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Embezzlement and High Treason Louis XIV's France: The Trial of Nicolas Fouquet Illustrated Edition, Kindle Edition

by Vincent J. Pitts (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 11 ratings
See all formats and editions
A look at life in the court of King Louis XIV, the politics of the time, and the trial of a man who knew too much for his own good.

From 1661 to 1664, France was mesmerized by the arrest and trial of Nicolas Fouquet, the country’s superintendent of finance. Prosecuted on trumped-up charges of embezzlement, mismanagement of funds, and high treason, Fouquet managed to exonerate himself from all the major charges over the course of three long years, in the process embarrassing and infuriating Louis XIV. The young king overturned the court’s decision and sentenced Fouquet to lifelong imprisonment in a remote fortress in the Alps.

A dramatic critique of absolute monarchy in pre-revolutionary France, Embezzlement and High Treason in Louis XIV’s France tells the gripping tale of an overly ambitious man who rose rapidly in the state hierarchy—then overreached. Vincent J. Pitts uses the trial as a lens through which to explore the inner workings of the court of Louis XIV, who rightly feared that Fouquet would expose the tawdry financial dealings of the king’s late mentor and prime minister, Cardinal Mazarin.

“A compelling account of a political drama in mid-seventeenth century France, but it is also a window into the process by which rule of law gradually became established . . . [and] I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.” —EH.Net

“Pitts’s book examines the show trial of Fouquet, and…the political process that created such an unfair outcome for a man who is often seen as one of the most well-known scapegoats in French history. Pitts has succeeded masterfully in weaving a powerful narrative that exposes convoluted corruption and mismanagement of ancient régime France.” —Renaissance Quarterly
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  1. ISBN-13
    978-1421418247
  2. Edition
    Illustrated
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Johns Hopkins University Press
  5. Publication date
    November 5, 2015
  6. Language
    English
  7. File size
    6686 KB
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

A fine book. It is a compelling account of a political drama in mid-seventeenth century France, but it is also a window into the process by which rule of law gradually became established. . .[and] I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
―EH.Net

. . . Pitts gives us a well-organized, concise narrative of what amounts to a highly extractive economy whereby the few at the top accumulate the most to live in ostentatious slender.
―Renaissance Quarterly

Pitts’s study of the trial of Fouquet is more than an English rendering of existing French scholarship. Widely read both in terms of primary sources and the historiographical debate, it combines a clear and confident focus on the trial’s key events and developments with a sure-footed set of judgments and interpretations of motive and consequences. The author emphasizes what can be forgotten when the trial is subsumed within wider debates about the early-modern French fiscal system: Fouquet was tried for both embezzlement and high treason.
―Journal of Modern History

Pitts is a natural storyteller who draws the reader into the world of nobles and financiers. The book gives the reader a good sense of some of the main features of high politics of the time: court intrigue, shifting alliances, rivals scheming for power, shady dealings, patronage, piety, high officials skirting the law. At times the crafty plotting of the historical characters is reminiscent of Hilary Mantel's Bring Up the Bodies.
―Gail Bossenga, Elizabethtown College, author of The Politics of Privilege: Old Regime and Revolution in Lille

Pitts has written an excellent, detailed synthesis of the Fouquet affair and explained clearly the complex legal and financial issues that lay at the heart of the trial. This book will interest scholars and can be recommended for undergraduates.
―The Historian

Review

Pitts is a natural storyteller who draws the reader into the world of nobles and financiers. The book gives the reader a good sense of some of the main features of high politics of the time: court intrigue, shifting alliances, rivals scheming for power, shady dealings, patronage, piety, high officials skirting the law. At times the crafty plotting of the historical characters is reminiscent of Hilary Mantel's Bring Up the Bodies.

-- Gail Bossenga

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B015J9T9O4
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Johns Hopkins University Press; Illustrated edition (November 5, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 5, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 6686 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 241 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 11 ratings

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
11 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Daniel W. Small
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Excellent Pitts Work
Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2017
Verified Purchase
As a lawyer, I found the detail and discussion very enlightening. The history was entertaining. The writing was top drawer.
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Charlie Quigley
4.0 out of 5 stars High marks for a tale of high treason.....
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2016
There aren't many scholarly works that read as effortlessly as a good historical novel. But, like his previous works on Anne-Marie-Louise d'Orleans and Henri IV, Vincent Pitts has accomplished this again with he account of the trial of Nicolas Fouquet. He brings to life the atmosphere of mid-17th century France and its political intrigue and tensions in a style nearly rivetting as Neal Stephenson's recreation of Restoration England in his Baroque Trilogy, and manages to guide the reader through an immense cast of characters without creating confusion. I found myself racing through the last few chapters to discover the fate of the protagonist and his adversaries, even though the outcome of the story is clear from the outset. A good read for anyone interested in this era of European history, whether you are an academic, or just curious.
4 people found this helpful
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Mel
5.0 out of 5 stars I have been in love with Nicolas Fouquet since I was about 15 and ...
Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2017
I have been in love with Nicolas Fouquet since I was about 15 and was reading books related to Louis XIV, who I love as well. Not too fond of what he did to Nicolas though. I am a 53 yr. old American that will sadly never get to visit France but reading about 17th Century history lets me visit in some small way. I have read another book about Nicolas and I eagerly awaited this books release last year and bought it for myself as a treat. I have always wanted to know more about what happened and this book has just been wonderful in providing the information surrounding the king and Nicolas. For the average person like myself, although it can be complex, which I loved, the author I felt did well with explaining everything in a fashion that a layman could understand. Anyway, it was money well spent to own for myself, not checked out of a library and returned. A must have for a collector of French history within the 17th Century.
5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Sulli
5.0 out of 5 stars an excellent if brief book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 25, 2019
Verified Purchase
A good book but a little thin given the subject matter and price
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