Elite service culture at court and in the field: Fidelity, generosity, and honour in the eighteenth-century Maison militaire du Roi

The Maison militaire du Roi was the collective name commonly given during and after the reign of Louis XIV to the units, both cavalry and infantry, of the royal household troops. The Maison has remained a scholarly lacuna, and this study strives to fill it, clearing up confusion about even basic issues concerning the institution, while also using it as a window through which to shed light on broader questions, most importantly ancien regime conceptions of noble service.;Their culture of service clearly looked to the past rather than to the future for its inspiration. Traditional noble virtues, such as generosity, zeal, and--above all--fidelity were central to this culture, and the term "feudal" is in many ways an appropriate one in describing it, both in theory and in practice. Classical models, particularly those of republican Rome, also influenced the way Maison members conceived of their role. The noble character of Maison culture meant that within it there was frequent preoccupation with questions of precedence and rank; disputes over these matters reveal much about how Maison members viewed their role, both at court and in the field.;Both of these influences, the feudal and the classical, gave a prominent place to the attribute of fidelity. This thesis thus devotes some time to an analysis of both the concept itself and the current scholarly controversies surrounding it. The interpretation advanced here emphasizes that fidelity in this context is best understood as a moral virtue practiced by keeping one's promises or commitments. Its motives are various, among which affection and admiration for the one who receives the promise are naturally prominent and frequent but not indispensable.;The Maison was not a socially uniform institution, and this may explain the varied reactions of Maison members to the Revolution, one of the topics discussed here. Before then, however, the sentiments and values of the institution were defined by those of its members bred in a noble tradition of martial service. How this tradition was understood, expressed, and lived by Maison members is the focus of this thesis.