justice”: General Considerations1. The Concept of Grand Criminel2. The Royal Courts and Criminal Frais de Justice3. The Division of Financial Responsibility4. Lines of Administrative Authority and Royal Financial AccountsChapter Two: The Establishment of Colbert’s System, Mid-1660s--Early 1670s1. The Royal Domain: Preliminary Observations2. The Context of Judicial Reform3. Colbert’s SystemChapter Three: The Implementation of Colbert’s System, 1670-16831. Problems2. Colbert’s Response3. The View from the Parlement of ParisChapter Four: The Financial Records, Mid-1680s—17891. The Elements of a New System2. Interpreting Financial DocumentsChapter Five: Inside the Numbers, Mid-1680s--1789 1. Regional Diversity2. Trends and Patterns of ExpenditureChapter Six: Challenges and Refinements, Mid 1680s--Mid-1740s1. The System Under Stress2. Positive Developments3. Increased Expenditure4. Work on a General Statute5. Orry and ReformChapter Seven: Maturity, Mid-1730s—17891. Orry’s Legacy2. Matters of Administration3. New Financial Commitments and Traditional Restraints on Spending4. Spending RisesChapter Eight: A Shared Financial Responsibility, 1670s-17891. Private Individuals, Public Authorities2. Recovery RollsFinal ThoughtsAppendixBibliographyIndex

Albert N. Hamscher is Kenneth S. Davis Professor of History at Kansas State University.

This detailed, chronologically wide-ranging study provides an unusual and valuable anatomizing of the neglected ‘underside’ of Ancien Re´gime French administration. … Hamscher’s study is remarkable for the depth and detail of its research, with material collated from thirty-five departmental archives as well as Paris collections. . . . An Appendix provides comprehensive detail of this combination of general patterns and regional variations. This is an extraordinary piece of sustained research into the workings of a hitherto unexplored aspect of the Ancien Re´gimes.

• List of TablesList of ChartsAcknowledgmentsMoney-Distance-WeightAbbreviationsIntroductionChapter One: The French Monarchy and Criminal “Frais de Justice”: General Considerations1. The Concept of Grand Criminel2. The Royal Courts and Criminal Frais de Justice3. The Division of Financial Responsibility4. Lines of Administrative Authority and Royal Financial AccountsChapter Two: The Establishment of Colbert’s System, Mid-1660s--Early 1670s1. The Royal Domain: Preliminary Observations2. The Context of Judicial Reform3. Colbert’s SystemChapter Three: The Implementation of Colbert’s System, 1670-16831. Problems2. Colbert’s Response3. The View from the Parlement of ParisChapter Four: The Financial Records, Mid-1680s—17891. The Elements of a New System2. Interpreting Financial DocumentsChapter Five: Inside the Numbers, Mid-1680s--1789 1. Regional Diversity2. Trends and Patterns of ExpenditureChapter Six: Challenges and Refinements, Mid 1680s--Mid-1740s1. The System Under Stress2. Positive Developments3. Increased Expenditure4. Work on a General Statute5. Orry and ReformChapter Seven: Maturity, Mid-1730s—17891. Orry’s Legacy2. Matters of Administration3. New Financial Commitments and Traditional Restraints on Spending4. Spending RisesChapter Eight: A Shared Financial Responsibility, 1670s-17891. Private Individuals, Public Authorities2. Recovery RollsFinal ThoughtsAppendixBibliographyIndex

Albert N. Hamscher is Kenneth S. Davis Professor of History at Kansas State University.

This detailed, chronologically wide-ranging study provides an unusual and valuable anatomizing of the neglected ‘underside’ of Ancien Re´gime French administration. … Hamscher’s study is remarkable for the depth and detail of its research, with material collated from thirty-five departmental archives as well as Paris collections. . . . An Appendix provides comprehensive detail of this combination of general patterns and regional variations. This is an extraordinary piece of sustained research into the workings of a hitherto unexplored aspect of the Ancien Re´gimes.

• List of TablesList of ChartsAcknowledgmentsMoney-Distance-WeightAbbreviationsIntroductionChapter One: The French Monarchy and Criminal “Frais de Justice”: General Considerations1. The Concept of Grand Criminel2. The Royal Courts and Criminal Frais de Justice3. The Division of Financial Responsibility4. Lines of Administrative Authority and Royal Financial AccountsChapter Two: The Establishment of Colbert’s System, Mid-1660s--Early 1670s1. The Royal Domain: Preliminary Observations2. The Context of Judicial Reform3. Colbert’s SystemChapter Three: The Implementation of Colbert’s System, 1670-16831. Problems2. Colbert’s Response3. The View from the Parlement of ParisChapter Four: The Financial Records, Mid-1680s—17891. The Elements of a New System2. Interpreting Financial DocumentsChapter Five: Inside the Numbers, Mid-1680s--1789 1. Regional Diversity2. Trends and Patterns of ExpenditureChapter Six: Challenges and Refinements, Mid 1680s--Mid-1740s1. The System Under Stress2. Positive Developments3. Increased Expenditure4. Work on a General Statute5. Orry and ReformChapter Seven: Maturity, Mid-1730s—17891. Orry’s Legacy2. Matters of Administration3. New Financial Commitments and Traditional Restraints on Spending4. Spending RisesChapter Eight: A Shared Financial Responsibility, 1670s-17891. Private Individuals, Public Authorities2. Recovery RollsFinal ThoughtsAppendixBibliographyIndex