Knecht, R. J. (Robert Jean)

Overview

Works:	74 works in 392 publications in 5 languages and 7,478 library holdings
Genres:	History Biographies Church history Bibliography Military history Bibliographies Genealogy Festschriften
Roles:	Author, Editor, Creator, Author of introduction
Classifications:	DC113, B

Publication Timeline

Most widely held works by R. J Knecht

Francis I by R. J Knecht( Book )

26 editions published between 982 and 2005 in English and Undetermined and held by 802 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Francis I, king of France from 1515 to 1547, has not always been treated by posterity with the seriousness he deserves. The French historian Jules Michelet (b. 1798?d. 1874), who has exerted a long-standing influence on popular notions of the past among his countrymen, dismissed him as a?fine talker? who allowed himself to be ruled by women, principally his mother and sister. As a child of the French Revolution, Michelet despised Francis for not having assumed leadership of the Protestant revolt against the Roman Catholic Church. Francis has also been largely eclipsed by the brilliance of the Sun King, Louis XIV. But all this has now changed. Since the 1950s there has been a revival of interest in the Renaissance and the Reformation. Francis was a central figure in both. As king, he laid the foundations of the?absolute? monarchy that was to flourish in the next century under Louis XIV. Though not entirely successful in his long struggle with the Holy Roman emperor Charles V, Francis successfully resisted his claim to the duchy of Burgundy, which, if conceded, would have dismantled the kingdom of France. Faced by the challenge of the Protestant Reformation that shattered the religious unity of his kingdom, Francis took the fateful decision to uphold the Catholic faith. He also supported some of the earliest French expeditions to the New World. On the cultural level, his legacy was second to none. Presiding over the most magnificent court north of the Alps, in which women assumed a more significant presence than in the past, he built numerous châteaus, patronized some of the most illustrious artists of his day, built up a superb library, and paved the way for the prestigious Collège de France in Paris?not a bad record for a ruler once dismissed as a lightweight

Renaissance warrior and patron : the reign of Francis I by R. J Knecht( Book )

30 editions published between 1994 and 2014 in English and French and held by 732 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

This book offers a full and comprehensive account of one of the most colourful and formative reigns in French history, that of Francis I (1515-47), and is published to coincide with the 500th anniversary of his birth in September 1494. Francis was the contemporary and rival of Henry VIII of England and of the Habsburg Emperor Charles V. He was also an outstanding patron of the arts and of learning, and the builder of world-famous chateaux such as Chambord and Fontainebleau. Professor Knecht aims to do justice to all aspects of Francis's rich cultural legacy, and takes into account much recent research on the king's administration, and financial and religious policies. The king's ambivalence towards the challenge of Protestantism also offers the historian scope for controversy, as does the overall nature of his rule: how far was Francis an absolute monarch? In the course of examining such aspects, Knecht surveys the economy and society of France during the Renaissance, as well as the political background of wars in Italy and of the rivalry between Francis I and Charles V. This book is a completely revised version of Knecht's earlier study of the king, Francis I, first published in 1982 and for many years the standard work on the subject. That edition is now superseded by this substantially larger work, in which much new written and illustrative material has been included. No other English work on the subject is as up-to-date or as authoritative

The French wars of religion, 1559-1598 by R. J Knecht( Book )

37 editions published between 1989 and 2017 in English and held by 673 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

This text provides a concise study of the French Wars of Religion. The second edition has been revised to include a new chapter on Huguenot survival and resistance and the chapter on the Massacre of St Bartholemew has been completely rewritten in the light of recent research

Richelieu by R. J Knecht( Book )

31 editions published between 1991 and 2014 in 5 languages and held by 619 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Cold, clever and ruthless, Richelieu governed France for 18 years until his death. Recent interpretations have been more favourable, and in this study, the author uses recent research to reassess his career and achievements

Catherine De' Medici by R. J Knecht( Book )

19 editions published between 1997 and 2014 in English and French and held by 547 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Wealth and power in Tudor England : essays presented to S.T. Bindoff by S. T Bindoff( Book )

