Louis XI et Les États Pontificaux de France au XVe siècle

The work reconstructs political, economic, and diplomatic relations between the French crown and the papal temporal territories in southern France in the fifteenth century, relying on largely unpublished archival correspondence. It surveys Avignon and the Comtat as commercial crossroads linked to neighboring provinces, explores the effects of schism and local conflicts, and follows the dauphin’s and king’s successive efforts to assert influence through diplomacy, protection, and pressure. Municipal registers, ambassadorial instructions, and royal correspondence are used to trace a coherent, sometimes coercive policy toward papal subjects and to explain why these archives remained little exploited until later access was obtained.