Revolution in the House. Family, Class and Inheritance in Southern France, 1775-1825.

Darrow,Margaret H.

ISBN 10: 0691055629 / ISBN 13: 9780691055626

Published by Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, 1989

About this Item

Princeton, New Jersey Princeton University Press cm.16,2x24,3, pp.(2),XIV, 279,(1), legatura ed.in tutta tela, titoli in argento al dorso, sopraccoperta. To what extent did the French Revolution revolutionize the French family? In examining the changes in inheritance laws brought on by the Revolution, Margaret Darrow gives a lively account of the mixed effects legislation had on families of this period. As a test case, she has chosen the southern city of Montauban, whose Roman-based law enabling testators to appoint their heirs was contradicted by the new laws instituting equal inheritance. Filled with vivid anecdotes, this book shows how Montauban families in varying social classes adapted their financial strategies to cope with rapidly shifting circumstances, often creating solutions not envisioned by the legislators. With family history as its focus, Revolution in the House also provides a detailed social history of Montauban during the French Revolution. Its sources are archival, and its argument rests upon a statistical study of the making and unmaking of family fortunes across several generations. Darrow shows that in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the transmission of wealth expressed a way of life--on the social, political, religious, and economic levels--not only at the top of society but throughout the entire social order.

Seller Inventory # 230076

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Revolution in the House. Family, Class and Inheritance in Southern France, 1775-1825.
• Publisher: Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey
• Publication Date: 1989
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0691055629
• ISBN 13: 9780691055626
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: BUONO

About this title

Synopsis

To what extent did the French Revolution "revolutionize" the French family? In examining the changes in inheritance laws brought on by the Revolution, Margaret Darrow gives a lively account of the mixed effects legislation had on families of this period. As a test case, she has chosen the southern city of Montauban, whose Roman-based law enabling testators to appoint their heirs was contradicted by the new laws instituting equal inheritance. Filled with vivid anecdotes, this book shows how Montauban families in varying social classes adapted their financial strategies to cope with rapidly shifting circumstances, often creating solutions not envisioned by the legislators. With family history as its focus, Revolution in the House also provides a detailed social history of Montauban during the French Revolution. Its sources are archival, and its argument rests upon a statistical study of the making and unmaking of family fortunes across several generations. Darrow shows that in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the transmission of wealth expressed a way of life--on the social, political, religious, and economic levels--not only at the top of society but throughout the entire social order.

Originally published in 1990.

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About the Author

Darrow is Associate Professor of history at Dartmouth College.