6 editions published in 1978 in English and held by 543 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

The French Renaissance court, 1483-1589 by R. J Knecht( Book )

11 editions published in 2008 in English and held by 505 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

The court of France in the 16th century has often been seen merely as a focus of political intrigue and conflict, but it was also a cultural centre in which the visual arts, music, literature and sport flourished. This book traces the court's evolution from a nomadic institution to a more sedentary and inspiring one

The French civil wars, 1562-1598 by R. J Knecht( Book )

17 editions published between 2000 and 2016 in English and Undetermined and held by 470 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

This text is a new account of the French Civil Wars, explaining both conflicts and the attempts for peace in early modern France

French Renaissance monarchy : Francis I and Henry II by R. J Knecht( Book )

22 editions published between 1984 and 1996 in English and held by 445 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Discusses the government and political history of France during the first half of the sixteenth century

Hero or tyrant? : Henry III, King of France, 1574-89 by R. J Knecht( )

17 editions published between 2014 and 2016 in English and held by 414 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

King Henry III of France has not suffered well at the hands of posterity. Generally depicted as at best a self-indulgent, ineffectual ruler, and at worst a debauched tyrant responsible for a series of catastrophic political blunders, his reputation has long been a poor one. Yet recent scholarship has begun to question the validity of this judgment and look for a more rounded assessment of the man and his reign. For, as this new biography of Henry demonstrates, there is far more to this fascinating monarch than the pantomime villain depicted by previous generations of historians and novelists. Based upon a rich and diverse range of primary sources, this book traces Henry's life from his birth in 1551, the sixth child of Henri II and Catherine de' Medici. It following his upbringing as the Wars of Religion began to tear France apart, his election as king of Poland in 1573, and his assumption of the French crown a year later following the death of his brother Charles IX. The first English-language biography of Henry for over 150 years, this study thoroughly and dispassionately reassesses his life in light of recent scholarship and in the context of broader European diplomatic, political and religious history. In so doing the book not only provides a more nuanced portrait of the monarch himself, but also helps us better understand the history of France during this traumatic time.--

The Valois : kings of France, 1328-1589 by R. J Knecht( Book )

21 editions published between 2004 and 2008 in English and held by 327 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

"The house of Valois ruled France for 250 years, playing a crucial role in its establishment as a major European power. When Philip VI came to the throne, in 1328, France was a weak country, with much of its modern area under English rule. Victory in the Hundred Years War, and the acquisition of Brittany and much of Burgundy, combined with a growing population and taxable wealth, made the France of Francis I the only power in Europe capable of rivalling the Habsburg empire of Charles V. Francis displayed his power by spectacular artistic patronage and aggressive foreign wars. Following the death of Henry II in a tournament, the problems of two royal minorities and the divisive forces of the Reformation led to the temporary eclipse of royal power. By the time the last Valois, Henry III, was stabbed to death by a Dominican friar in 1589, the dynasty was discredited but the monarchy survived, providing the foundations for the Bourbons to build on."--BOOK JACKET

The rise and fall of Renaissance France : 1483-1610 by R. J Knecht( Book )

9 editions published in 2001 in English and held by 318 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

This text describes the rise and fall of France in the 16th century. Drawing on more than 40 years of research into primary and secondary sources, Knecht combines narrative with analysis, whilst also reflecting on the cultural, economic and social contexts in which events occurred

Francis I and absolute monarchy by R. J Knecht( Book )

11 editions published between 1968 and 1984 in English and held by 245 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

The rise and fall of Renaissance France, 1483-1610 by R. J Knecht( Book )

13 editions published between 1966 and 2016 in English and held by 192 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

