Maritime Power and the Power of Money in Louis XIV’s France: Private Finance, the Contractor State, and the French Navy

This book examines how Louis XIV's navy was financed, arguing that the state's spending and efficiency are essential to understanding its effectiveness. It outlines how the French crown depended on fiscal intermediaries and private suppliers, limiting France's strategic possibilities at sea. It also highlights the limitations of the contractor state, demonstrating that early modern navies were too complex and investment-heavy to be entirely outsourced.

Format: Hardback
Length: 294 pages
Publication date: 19 December 2023
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Ltd

Although Louis XIV's navy did not achieve significant victories during the wars of the later seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, it remains one of the largest military institutions of the early modern world at a crucial juncture in the evolution of the modern state and modern warfare. This book delves into the financing of Louis XIV's navy, arguing that the state's spending patterns and the efficiency and accountability of those expenditures hold paramount importance in understanding the effectiveness of a military system. It outlines how the French crown relied on fiscal intermediaries and private suppliers, explores how the state's inability to regulate and monitor the spending and activities of its contractors severely constrained France's strategic options at sea, and discusses how these structural issues gradually emerged as the state's financial situation deteriorated.

The book contextualizes the activities of the French navy within the broader context of the wars of the period, highlighting the necessity for France to prioritize the funding of its army. Overall, the book sheds light on the limitations of the contractor state, demonstrating that early modern navies were both complex and investment-heavy, making complete outsourcing impractical.

Weight: 590g
Dimension: 163 x 242 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781837650545