This analysis of French society from 1600 to 1750, covering four reigns, three regencies and five generations, aims to cast fresh light on a traditional society. The book describes and interprets the social, economic and demographic factors of that era: the nobility, the bourgeoisie, revenue and its sources, attitudes, cultures, popular belief, rural and urban societies. The author's controversial central thesis, based on 25 years of research, is that the ancien regime was essentially a continuation of the Middle Ages.