"The Renaissance in France, as elsewhere in Europe, saw glory crowned amidst conflict and squalor. At the beginning of the sixteenth century, France seemed set to become the most powerful nation in Europe, but as the century ebbed so did her fortunes. In between, during a century of more or less permanent combat which murdered the dreams, comforts and relatives of many Frenchmen and saw a soaring economy shot down, some of the greatest building, painting and thinking to come out of the whole European Renaissance was being done. Sixteenth century France was a colourful, confusing and often downright fatal habitat, and we moderns might profitably look on the complexity of its successes and failures, to which Professor Knecht is a matchlessly illuminating and genial guide."--BOOK JACKET

The French religious wars, 1562-1598 by R. J Knecht( Book )

8 editions published between 2002 and 2014 in English and held by 152 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

The eight French Wars of Religion began in 1562 and lasted for 36 years. Although the wars were fought between Catholics and Protestants, this books draws out in full the equally important struggle for power between the king and the leading nobles, and the rivalry between the nobles themselves as they vied for control of the king. In a time when human life counted for little, the destruction reached its height in the St Bartholomew's Day Massacre when up to 10,000 Protestants lost their lives

The Fronde by R. J Knecht( Book )

9 editions published between 1975 and 1992 in English and held by 115 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Francis I and Sixteenth-Century France by R. J Knecht( Book )

5 editions published between 2015 and 2020 in English and held by 63 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

The reputation of Francis I, king of France (1515-47 ) has fluctuated over the centuries. Acclaimed as noble and great in the sixteenth century, he came to be unfairly denigrated under the Bourbon kings and the republic. But, in the twentieth century, research based on archival material has restored his standing as one of the most important rulers of his age. 0The present volume brings together seventeen articles by Robert Knecht published over several decades on particular aspects of the reign, with three specially translated from French into English. They examine the period in more depth than was possible in the author's 1994 biography of Francis I, and include studies of the Concordat of 1516 with the papacy, the Field of Cloth of Gold in 1520, the lit-de-justice of 1527, and the visit to France of the Emperor Charles V in 1540. Other articles consider the kings attitude to the Reformation, his court, his relations with Paris and visits to Aquitaine, his patronage of architecture as demonstrated by his building of the château of Fontainebleau, and his relations with his mother, Louise of Savoy, and sister, Marguerite dAngoulême. The kings love of books and the political advice he received from scholars are also considered as well as the extent of his absolutism. Two articles compare the English and French Reformations and the nobilities of the two countries. The volume is intended as a contribution to the celebration of the 500th anniversary of Francis Is accession

French Renaissance monarchy: Francis 1. and Henry 2. by R. J Knecht( )

7 editions published between 1984 and 2014 in English and Undetermined and held by 47 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

First published in 1984, Professor Knecht's study quickly established itself as the best short account of the period. The reigns of Francis I and Henry II, spanning the first half of the sixteenth century, are one of the most colourful and formative periods of French history. In addition to examining the nature and effectiveness of their reigns, Professor Knecht also examines their foreign policies which brought them into conflict with other major powers. For this new edition the author has added a new chapter on patronage and the arts

The voyage of Sir Nicholas Carewe to the Emperor Charles V in the year 1529 by Thomas Wall( Book )

5 editions published in 1959 in English and held by 46 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Richelieu by R. J Knecht( )

3 editions published between 2007 and 2009 in Spanish and held by 34 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Diabólico y papista a la vez, hasta mediados del siglo XX, ésta fue la percepción más común entre el público anglosajón acerca de Richelieu. Frío, astuto y despiadado, gobernaría Francia durante dieciocho años hasta su muerte. Estudios recientes han tenido como resultado una visión más favorable del personaje, y con este incisivo trabajo R. J. Knecht se vale de nuevas investigaciones para reescribir su carrera y logros. Centrándose en su trayectoria política, se nos muestra la naturaleza y mecanismos de poder del cardenal, y cómo éste los empleó, abarcando: su llegada al poder y la oposición que encontró, sus relaciones con la alta nobleza y los potestantes su influencia en la economía gestión de asuntos internacionales y de guerra uso de la propaganda su participación en la conformación del absolutismo en Francia y el mecenazgo en las artes y las letras