Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents viii
3. List of Illustrations x
4. Maps xvi
5. Family Trees xxix
6. Introduction: A Thousand Years of France 1
7. 1 The Gift of God 13
8. 2 Our Good City of Paris 27
9. 3 The Struggle for France 44
10. 4 M. le Cardinal 62
11. 5 The Power of Queens 83
12. 6 Fouquet's Fall 100
13. 7 Making France Work 111
14. 8 The Pursuit of Immortality: The Louvre and Versailles 129
15. 9 Conquering Flanders 148
16. 10 Fighting the Netherlands 162
17. 11 To the Rhine 187
18. 12 The King Outdoors 208
19. 13 Inside Versailles 230
20. 14 Inside Louis XIV 255
21. 15 The Global King: From the Mississippi to the Mekong 279
22. 16 The Huguenot Cataclysm 301
23. 17 England Changes Sides: The Flights of King James 326
24. 18 France against Europe 344
25. 19 Spain Changes Sides: The Accession of King Philip 362
26. 20 The Triumph of Europe 381
27. 21 Towards the Precipice 399
28. 22 Nemesis Averted 412
29. 23 Funeral Games 429
30. 24 The Shadow of Versailles 444
31. Acknowledgements 459
32. Notes 461
33. Bibliography 525
34. Index 573