The future Louis XVI was born at Versailles in August 1754. Louis-Auguste was a keen student of language and history. The financial state of France was in the toilet, and Louis XVI, without any previous political experience, was responsible for fixing it. This French Revolution site contains articles, sources and perspectives on events in France between 1781 and 1795. By late 1792 they had resolved to put the king on trial, not before an independent court but before the Convention itself. The papers were used by enemies to claim the former king had engaged in counter-revolutionary activity. In 1776, Louis XIV saw an opportunity to humiliate Britain and recover the lost French territories in the Seven Years’ War by supporting the United States in the American Revolutionary War. Louis restored the position of the French parlements (provincial courts) which Louis XV had tried to reduce. This confrontation would be repeated during his grandson’s reign. Marie Antoinette received much of the public's blame for the lack of children in the early years of their marriage. 5. Contemporary reports suggest he went to his death bravely – but bravery, unlike good judgement, was never a quality that Louis lacked in life. During the revolution he lost his kingdom and then his life. At the age of four years and eight months, he was, according to the laws of the kingdom, not only the master but the owner of the bodies and property of 19 million subjects. Louis XVI: Childhood. The historian John Hardman has argued that the rejection of Calonne’s reforms, which Louis had given personal backing, led to the king's nervous breakdown, from which he never had time to recover. He was an expert on the French Navy and a devotee of mechanics and engineering, although this may be overemphasized by historians. He was the second son of Louis, Dauphin of France, and his German-born wife Maria Josepha. Louis underwent surgery to correct this problem but Antoinette did not conceive a child until eight years after their marriage. The French economy struggled under Louis XVI due to large debt and massive expenses. King Louis XVI’s people called him the “Liberating King” for his support of the American Revolution, so how did he end up beheaded at the guillotine? His overthrow and execution ended a monarchy that was over 1,000 years old, although he was not the last … The statue of King Louis (“Loo-ee”) the 16th of France that stands outside the Jefferson County Courthouse in downtown Louisville turned 190 years old in 2019 and marked its 50th year in Louisville in 2017. The young Louis XVI was moderately intelligent, aware of his royal responsibilities and alert to the need for strong leadership – but he proved a mediocre king, relying excessively on his advisors and showing insufficient interest in the business of state. In this way, Louis undermined his own position among the aristocracy. He was guillotined in 1793. The statue is 12 feet tall and weighs 9 tons. $3.20 shipping. Ascending the throne in 1774, Louis inherited a realm driven nearly bankrupt through the opulence of his predecessors Louis XIV and XV. * Marie-Antoinette was Louis XVI’s spouse, and their child was Louis XVII. 1754-1793. Louis XVI - Louis XVI was king of France when the French Revolution began. The result was a regime riven by factions and lacking a clear direction. But others simply saw the need for a republic and the deputies who supported a constitutional monarchy suffered. He allowed the attempted reforms of Turgot at the start and promoted the outsider Jacques Necker to be finance minister, but he consistently failed to either take a strong role in government or to appoint someone like a prime minister to take one. After his mother died shortly after his father, Louis' tutors did a poor job of training him to be a m… The former king and his lawyers mounted a staunch defence to the charges levied by the Convention – but the guilty verdict was probably a foregone conclusion. The union was orchestrated by his grandfather, Louis XV, and the bride’s powerful mother, Maria Theresa, to secure a lasting alliance between France and Austria. With better judgement, he might have overseen France’s transition to a constitutional monarchy. King Louis XVI didn’t exactly rise to power in a perfect throne. This declaration is often understood as damaging him; in fact, it gave constructive criticism on aspects of the revolutionary government that deputies tried to work into the new constitution before being blocked. The position of the monarchy was further eroded and Louis began to hope for a settlement that would mimic the English system. Ask this question of someone with a rudimentary understanding of history and chances are they would name King Louis XVI (1754-1793). When fleeing, Louis left behind a declaration. $114.60. Date published: May 5, 2017 He wanted a constitutional monarchy. Historian Hilaire Belloc on Louis XVI’s character and personality (1911). Here is his last will and testament, written a month previous on Christmas Day. From 1789 the king’s fate was determined by the events of the revolution. In 1789, in a last-ditch attempt to resolve his countrys financial crisis, Louis assembled the States-General, a national assembly that represented the three estates of the French peoplethe nobles, the clergy, and the commons. Louis was a strong student nevertheless, excelling in history and languages. The French Revolution was precipitated by a financial crisis. Free shipping. He was found guilty—the only, inevitable result—and narrowly condemned to death. The gathering of the Estates-General soon turned revolutionary. He wisely accepted much of this advice, however, attempts at reform were blocked by obstinate nobles in the parlements and the Assembly of Notables. When his mother died in 1767, the now-orphaned Louis grew close to his grandfather, the reigning king. As general frustration with Louis grew, he was forced to move to Paris, where he was effectively imprisoned. Hardman argues that the crisis changed the king’s personality, leaving him sentimental, weepy, distant, and depressed. He excelled at technical subjects and was deeply interested in geography, but