An original scholarly interpretation of the nature of the French monarchy in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It argues that rather than seeing this monarchy as centralised and administrative, we should see it as a state formation replete with tensions and contradictions. Astute political management, patronage and clientage focused on the court as the centre of the political system, were all essential for the survival of the regime. The chapter thus takes issue with current interpretations in historical sociology, political science and history. The interpretation draws on wide secondary sources and the author's long archival acquaintance with the regime. 16,000 words
