Storiavoce, un podcast d'Histoire & Civilisations

1715 : la France et le Monde, avec Thierry Sarmant

·48 min·4 clips

Why did historian Thierry Sarmant choose 1715, the year Louis XIV died, to explore a hidden turning point in global history?

Host Christophe Dickès introduces Thierry Sarmant, an historian, archivist, and conservator general at the French National Archives, who has won the Pierre Lafue Foundation prize for his book '1715: La France et le Monde'. Sarmant explains that he chose 1715, the year of Louis XIV's death, not as a intellectual break but as a convenient chronological marker to examine a global moment. He emphasizes that while the West controlled the Americas, it could not yet impose itself militarily on major Eastern empires, creating a historiographical gap between the 16th and 19th centuries. Sarmant details his focus on China, Mughal India, Safavid Persia, and other regions, using French and European testimonies contrasted with local sources. He discusses the relative decline of France due to demographic shifts and lack of colonial emigration, contrasting it with England's rise. The interview explores the nature of global connections in 1715, primarily economic through trade in commodities like tea, coffee, and textiles, with limited cultural exchange. Sarmant argues that intellectual curiosity was largely one-way, from Europe outward, contributing to future Western dominance. He addresses methodological challenges, relying on international historiography, especially Anglo-American works, due to limited French sources on regions like Mughal India. The conversation shifts to Sarmant's later book, 'Histoire des palais', which examines palaces in France from the 5th to 21st centuries as sites of power representation. He describes palaces as living organisms with social, economic, and symbolic functions, highlighting examples like Versailles and the Louvre. Sarmant notes the continuity between monarchical and republican palaces, such as the Élysée, and discusses modern adaptations. The episode concludes with a questionnaire segment where Sarmant shares his historical influences, including Fritz Fischer's work on World War I, and personal reflections on figures like Peter the Great.

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