Description
Book SynopsisPitts 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.
Trade ReviewA 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
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Prelude
1. The Long Reach
2. The Superintendant at Work
3. Fall of a Titan
4. Setting the Stage and Writing the Script
5. The Best-Laid Plans of Men and Ministers
6. To Do Justice without Consideration of Fortune or Self-Interest
7. A Performance beyond Comparison
8. The Honor and Conscience of Judges
9. Aftermath
Appendix. Ministerial Fortunes in Seventeenth-Century France
Notes
Bibliography
Index
