Death and the Crown: Ritual and Politics in France before the Revolution

Abstract

Scholars of royal ritual in France often analyse the development of one type of ceremony—sacre, lit de justice, funeral—over several centuries. In this engaging and well-researched book, Anne Byrne’s approach is to consider specific examples of each as part of a sequence of events from Louis XV’s death in May 1774 to Louis XVI’s sacre in June 1775. Focusing on a short period allows Byrne to root ceremonies in their immediate political contexts. She shows that rituals were not static but ‘vibrant’, both informed by precedent and responsive to contemporary circumstances. The ceremonies that followed Louis XV’s death were all shaped by the fallout from the ‘Maupeou Revolution’ of 1771. Maupeou’s new Parlement was widely regarded as illegitimate, meaning that preparations for the late king’s catafalque ceremony had to be handled carefully. The princes of the blood resented the requirement that they bow to the parlementaires; in the end, the prince de Condé both observed and subverted this by giving minimal bows to the Parlement and pointedly elaborate ones to other bodies. Beneath the supposed archaism, there were always alterations relating to unique circumstances. At the lit de justice of November 1774, in which Louis XVI recalled the old Parlement, the parlementaires were not present at the beginning and subsequently sat without rank until informed of their positions. These were ceremonial innovations highlighting that their return depended on the king’s goodwill. By giving serious consideration to ceremony, Byrne shows that Louis XVI’s reversal of Maupeou’s reforms was not the mistake of a weak king incapable of seeing through a masterstroke of reform, but rather a decision to resolve a divisive issue inherited from the previous reign. Louis XVI’s reputation has often been overshadowed by knowledge of later events, but here at least he is shown using ceremony to resolve political problems with skill and caution.