The seventeenth century was the decisive period in the formation of the French ancien régime, born out of a series of acute tensions within state and society. The long reigns of Louis XIII (1610-43) and Louis XIV (1643-1715) both began with royal minorities, classic occasions for troubles, followed by powerful reassertions of royal authority as the kings came to maturity. Such notable ministers as Richelieu, Mazarin, Colbert, and Louvois played leading roles in creating a new style of authoritarian government, which has often been rather simplistically described as absolutist. The Further Subject relies on a wide selection of documents to illustrate this process in the widest sense, and more particularly its impact on French society at large. Kings, ministers, and their provincial officials reflected extensively on the problems they faced, so that the records of the royal administration preserve a vivid and dramatic picture of repeated conflict on numerous fronts. Similar themes emerge from pamphlets, memoirs and other documents produced by those who experienced the changes of the period as threats to their independence and prosperity. Among the principal subjects for study are extensive revolts by both the people and the nobility, the crucial mid-century crisis of the Fronde, the ideological battles over the limits on royal autocracy, and the pervasive effects of the great Catholic reform movement. This period has attracted many distinguished historians in recent decades, so there is a rich secondary literature in both French and English, and students can familiarize themselves with lively ongoing debates about social structure, economic development, the nature of absolutism, and much else. Above all the Further Subject offers an opportunity to build up a coherent picture of early modern France, at both the national and the regional level. All of the French documents have been translated into English and many are available on the Faculty website. A reading knowledge of French is not a requirement for this Further Subject, though students who can read French, or wish to improve their reading knowledge, will find that it considerably enhances the range and richness of the secondary reading available for this subject.