Reviews for Henry IV and the Towns: The Pursuit of Legitimacy in French Urban Society, 1589-1610

The average rating for Henry IV and the Towns: The Pursuit of Legitimacy in French Urban Society, 1589-1610 based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-02-18 00:00:00 Ernst Anderson Further proof that I should be allowed to make my own comps lists. This is an amazing, revisionist look at the reign of Henry IV, the guy who reconverted back to Catholicism in the 1590s to save his ass and his regime. But was this wacky mofo really an "absolutist"? And what does that term really mean anyway? This work addresses this and other issues by taking a closer look at how Hank4 interacted with urban centers and elites, co-opted them, built up networks of clientele patronage in towns of the Catholic League and eventually destroyed the power of the latter crazy fucks. A very cool look at the true nature of monarchial rule and the role of urban social networks in reinforcing it. Would make a great comparative case against some Ottoman cities. Much more useful than learning about Abu Ass-Wadiyya and his 47 students in the Whafuckiyya zawiya in Nablus.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-06-24 00:00:00 Michael Butler My mother told me this joke, one of those internet jokes that might be true. It goes like this: Diane Sawyer was ing Afghanstien reporting on the changes in the treatment of women. SHe oticed that some women still walked five feet behind thier husbands. She asked one woman why this was so. The woman replied, "Landmines". Punchline: Behind every man, there is a smart woman. This book is somewhat like the joke, but without the landmines. Man, these women wore the pants that their husband's couldn't. Goldstone tells the story of four women who married kings or men who became kings. It's kinda like how the news wants to play the whole Kate Middleton story. Middle-class girl weds the prince, neglecting to tell you that her parents might have started out as middle class but they're millionaires now. The family of the four Queens might have been noblity, but they were poor noblity, so I guess that makes them more middle class than Kate (may she be happy). Goldstone presents sections on each sister, the eldest two being the more interesting ones because of thier marriages to the King of France and King of England. While Goldstone presents facts, her writing style and her brillant structure of the book keep the story fresh. You don't like one sister; no worries, soon another sister will take center stage. There is love, jealousy, war and lots of politics.