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Purchasing Dunkirk: Commerce, Diplomacy, and Absolutist Empire in England and France

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 April 2023

Brendan Gillis Open the ORCID record for Brendan Gillis [Opens in a new window]
Brendan Gillis*
Affiliation:
American Historical Association / Lamar University
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Abstract

This article considers Louis XIV's purchase of Dunkirk from Charles II in 1662 as a case study in the interwoven histories of monarchy and empire. In France and England, proponents of absolutism sought to broaden definitions of conquest to encompass both diplomacy and commerce. It proved nearly impossible to bring the concept of buying or selling a town into congruence with grand dynastic designs. Analyzing diplomatic correspondence and royal history alongside an array of artistic representations, I contend, underscores the extent to which ideals of kingship collided with imperial and commercial concerns, as early modern states adapted to the realities of an interconnected seventeenth-century world.

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Article
Information
Renaissance Quarterly , Volume 76 , Issue 1 , Spring 2023 , pp. 166 - 203
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Renaissance Society of America

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Footnotes

I am deeply grateful to Hall Bjørnstad, who graciously accommodated a history graduate student in a class on the art and literature of absolutism in early modern France and first inspired me to tackle this project. I am also indebted to Rebecca Boone, William Brown, Stephanie Koscak, and Dror Wahrman for their generosity in sharing thoughts and feedback along the way.

References

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