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| - ETUDE PROSOPOGRAPHIQUE DES FAMILLES FOURNISSANT AU XVIIIE SIECLE LE MAGISTRAT D'UNE PETITE VILLE DU SUD-OUEST DE LA FRANCE : BERGERAC. CELLE-CI, SITUEE SUR LA MOYENNE VALLEE DE LA DORDOGNE, A ETE PLACE DE SURETE PROTESTANTE DE 1598 A 1621, ET LES MESURES QUI ONT ACCOMPAGNE LA REVOCATION DE L'EDIT DE NANTES ONT ECARTE EN PRINCIPE LES ANCIENNES ELITES DES RESPONSABILITES. DE NOUVELLES ELITES, CATHOLIQUES, ONT ALORS ETE PROMUES : ELLES EXERCENT LE POUVOIR JUSQU'EN 1790. LES PROCEDURES CHOISIES POUR DESIGNER LES MAGISTRATS MUNICIPAUX FAVORISENT L'OLIGARCHISATION. ELLE PROVOQUE UNE CRISE POLITIQUE AU MILIEU DU SIECLE DONT LES CONSEQUENCES DEBORDENT LARGEMENT LE CADRE BERGERACOIS. ENTRE SUBORDINATION ET RESISTANCE, L'EXERCICE DU POUVOIR LOCAL EST ETROITEMENT LIMITE, ET LES MAGISTRATS SE CONSACRENT AVANT TOUT A MAINTENIR LES PRIVILEGES ANCIENS ET A SAUVEGARDER L'IMAGE DU POUVOIR. SOCIALEMENT, LES CONSULS SONT POUR L'ESSENTIEL ISSUS DE LA BOURGEOISIE. LEURS FORTUNES, RELATIVEMENT HETEROGENES, NE FIGURENT PAS EN GENERAL PARMI LES PLUS GROSSES FORTUNES LOCALES, SOUVENT PROTESTANTES. L'ETUDE PROSOPOGRAPHIQUE MONTRE QUE LA MAJORITE D'ENTRE-EUX APPARTIENT EN FAIT A UN PETIT NOMBRE DE PARENTELES AUX RAMIFICATIONS TENTACULAIRES QUI MAITRISENT DIFFERENTS LIEUX DE POUVOIR. ELLES ASSOCIENT ROBINS, MARCHANDS ET PETITS NOBLES, CATHOLIQUES ET PROTESTANTS. DOMINANT TOUTES LES AUTRES, CELLE DES GONTIER DE BIRAN MOMOPOLISE LES LIEUX DU POUVOIR LOCAL PENDANT UNE GRANDE PARTIE DU SIECLE. MEDIOCRITE CULTURELLE ET CONFORMISME RELIGIEUX, DONT NE S'ECARTENT QUE QUELQUES INDIVIDUALITES, DEFINISSENT L'UNIVERS MENTAL DES ELITES. POURTANT, DANS LA DEUXIEME MOITIE DU SIECLE, LA CREATION DE SOCIETES DE PENSEE FAVORISE L'EVOLUTION DES IDEES, TANDIS QUE S'AMORCE UNE RECOMPOSITION DES ELITES. LA REVOLUTION PERMET AUX BOURGEOIS PROTESTANTS DE REINTEGRER LA CLASSE POLITIQUE QUI MELE DESORMAIS, ET JUSQU'EN 1870, DES NOTABLES ISSUS DES FAMILLES CONSULAIRES DES XVIIE ET XVIIIE SIECLES.
- A STUDY OF THE LIVES OF THE FAMILIES WHICH PROVIDED MAGISTRATES IN A SMALL TOWN OF SOUTH-WEST FRANCE IN THE 18TH. CENTURY : BERGERAC. LOCATED HALF-WAY UP THE DORDOGNE-VALLEY, BERGERAC REMAINED A PROTESTANT STRONGHOLD FROM 1598 TO 1621. THE MEASURES WHICH FOLLOWED THE REPEAL OF THE EDICT OF NANTES THEORETICALLY REMOVED THE FORMER ELITES FROM POSITIONS OF REPONSABILITY. NEW, CATHOLIC ELITES WERE THEN PROMOTED : THEY WERE TO RULE UNTIL 1790. THE PROCEDURES FOR APPOINTING TOWN OFFICIALS FAVOUR THE EMERGENCE OF OLIGARCHIES. THIS WAS TO BRING ABOUT A POLITICAL CRISIS, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CENTURY, WITH REPERCUSSIONS SPREADING FAR BEYOND THE BERGERAC AREA. A COMBINATION OF SUBSERVIENCE AND RESISTANCE CONSIDERABLY RESTRICTED THE EXERCISE OF LOCAL POWER, AND MAGISTRATES DEVOTED THEIR ENERGIES TO PRESERVING ANCIENT PRIVILEGES AND PROTECTING THE IMAGE OF POWER. SOCIALLY SPEAKING MOST ALDERMEN COME FROM THE BOURGEOISIE. THEIR RELATIVELY HETEROGENEOUS WEALTH IS NOT IN MOST CASES TO BE FOUND AMONG THE HUGE LOCAL FORTUNES, OFTEN HELD BY PROTESTANTS. THIS BIOGRAPHICAL SURVEY REVEALS THAT MOST MAGISTRATES, IN FACT BELONG TO A SMALL GROUP OF KINSHIP NETWORKS WITH NUMEROUS BRANCHES ENABLING THEM TO CONTROL THE VARIOUS CENTRES OF POWER. THEY INCLUDE LAWYERS, TRADESMEN, THE LESSER NOBILITY, BOTH CATHOLIC AND PROTESTANT. THE GONTIER DE BIRAN FAMILY OVERSHADOWS ALL OTHERS AND REIGNS SUPREME OVER ALL CENTRES OF POWER DURING MOST OF THE CENTURY. THE INTELLECTUAL WORLD OF THESE ELITES IS CHARACTERIZED BY CULTURAL MEDIOCRITY AND RELIGIOUS CONFORMITY, WITH VERY FEW INDIVIDUALS STANDING APART. HOWEVER, IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE CENTURY THE CREATION OF CLUBS CONTRIBUTES TO A DEVELOPMENT OF IDEAS, WHILE A RESTRUCTURING OF THE ELITE IS BEGINNING TO TAKE SHAPE. THE FRENCH REVOLUTION WAS TO ENABLE THE PROTESTANT BOURGEOISIE TO BE READMITTED INTO THE POLITICAL CLASS WHICH, HENCEFORTH INCLUDES, TILL 1870, WORTHIES FROM THE 17TH. AND 18TH. CENTURY MAGISTRATES'FAMILIES.
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