Nicolas Foucquet, surintendant des finances

A detailed archival biography traces the family background, administrative career, and political entanglements of Nicolas Foucquet, focusing on his roles in provincial and royal administration, his accumulation of wealth and patronage exemplified by his lavish estate, and the rivalry and legal actions that ended in his long imprisonment. The work situates his life within broader financial and institutional history, analyzes the administration of revenue, the emergence of intendants, commercial companies, and high politics, and draws on extensive primary sources, notes, and specialized chapters to reassess contested aspects of his trial and reputation.