historians are unsure about his level of intelligence. In a more settled age, he might have made a capable old regime ruler. Louis XVI (born Louis-Auguste; August 23, 1754–January 21, 1793) was the French king whose reign collapsed because of the French Revolution. This earned him public popularity but obstructed royal power. Louis was put on trial. An avid hunter like his grandfather Louis XV, the prince also studied locksmithing as a useful hobby. Louis was now forced to accept a constitution neither he, nor few other people, really believed in. To-day, the 25th day of December, 17 ———— Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were guillotined on January 21 and October 16, 1793. Of course, it was in the Reign of King Louis XVI that the French Revolution began in 1789 and started a startling course of events that would ultimately reshape France and much of Europe.Author John Hardman traces Louis's extraordinary life from his birth through to … His failure to grasp the situation and to compromise, coupled with his requests for foreign intervention, were factors that led to his execution by guillotine and the creation of the new republic. At the time of his birth, Louis was third in line to the throne, behind his father and older brother. The French Revolution unfolded under his rule and eventually toppled him from power. He was aloof and reserved, but possessed a genuine interest in the affairs of his kingdom, both internal and external. Louis was prepared to turn France into a constitutional monarchy, and in order to do so, because the Assembly of Notables proved to be unwilling, Louis called an Estates-General. URL: https://alphahistory.com/frenchrevolution/louis-xvi/ $229.00. or Best Offer. He was eager to weaken Britain, France's longtime enemy, and to restore French confidence in their military. When proposals were finally put forward to the Estates, it had already formed into a National Assembly. Five years later, Louis entered into an arranged marriage with Marie Antoinette, a 14-year-old Austrian princess. In May 1774, Louis XV died and his grandson ascended to the throne, aged 19. Title: “Louis XVI” Louis also used his veto—and in doing so walked into a trap set by deputies who wished to damage the king by making him veto. The Bastille. While there is no doubt that Louis’ leadership and political judgement were lacking, it is simplistic and unfair to attribute the revolution to his errors alone. Because of this, the young prince was sidelined and not trained for royal duties. Louis believed France needed a constitutional monarchy in which he had an equal say in government. Louis was determined not to use the war as a way of grabbing new territory for France. He was the second son of Louis, Dauphin of France, and his German-born wife Maria Josepha. The ideology of absolute rule was collapsing in France, but at the same time it was Louis who consciously entered into the American Revolutionary War, incurring debt, and it was Louis whose indecision and mangled attempts at governing alienated the Third Estate deputies and provoked the first creation of the National Assembly. | May 21, 2013. Authors: John Rae, Steve Thompson Built in the 1300s during the Hundred Years’ War against the English, the Bastille was … The king might have retained both his throne and his life had he understood the revolution, accepted its inevitability and showed appropriate judgement. His parents expected his older brother, Louis duc de Bourgogne, to inherit the throne. The government passed to a National Convention, which abandoned the 1791 constitution, abolished the monarchy and initiated a French republic. Louis XVI, 1781 © Louis was king of France when the monarchy was overthrown during the French Revolution. Copyright: The content on this page may not be republished without our express permission. As the revolution progressed, Louis remained opposed to many of the changes desired by the deputies, privately believing that the revolution would run its course and the status quo would return. The king was removed from power in August 1792, sent for trial in December and executed in January 1793. $199.99. Louis XVI (23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the King of France from 1774 until 1792, when the monarchy was abolished during the French Revolution. Louis was a shy, dull man whose character was not suited to … In another display of tolerance, Louis XVI abolished the use of … When Louis XV died in 1774, Louis succeeded him as Louis XVI, aged 19. Louis might have remained in charge of a newly created constitutional monarchy if he had been able to chart a clear path through the momentous events. As the revolution progressed, Louis slipped from political leader to political prisoner. The execution was performed four days l… In April 1792, the French newly elected Legislative Assembly declared a pre-emptive war against Austria (which was suspected of forming anti-revolutionary alliances with French expatriates). Louis preferred his regular leisure pursuits to reading dispatches, consulting ministers or considering policy. In June 1791, Louis and his family all but abandoned the new regime by attempting to flee Paris. Louis ascended to the French throne in 1774 and from the start was unsuited to deal with the severe financial problems that he had inherited from his grandfather, King Louis XV. Louis XVI was the king of France from May 1774 until his execution in January 1793. His reign from the age of 4 in 1643 up until his death at the age of 76 in 1715 makes him the longest-serving monarch not only in the history of France but in all Europe. He initially refused to flee and gather forces. The king had to call an Assembly of Notables in order to force through these fiscal measures and other major reforms because the traditional cornerstone of Ancien Regime politics, the relation between the king and the parlement, had collapsed. When drought and poor grain harvests led to rising bread prices, the people began to revolt against their king. Louis XVI (born Louis-Auguste; August 23, 1754–January 21, 1793) was the French king whose reign collapsed because of the French Revolution. Within another