CONTENTS

Preface viii

Introduction 1

1 The formation of the European state system 9

2 The foundation and development of European monarchy 42

3 The state and its competitors 115

4 The revolutions of the sixteenth century and their consequences 146

5 Absolutism and constitutionalism 190

6 The state and the Enlightenment 236

Conclusion: The state of the Old Regime and its legacy 257

References 262

Index 286