1709: The Twilight of the Sun King

The narrative history of France in 1709 combines scholarship with storytelling, and balances rigor with clarity and accessibility. The account of Louis XIV, the aging king beset by doubts and dangers yet determined to rule during the great crisis of 1709, is a gripping and immersive history of the dark year when Louis XIV and his monarchical state faced a potential military, economic, and political collapse during the War of the Spanish Succession.