François Furet. The French Revolution was precipitated by a financial crisis. The king was no intellectual or visionary but nor was he reckless or stupid. He is the author of the History in an Afternoon textbook series. King Louis XIV was the Sun King as he preferred to be referred to, as he believed he was sent by God personally to rule France. At the time of his birth, Louis was third in line to the throne, behind his father and older brother. He was executed by guillotine on January 21, 1793, but not before ordering his son to pardon those responsible if he had the chance. 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? 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. * Marie-Antoinette was Louis XVI’s spouse, and their child was Louis XVII. In 1774, poor Louis took over the French throne from his grandfather, King Louis XV, who left him to clean up a tremendous economic crisis. This site is created and maintained by Alpha History. 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. France, Louis XVI 1784 Silver Coin Dish. Free shipping. In this way, Louis undermined his own position among the aristocracy. The king might have retained both his throne and his life had he understood the revolution, accepted its inevitability and showed appropriate judgement. His reputation was damaged. 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. An avid hunter like his grandfat… The position of the monarchy was further eroded and Louis began to hope for a settlement that would mimic the English system. To-day, the 25th day of December, 17 During the rule of Louis XV a general malaise had set in and although Louis XVI was very familiar with his country's history, his role model as king was his grandfather who did not set an exemplary example of how a successful monarch should rule. He was aloof and reserved, but possessed a genuine interest in the affairs of his kingdom, both internal and external. Hardcover $5.59 $ 5. It was an extraordinary move of questionable legality – but there was no avenue to review or challenge it. 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 infertility (for whatever reason) of Louis and his wife was a target of … He excelled at technical subjects and was deeply interested in geography, but historians are unsure about his level of intelligence. $229.00. 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. Instead, he was muddled, distant, uncompromising, and his habitual silence left his character and actions open to all interpretations. Title: “Louis XVI” Louis was unable to unite his court. The Achille-Joseph Valois sculpture of France’s King Louis XVI pictured in 2003. Indeed, Louis had so closely supported Calonne that when the Notables, and seemingly France, rejected the reforms and forced him to dismiss his minister, Louis was damaged both politically and personally. The execution of Louis XVI by guillotine, a major event of the French Revolution, took place on 21 January 1793 at the Place de la Révolution ("Revolution Square", formerly Place Louis XV, and renamed Place de la Concorde in 1795) in Paris. France had not had a strong king since Louis XIV, known as Louis the Great or the Sun King. 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. Instead, Louis found himself in a situation beyond his control and perhaps beyond his understanding. Which he did, and for no less than 72 years. Louis XVI (born Louis-Auguste; August 23, 1754–January 21, 1793) was the French king whose reign collapsed because of the French Revolution. 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. Louis XVI was the last king of France before the French Revolution . He was found guilty—the only, inevitable result—and narrowly condemned to death. He had no intention, at this moment or ever, of starting a civil war, nor of bringing back the Ancien Regime. The king was removed from power in August 1792, sent for trial in December and executed in January 1793. He was an expert on the French Navy and a devotee of mechanics and engineering, although this may be overemphasized by historians. Reminder: * Louis XVI, Louis XVIII and Madame Elisabeth were siblings. Louis XVI, 1781 © Louis was king of France when the monarchy was overthrown during the French Revolution. Louis XVI(23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the King of Francefrom 1774 until 1792,[a]when the monarchy was abolished during the French Revolution. Abolished Torture For Confessions. 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. | May 21, 2013. Louis XVI: Childhood. He wisely accepted much of this advice, however, attempts at reform were blocked by obstinate nobles in the parlements and the Assembly of Notables. Louis XVI, also called (until 1774) Louis-Auguste, duc de Berry, (born August 23, 1754, Versailles, France—died January 21, 1793, Paris), the last king of France (1774–92) in the line of Bourbon monarchs preceding the French Revolution of 1789. 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. He promised loyalty to the new state and its constitution, however, the revolutionary government’s attacks on the church and émigré nobles alienated the king, who believed that things had gone too far. Here is his last will and testament, written a month previous on Christmas Day. Louis XVI (1754 – 1793), born Louis-Auguste, was King of France from 1774 until his deposition in 1792, although his formal title after 1791 was King of the French. $3.20 shipping. The result was a regime riven by factions and lacking a clear direction. 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. Louis restored the position of the French parlements (provincial courts) which Louis XV had tried to reduce. Most agree that both were factors: The time was ripe and Louis' faults certainly hastened the revolution. 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