French history nerds, to me

[Delirium]

In its heyday, this forum could always be trusted on to produce an almost infinite amount of knowledge of the obscure. Now let us put it to the test yet again.

For various reasons I am looking for books on the history of France, but written by French scholars. To complicate things, it would have to be an English (or Swedish) translation (my French is not good enough for academic language). My aim is not detailed research but rather a view on general developments in France domestically as well as France's foreign policy, from the Middle Ages through the 18th century in particular.

Any ideas at all? Google has been no help to me, at least.

[Grey Fox]

Contempory scholars of the subject's time or is modern writters okay?

Here's one : http://www.amazon.com/Plantagenet-Empire-1154-1224-Martin-Aurell/dp/0582784395

[Duque de Bragança]

So your time period is l'Ancien Régime. In French, there are a couple of "dictionaries" (not specific rather a a view like you are looking for) about the Ancien Régime, but they will focus from Late Renaissance to the French Revolution.
Seems Ancien Régime is used in English historiography, judging from google and amazon.

In French, Emmanuel Roy-Ladurie would be one historian you would be looking for, big name from the Annales school but has his biases of course (Oex knows more about it). This book is about the latter part of the period you're interested in.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ancien-Regime-History-France-1610-1774/dp/0631211969/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414414465&sr=1-3&keywords=roy-Ladurie
Ancien Regime: History of France, 1610-1774

http://www.amazon.co.uk/French-Royal-1460-1610-History-France/dp/0631170278/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414414465&sr=1-8&keywords=roy-Ladurie
The French Royal State, 1460-1610 (History of France)
Earlier part, but very expensive

No idea of course about the translation quality.

Œxmelin would be more knowledgable about the period and its historians but then he has not been showing up here for quite a while.

[garbon]

Œxmelin would be more knowledgable about the period and its historians but the has been showing up here for quite a while.

Board says he was just online as of an hour ago.

[Berkut]

I have a question that I was wondering about - in general, it seems to me like the history of the French Rebellion and the history of the Napoleonic period in France is largely separated, ie you had the one followed by the other, like they are two separate and distinct periods in French history. Of course, I am a total newb amateur on this, so maybe this is just my own ignorance more than the standard view of the time.

Is there any good source that links them well, and goes into how the fall of the Ancien Regime led to the rise of Napoleon, something that links the two together well?

[Habbaku]

Is there any good source that links them well, and goes into how the fall of the Ancien Regime led to the rise of Napoleon, something that links the two together well?

Closest that I can think, off-hand, that you can get to such a history is reading a biography of Napoleon's early life rather than seeking out a history which combines the two things.  Most histories of the French Revolution and Napoleonic period, as you said, tend to divide the two.  Why not seek a history of the major connecting thread?

[grumbler]

I have a question that I was wondering about - in general, it seems to me like the history of the French Rebellion and the history of the Napoleonic period in France is largely separated, ie you had the one followed by the other, like they are two separate and distinct periods in French history. Of course, I am a total newb amateur on this, so maybe this is just my own ignorance more than the standard view of the time.

Is there any good source that links them well, and goes into how the fall of the Ancien Regime led to the rise of Napoleon, something that links the two together well?

I think that it is rather like the situation with the world wars:  one led to the other, but each is so big a topic that it is hard to deal with both at the same time.  And, in both cases, there was this quasi-period between the two time periods (Thermidorian Reaction and Wiemar Republic) that is neither fish nor fowl, making the linkage even harder.

[Habbaku]

Though at least one excellent writer is making the attempt on the latter :

[Valmy]

I have a question that I was wondering about - in general, it seems to me like the history of the French Rebellion and the history of the Napoleonic period in France is largely separated, ie you had the one followed by the other, like they are two separate and distinct periods in French history. Of course, I am a total newb amateur on this, so maybe this is just my own ignorance more than the standard view of the time.

Is there any good source that links them well, and goes into how the fall of the Ancien Regime led to the rise of Napoleon, something that links the two together well?

I think they are part of the same thing.  Napoleon was completely a product of the Revolution.  The fact he was 20 in 1789 is critical, it hit just as he was starting his military career and his adult life.  His dictatorship justified itself extensively on ideas from the Revolutionary era.  For example his use of plebiscites to show that his will represented the general will of the people.  His heirarchical systems and honors were justified as being for the general good as proscribed by the 'Rights of Man and the Citizen' and so forth (though making them hereditary seems a bit hard to justify but hey ).  Napoleon presented himself as being the product of the Revolution, the end result of the Revolution.  He even said 'I am the Revolution' all Louis XIV like.  Enough French people bought this idea that they wanted to do it again with his Nephew.

That seems ridiculous but if you read the history of the French Revolution until the Coup of 18 Brumaire it makes some sense how they came to that spot.  I think reading on Napoleon's career up to seizing power is a good idea in understanding this.

[Delirium]

Thanks to both Oexmelin (who pm:ed me) and the Duke, will check out your suggestions!