Robert J. Knecht, The Rise and Fall of Renaissance France 14831610, 2nd ed. (Oxford: Blackwell, 2001), 608 pp, ISBN 0631227296
The first edition of R. J. Knecht’s The Rise and Fall of Renaissance
France 1483-1610, published in 1996 by Fontana Press, proved a staple
for students of sixteenth-century French history. It argues that the
fortunes of France rose exponentially during the early decades of the
period, reaching its apogee under the Renaissance monarchy of Francis I,
before falling equally as dramatically as years of conflict and
confessional violence reduced the nation to economic and moral
bankruptcy. For Knecht, although France had evolved from an ill-defined
feudal dinosaur to a concise proto-absolutist state, it was, by the end of
the century, fatigued by war, fraught with institutional corruption, and
perplexed by a religious peace that settled little. Using narrative as its
framework, the book explores the journey from Renaissance to
Reformation, then from civil war to the ascendancy of Henry IV.
Throughout, political history is augmented by an examination of social,
cultural and economic developments, both elite and popular. Innovations
in legal, administrative and linguistic protocols are assessed, as are court
fashion and art and literature. The century’s most turbulent decades,
those of religious strife and sectarian conflict, are handled with subtlety,
as are the early wars with the Habsburgs, and France’s convoluted
relations with Europe and the wider world. By covering such a broad
range of subject matter, the reader is provided with a comprehensive,
authoritative survey of the period, even if they are not entirely convinced
of the extent to which France’s fortunes waxed and waned across the
century.
This second edition forms part of the Blackwell Classic Histories of
Europe series, an impressive forum for scholarly surveys of major periods
of European history. At first glance, the book appears to be a reprint,
with few obvious changes to the original publication. On closer
inspection, however, Professor Knecht has made a number of minor, but
important revisions to the text. The most significant sees a refinement of
argument in light of the wealth of new research by American, British and
French scholars on the subject. Thus, the crown’s position vis-à-vis
provincial opposition to conciliation is reassessed, resistance to the
implementation of the peace edicts is explored further, and the nature of
Henry III’s relationship with his leading subjects is revised. In several
cases, the author goes so far as to amend his stance on certain issues.
Thus, the Council of Trent is given greater impact in determining French
policy, and praise of Francis I as a ‘father of letters’ is tempered
significantly. The bibliography, too, has been brought up to date to
acknowledge recent national and provincial studies. It has remained in
the form of an essay, though, with secondary works categorised both by
theme, and by relevance to chapter content. While this can be frustrating
at times, it does lend itself perfectly to use as a signpost for further,
focussed reading.
The Rise and Fall of Renaissance France 1483-1610, then, is a
proven commodity, one of the more accessible general surveys of the
period. By re-working key arguments, Professor Knecht has ensured that
his second edition will maintain this status, its revised bibliography, and
the incorporation of recent historiographical debate, placing it as an
indispensable text for students, and a valuable resource for researchers.
Kevin Gould
University of Warwick