This work investigates the political and social role of the French episcopate during the transition from the Ancien Régime to the French Revolution. Nigel Aston, a specialist in eighteenth-century religious history, utilizes extensive archival research to examine how the bishops navigated the collapse of traditional power structures. The book argues that the episcopate was not a monolithic entity but a complex group of individuals whose political choices significantly influenced the early trajectory of the revolutionary period.

Historians recognize this monograph as a foundational text for understanding the clerical response to the French Revolution. Scholars frequently cite the work for its rigorous archival methodology and its nuanced portrayal of the French church hierarchy during a period of systemic collapse.