month, he had surrendered his absolutism to the newly-formed National Assembly. However, by refraining this way, France accrued ever greater debts, which dangerously destabilized the country. Moderate politicians tried to recover the king’s position but his treachery had driven the ordinary people of Paris into a Republican frenzy. At first, there was little desire to abolish the monarchy. He was obsessed with lists and figures, comfortable when hunting, but timid and awkward everywhere else (he watched people coming and going from Versailles through a telescope). Louis XVI synonyms, Louis XVI pronunciation, Louis XVI translation, English dictionary definition of Louis XVI. Date accessed: January 14, 2021 The last act of Louis’ reign began in August 1792, when a Paris mob swarmed into his palace at the Tuileries, slaughtering soldiers and forcing the king to take refuge in the Legislative Assembly. The Countess of Charny or, The Execution of King Louis XVI by Alexandre Dumas (pere) by Alexandre Dumas and HENRY LLEWELLYN WILLIAMS. He was executed by guillotine on January 21, 1793, but not before ordering his son to pardon those responsible if he had the chance. An avid hunter like his grandfat… The defeat of France in the Seven Years’ War against Great Britain had caused a financial crisis and left Louis XVI with a terrible inheritance. Despite this, Louis was able to publicly accept developments like the "Declaration of the Rights of Man" and his public support increased when it appeared he would allow himself to be recast in a new role. Though intelligent and prepared to accept advice, he proved a rather mediocre king, showing little interest in policy, detail or statesmanship. Robert Wilde is a historian who writes about European history. Louis-Auguste was the oldest son born to his father to survive childhood; when his father died in 1765, he became the new heir to the throne. Hardcover $5.59 $ 5. An argument among historians persists as to what responsibility Louis holds for the events of the revolution, or whether he happened to preside over France at a moment when much greater forces conspired to provoke massive change. Louis resolved to execute the constitution literally, in order to make other people aware of its need for reform. When his eldest son fell ill and died, Louis divorced himself from what was happening at key moments. Instead, Louis found himself in a situation beyond his control and perhaps beyond his understanding. Who was responsible for the French Revolution? Louis turned to Charles de Calonne to help reform France's fiscal system and save France from bankruptcy. He disliked having no say in the creation of legislation and he was only given a suppressive veto that would undermine him every time he used it. There is no proof Louis ever intended to overthrow the National Assembly by force of arms—because he was afraid of civil war. France had not had a strong king since Louis XIV, known as Louis the Great or the Sun King. He was born on August 23rd, 1754 and died on January 21st, 1793. The king was no intellectual or visionary but nor was he reckless or stupid. It contains 231,429 words in 354 pages and was updated on December 2nd 2020. Louis and Antoinette’s first fumbling attempts at love-making were disastrous, due to the young prince suffering an extended foreskin that made erections painful and sexual intercourse almost impossible. It was an extraordinary move of questionable legality – but there was no avenue to review or challenge it. 1. Professor Osman assesses Louis XVI’s conduct during the American and French Revolutions and how he met his downfall. Competent ministers gave the king sound advice on how to correct France’s financial woes. Louis initially called the Assembly “a phase.” Louis then misjudged and disappointed the radicalized Estates, proving inconsistent in his vision, and arguably too late with any response. Quick history lesson: We’re talking about Louis XVI, the husband of Marie Antoinette and ruler of France in the late 1700s. His father, Louis, Dauphin of France, was the heir to the French throne. A Matter of Bed and State. At age 15 in 1770, he married 14-year-old Marie Antoinette, daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor. He was also a strongly religious man who worshipped daily and sought the counsel of higher clergy, both on personal affairs and matters of government. The reality of his reign is generally lost to public memory, including the fact that he tried to reform France to a degree few would ever have imagined before the Estates-General was called. In 1788, the financial crisis became a political crisis when the king was wrestled into summoning an Estates-General, France’s closest equivalent to a national parliament. The important figure in France is elaborated on Facts about Louis XVI. Free shipping. Like all kings, Louis XVI had a duty … A new American book by journalist Deborah Cadbury also tells the story (the Lost King of France: How DNA Solved the Mystery of the Murder of the Son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette). He was recognized as the last king … His overthrow and executionended a monarchy that was over 1,000 years old, although he was not the last … From this point, the fate of Louis XVI was tied to the events of the revolution. Like many other monarchs on the eve of revolution, Louis and his wife Marie Antoinette have shouldered much of the blame for the suffering and unrest in their country. Louis XVI is generally portrayed as the fat, slow, silent monarch who oversaw the collapse of absolute monarchy. There were more escape plans, but Louis feared being usurped, either by his brother or a general and refused to take part. The flight itself did not destroy the monarchy: Sections of the government tried to portray Louis as the victim of kidnapping to protect the future settlement. Louis was born at Versailles on 23 August 1754. But when that sibling at the age of 9 and Louis' father died a few years later, it was clear that the unprepared and unlikely Louis Auguste would be the next king. For more info, visit our FAQ page or Terms of Use. 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