War and government in the French provinces: Picardy, 1470-1560

Abstract

Picardy emerged as a province after the conquests effected by Louis XI between 1470 and 1477, but its character was profoundly shaped by the impact of Habsburg-Valois Wars between 1521 and 1559. Picardy became the most exposed frontier region of the French kingdom and suffered repeated devastations, which culminated in the 1550s. The province had to be incorporated in the kingdom by inducements to its numerous nobility and urban oligarchies. Its experience of the first period of absolutism provides an enlightening contrast with that of other, more outlying provinces; the Picard nobility was notable for the extent of its participation in the army, the court and the government of France. The author provides a detailed analysis of the organisation of French military power in the province and the effects of war on town and countryside, and the work concludes with Picardy about to enter a new and difficult period of civil war. -Publisher