This historical study examines Paris during the long reign of Louis XIV, focusing on the period from the 1660s to 1715, when the French capital served as both a political stage and a rapidly changing urban world. It considers how royal authority, court culture, administrative institutions, religious life, and the city's physical landscape interacted as Paris was reshaped by absolutism and by the ambitions of the monarchy. The book also situates the capital within the wider development of early modern France, showing how ceremonies, public spaces, social hierarchies, and cultural institutions reflected the power and prestige of the Sun King's era. Written for readers interested in French history and urban history, it offers a detailed portrait of Paris as a center of government, society, and memory in one of the most influential periods of the ancien régime.

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