Vienna and Versailles

At the outset of Vienna and Versailles, Duindam carefully reconstructs court life in Versailles while simultaneously employing a structural and comparative perspective with Europe's other great court in Vienna. His examination spans the time period between the mid sixteenth to late seventeenth centuries, in what he regards as the `Great Age' of these two rival courts. In doing so, the author systematically dispels the myth of Louis XIV's `absolutist' power - exercised through his court - and comprehensively illustrates how this notion was more of an ideal than reality. Researched over the course of one year in the libraries and archives of Vienna and Paris, the result provides us with a wealth of information which challenges the problematic views of earlier writers of the Early Modern court. In this cross study of the Habsburg imperial court in Vienna and Bourbon royal court in Versailles, Duindam ensures that all major historical factors are taken into consideration, most commendably a representation of female actors as a category of historical analysis. Duindam presents a more accurate view of monarchy, nobility, and court society and deserves high praise for the breadth of his scholarship and the significance of his contribution to court studies. Admittedly, the books' index is incredibly insufficient and, although the subject matter is noticeably geared to be read by an academic audience rather than the general public, the work as a whole is undoubtedly quite fascinating. Furthermore, Duindam's thematic organization and vast scholarly bibliography incorporates both recent publications and standard works on the topic which, incidentally, paves the way for further examination of both courts.

Historian Norbert Elias' classic works Court Society and The Civilizing Process had presented a problematic view of the Early Modern monarchies and courts. In his "Myths of Power. Norbert Elias and the Early Modern European Court ", Duindam concluded that Elias' approach to the early modern European court containes many misunderstandings, especially those connected with the much-heralded rise of the middle class and its inseparable companion, modernization. In this descriptive world, the author does not aim at providing a new model to understand European courts, but simply to compare the French court and the court of the Austrian Habsburgs, probably trying to show that there is still much work to be done before rendering any new general theory. The book is no very engaging, but it is not dry either. It can be savoured by the professional historian, and perhaps, by the educated layperson too.Therefore, my rate is 5 (content) and 2/3 (pleasure of reading). Other books that I would recommend would be "Kings or People: Power and the Mandate to Rule by Reinhard Bendix"; "State and status" by Samuel Clark; "Monarchy, Aristocracy, and the State in Europe, 1300-1800" by Hillay Zmora; "Nobilities in Transition 1550-1700: Courtiers and Rebels in Britain and Europe" by Ronald G. Asch; and "The Persistence of the Ancient Regime" by Arno J. Mayer (this last one covering approximately the 1815-1914 period).