General Discussions

"Called by many the most enlightened of despots and a true son of Voltaire, he believed in talent and valued loyalty. A skeptic and a pragmatist, he sought to keep the absolute authority of the ancien régime without the wasteful trappings of the old nobility. With this aim in mind he carefully reintegrated the Catholic Church, seeing it as a tool to unify and control the population. A man who did not look kindly on independent thinkers, Napoleon put a ban on political clubs and did not hesitate to banish those who opposed him."

guides.loc.gov

An overview of French women in history and the evolution of the French feminist movement. It includes English and French-language resources, primary sources and covers the Middle Ages, Witch Trials, Ancien Régime, Revolutionary and Modern eras in France.