Aulica No 15 - Le Siècle du Célibat. Des célibataires nobles en France au XVIIe siècle
Juliette Eyméoud, Le Siècle du Célibat. Des célibataires nobles en France au XVIIe siècle, preface of Élie Haddad, joint publication Centre de recherche du château de Versailles / Presses universitaires de Rennes (“Histoire” collection, “Aulica. L’Univers de la cour” series), January 2025, 16,5 × 24 cm, 304 pages, index, €25 (ISBN: 978-2-7535-9664-1).
Abstract
Why did the noblemen of the 17th century choose a life of celibacy for half of their children? What was life like for an unmarried nobleman in France during the Grand Siècle? A life of celibacy may seem isolated and lonely, but did it in fact offer, on the contrary, an active life surrounded by other people? What were unmarried people called in France at the time, when the French word for bachelor did not yet exist?
The book answers these questions, viewing the 17th century as a kind of factory for unmarried noblemen and women, and offering a consideration of the very definition of celibacy in the early modern period, which can vary according to the gender and vocation (religious or otherwise) of each individual. To bring substance to this story of a forgotten social group, the multi-layered study ranges from how noble houses were organised to individual portraits of men and women destined for a life of celibacy. It sheds new light on the socio-economic history of French 17th century nobility, combining an analysis of the structural phenomena with the story of everyday lives and feelings.
Juliette Eyméoud holds a PhD in modern history from École des hautes études en sciences sociales and is a Curator of Public Libraries.
To order the book
Presses universitaires de Rennes
Podcast
Juliette Eyméoud appeared in the podcast “Le cours de l’histoire” (France Culture program), series “Célibat, des histoires au singulier”, episode 2/4: Nobles et érudits pour un célibat choisi! (58 min) (in French).
