History

This course offers an introduction to the evolution of the French monarchy from the sixteenth to the seventeenth century, a period marked by profound political, institutional, and administrative transformations. It examines the foundations of royal authority in the sixteenth century and traces the development of absolutism under the kings of the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Attention is given to the principles of sovereignty, the institutional structures supporting monarchical power, and the central role of the curia regis in shaping royal governance. The course also explores how royal authority was exercised in the provinces, the mechanisms through which the monarchy expanded and consolidated its power, and the financial and fiscal systems that sustained the state. Finally, it analyzes the formation and evolution of the royal army as a key instrument of monarchical authority. Together, these perspectives provide a comprehensive understanding of the political and institutional foundations of early modern France.

This course studies the history of civilization in the United Kingdom. The first part of the course examines the development of British politics, society, and empire. It discusses the Glorious Revolution of 1688-1689 which paved the way for parliamentary monarchy; political life (parties, elections) and the political and social integration of Scotland into Great Britain as important elements in the construction of British identity; and commercial growth and imperial expansion, in particular slavery and abolitionism (the movement against the slave trade) at the end of the century. The second part of the course studies various movements, tendencies, and artistic modes to analyze the question of representation of the nation and the empire. Topics include satirical engravings, caricatures, landscape paintings, war paintings, architectural elements, clothing, and musical works. It explores how the vision that the British had of their nation and their empire, from the 18th century to the 20th century, evolved within what can be called a "display culture."

The course is part of the LM degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrolment is by consent of the instructor. The course offers a multifaceted portrait of a world in deep transition. Students are expected to become familiar with a truly comparative and global approach to the complex forces that drove global change during the "long nineteenth century." The course highlights constitutional issues, structures, and models of education, the construction of nation states and empires in a comparative perspective, as well as the relationships between human beings and nature and gender relations. The focus of the course is food history, which has provided stimulating perspectives on the global history of the long 19th Century.