A culmination of Belloc's career
Monarchy was written in 1938, only a few years before his debilitating stroke and of the same era as his books on the Reformation which, of all his historical works, have proved longest-lasting.
Whether the adulation Belloc shows for Louis is earned is questionable. Belloc was known for placing more hope certain figures than they actually earned, especially among his fellow Gauls. Napoleon, to Belloc, was a man who could have brought moral unity back to Europe lost in the Reformation; Danton was in charge of reestablishing the norm of government in the French state. These are very generous interpretations of the works of these men, and one wonders if Belloc isn't doing the same to King Louis. We get surprisingly little of Louis in the course of this long work, few of his actual statements, little of his actual way of thought. Belloc is quick to speculate about Louis' attachment to Mary Mancini, calling it a love that few mere mortals experience. He constantly refers to Louis as the proponent of the Catholic cause and stalwart against the Protestant money power. Whether Louis actually knew he held these affections and roles is questionable.
The description of the political struggles undertaken in the latter part of Louis' reign is probably the book's greatest aspect. The War of Spanish Succession is made coherent by Belloc, which is something more history textbooks fail at.
Still, while it is not Belloc's greatest work--it is too much Belloc, and too little Louis--it is essential to any real fan of Belloc. I am surprised it slipped under my radar so long. While his military writing, political analysis, and biographical detail is done better elsewhere, Monarchy still feels like a culminating work, and Louis, even if an inapt subject, in idealized form takes on the role of a summum of Belloc's beliefs and hopes. The introduction by Mr. Buck is not incredibly helpful, and not worth the price of admission, if you can find an older edition of the book.
