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Hommes de la liberté/Age of the French Revolution #3
Their Gracious Pleasure 1782-1785
Bringing us back to France on the eve of the Revolution, Claude Manceron's monumental history, which began with Twilight of the Old Order and The Wind from America (The New York Times Book Review called it "a great work . . . a magic lantern show . . . all in full color"), now continues in the same enthralling anecdotal mode through the last high days of the ancien régime.
Their Gracious Pleasure begins in 1781. It is a seemingly auspicious year. Across the ocean, France's hereditary enemy, England, has twice been resoundingly defeated: once in the Indies and once by her upstart American colonies. And at home, the King and Queen, after eleven years of childless marriage, have finally given birth to a son, the future Louis XVII.
There is intellectual excitement too: it is the dawn of the century of science, and French thinkers are in the forefront. Two factions compete to "invent" the lighter-than-air balloon: in the provinces, the Montgolfier brothers; in Paris, backed by royal patronage, their rival, a young scientist destined to be even more famous but not for his scientific achievements—Jean-Paul Marat.
In Rouen we hear for the first time another voice to be remembered, in a different context, arguing passionately—and victoriously—for the construction of lightning rods to be built to Benjamin Franklin's specifications. He is Robespierre.
At the same time, we sense the gathering storm. These people are becoming more and more aware of the inequities and excesses, of the hedonistic and decadent lives of the nobility in their châteaus across the country. At a fete given at Chantilly by the Prince and Princesse de Conde for Grand Duke Paul of Russia "supper" is six kinds of soup, twelve entrées, twelve fish dishes, three roasts, six kinds of fowl, twelve desserts, and "Oriental preserves" all served to the 150 guests by two thousand servants. The Prince de Rohan-Guéménée declares himself bankrupt and cavalierly refers his three thousand creditors to the royal treasury to collect outstanding debts amounting to forty million dollars.
Such episodes are no longer taking place uncommented-upon, however. We see the publication of the sensationally scandalous (and instantly successful) roman à clef Les Liaisons dangereuses, depicting the aristocrats as sybaritic, amoral, and randomly cruel . . . Beamarchais produces his openly anti-monarchist play The Marriage of Figaro . . . Mirabeau, from prison, predicts upheaval. And even the Marquis de La Fayette, himself a member of one of France's oldest families, now
Their Gracious Pleasure begins in 1781. It is a seemingly auspicious year. Across the ocean, France's hereditary enemy, England, has twice been resoundingly defeated: once in the Indies and once by her upstart American colonies. And at home, the King and Queen, after eleven years of childless marriage, have finally given birth to a son, the future Louis XVII.
There is intellectual excitement too: it is the dawn of the century of science, and French thinkers are in the forefront. Two factions compete to "invent" the lighter-than-air balloon: in the provinces, the Montgolfier brothers; in Paris, backed by royal patronage, their rival, a young scientist destined to be even more famous but not for his scientific achievements—Jean-Paul Marat.
In Rouen we hear for the first time another voice to be remembered, in a different context, arguing passionately—and victoriously—for the construction of lightning rods to be built to Benjamin Franklin's specifications. He is Robespierre.
At the same time, we sense the gathering storm. These people are becoming more and more aware of the inequities and excesses, of the hedonistic and decadent lives of the nobility in their châteaus across the country. At a fete given at Chantilly by the Prince and Princesse de Conde for Grand Duke Paul of Russia "supper" is six kinds of soup, twelve entrées, twelve fish dishes, three roasts, six kinds of fowl, twelve desserts, and "Oriental preserves" all served to the 150 guests by two thousand servants. The Prince de Rohan-Guéménée declares himself bankrupt and cavalierly refers his three thousand creditors to the royal treasury to collect outstanding debts amounting to forty million dollars.
Such episodes are no longer taking place uncommented-upon, however. We see the publication of the sensationally scandalous (and instantly successful) roman à clef Les Liaisons dangereuses, depicting the aristocrats as sybaritic, amoral, and randomly cruel . . . Beamarchais produces his openly anti-monarchist play The Marriage of Figaro . . . Mirabeau, from prison, predicts upheaval. And even the Marquis de La Fayette, himself a member of one of France's oldest families, now
- GenresHistoryEuropean History
451 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1976
About the author
Claude Manceron
50 books2 followersNé en 1923, Claude Manceron a contracté la poliomyélite à l'âge de 11 ans, ce qui l'a contraint à rester allonger pendant des années. Adulte, il devient éducateur spécialisé dans un centre pour paralysés. A la fin des années 1950, il publie son premier livre, un roman consacré aux Cent jours. Entré au Comité national des écrivains, il fréquente Aragon et signe le manifeste des 121 contre la guerre d'Algérie. C'est en 1968, installé dans l'Hérault, qu'il entreprend son grand projet sur les hommes qui ont fait la Révolution. Pendant quatre ans, il s'immerge dans les archives. Le premier volume des Hommes de la liberté paraît en 1972, le cinquième en 1987. Il n'ira pas au bout de son projet ; il s'éteint à Rambouillet en 1999. Il a été chargé de mission auprès de François Mitterrand de 1981 à 1995.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 10, 2025
Full of facts via vignettes....tough slog to get through.
March 20, 2013
Another fine addition to the series.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews