King Louis XVI was born at the Palace of Versailles on August 23, 1754. Then he received the title of Duke of Berry. His father was the dauphin (heir of the prsetol) Louis Ferdinand, who, in turn, was the son of King Louis XV of France.
Childhood
As a child, the child was the second of seven children in the family. His elder brother was a namesake who died at the age of 9 in 1761. While Louis grew up in his shadow, his parents did not notice him. He was fond of hunting, which he often went with his reigning grandfather. After his father died of tuberculosis in 1765, the title of Dauphin passed to an 11-year-old child. His hasty training began to prepare him for the throne he was now to inherit from his grandfather.
Heir
In 1770, the future Louis XVI, who was 15 years old, married Marie Antoinette. She was the maternal cousin of the Dauphin, and was also the daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Franz I. The French public was hostile to the marriage, since the country had recently made an alliance with the Austrian monarch and suffered a shameful defeat in the Seven Years' War (1756 - 1763). Then many colonies in the North were lost. America given to Great Britain. The crowned couple could not have offspring for a long time, which is why caustic pamphlets even appeared in France, touching on the subject of Louis's he alth. However, 4 children were born between 1778 and 1786 (2 sons and 2 daughters).
The growing heir was very different in character from the domineering grandfather. The young man was shy, quiet, modest and did not fit into the then royal court at all.
Reforms
In 1774, Louis XV died and a new king, Louis XVI, was installed on the throne. The monarch sympathized with the ideas of the Enlightenment, which is why he immediately dismissed many odious ministers and advisers of the past reign, who were distinguished by reactionary. In particular, Madame Dubarry, the chancellor, etc., were excommunicated from the court. Reforms aimed at abandoning feudalism began, royal spending on the environment was significantly reduced. All these changes were requested by the French society, which wanted civil liberties and an end to the dominance of the authorities.
The financial reforms received the biggest response. Turgot, who in the future was firmly associated with the reforms, was appointed controller general for this part. He proposed redistributing taxes, increasing taxes from the upper we althy strata of society. Internal customs posts that robbed merchants were abolished, monopolies were destroyed. The sale of bread became free, which greatly facilitated the existence of the peasant class, who had the least means of subsistence. In 1774local parliaments were restored, which performed the functions of judicial and representative bodies.
Conservative Resistance
Among the common people, all these ideas were received with enthusiasm. But the upper strata of French society resisted the innovations initiated by King Louis XVI. The nobility and clergy did not want to lose their own privileges. There were demands to take away the position from Turgot, who was the main instigator of change. Louis XVI was distinguished by an insecure character and therefore succumbed to the nobility. Turgot was removed, and complete anarchy began in finance. The new ministers and managers could not do anything about the growing hole in the budget, but only took new loans from creditors. The debts were associated with lower tax revenues. In addition, trade within the country could not switch to new tracks immediately, which caused an economic crisis in the cities, associated, among other things, with a lack of bread.
Compromise
Against this background, in the 80s, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette tried to maneuver in the changing conditions of French society. The first manifestations of counter-reforms began to smooth out the radical changes left after Turgot.
For the third estate, the positions of officers and judges were again closed. The feudal lords regained position when they paid reduced taxes. All this caused unrest in society. Everyone was dissatisfied: the nobles from the uncertainty of the king, the townspeople from the difficult economic situation, and the peasants from the fact that the reforms that had begun were curtailed.
At this time, France took part in the War of Independence, which was unfolding in North America. The rebellious colonies received the support they received from Louis XVI. The operation to weaken Great Britain demanded to be on the same side with the revolutionaries. This was completely out of character for absolute monarchs, one of whom was still Louis XVI. A brief biography of the king says that the policy of the king caused discontent among his "colleagues" - the rulers of Austria, Russia, etc.
At the same time, numerous French officers who fought in America returned to their homeland as completely different people. They were alien to the old order of the motherland, where feudalism still triumphed. Over the ocean, they felt what freedom is. The most famous officer from this layer was Gilbert Lafayette.
Financial crisis
The second half of the 80s was marked by new financial problems throughout the state. Half-measures taken by the king and his ministers did not suit anyone because of their inefficiency. A new measure was the convocation of parliament, where a reformed tax was to be introduced. It was initiated by Louis XVI. Photos of paintings with his image show us a chicly dressed monarch, while a crisis was ripening in the state. Of course, this turned many against the king. Parliament refused to introduce new taxes, after which it was dispersed, and some of its members were arrested. This outraged almost all the inhabitants of the country. As a compromise, it was decided to convene Generalstates.
States General
The first meeting of the new representative body took place in 1789. Within it were several opposing groups representing different social strata. In particular, the third estate declared itself the National Assembly and invited the nobility and clergy to join the new faction. It was an attempt on the power of the monarch, which was considered given by God. Breaking with accepted traditions that had existed in the kingdom for many centuries meant that the National Assembly positioned itself as the voice of the people.
Because the Third Estate had a majority in the States General, it blocked the king's decrees to restore the old order. This meant that now Louis was faced with a choice: forcefully dissolve the Estates General or submit to their decisions. The monarch once again showed his desire for compromise and himself advised the clergy and nobility to join the coalition. He became a constitutional ruler.
Rebellion
This turn of events outraged the conservative part of French society, which was still great and influential. The inconsistent Louis began to listen to the dukes and nobles, who demanded that troops be sent to Paris and the initiators of radical reforms should be dismissed. It was done.
After that, the people of Paris openly stopped obeying the king and rebelled. On July 14, 1789, the Bastille, a prison and a symbol of absolutism, was captured. Some officials were killed andnobles. The most serious began to form the National Guard detachments, which served to protect the successes of the Revolution. In the face of a new threat, Louis again made concessions, withdrawing troops from Paris and coming to the National Council.
Leading the Revolution
After the victory of the Revolution cardinal reforms began. First of all, the feudal system that had existed in France since the Middle Ages was destroyed. At the same time, every month the king lost his influence on what was happening around. Power slipped from his hands. All state institutions were paralyzed both in the capital and in the provinces. One of the consequences of this change was the disappearance of bread from Paris. The mob living in the city, in a rage, tried to besiege the castle of Versailles, where the residence of Louis was.
The rebels demanded that the king move to Paris from the suburbs. In the capital, the monarch became a virtual hostage to the revolutionaries. Gradually supporters of the republic grew in their circles.
The royal family was also restless. Louis XVI, the children of the monarch and the inner circle were increasingly dependent on Marie Antoinette, who was sharply against the revolutionaries. She urged her husband to turn to the help of foreign rulers, who were also frightened by the revelry of freethinkers in France.
The King's Flight
Due to the fact that the king remained in Paris, the actions of the revolutionaries received a legitimate connotation. At Versailles, they decided on the escape of Louis XVI. He wanted to stand at the head of the anti-revolutionary forces or be abroad, from wherecould try to lead loyal soldiers. In 1791, the entire royal family left Paris incognito, but was identified in Varennes and detained.
To save his life, Ludovic declared that he fully supported the radical changes in the country. At this time, France was already in full swing preparing for an open conflict with the European monarchies, who feared an attempt on the old order on the continent. In 1792, Louis, being actually on a powder keg, declared war on Austria.
However, the campaign went wrong from the start. Austrian units invaded France and were already close to Paris. Anarchy began in the city, and new rebels captured the royal palace. Louis and his family were sent to prison. On September 21, 1792, he was officially stripped of his royal title and became an ordinary citizen with the surname Capet. The First Republic was declared in France.
Trial and execution
The prisoner's precarious situation was finally undermined when a secret safe containing secret letters and documents was found in his former castle. From them it followed that the royal family was intriguing against the Revolution, in particular, turning to foreign rulers for help. At this time, the radicals were just waiting for an excuse to finally get rid of Louis.
Therefore, the trial and interrogations in the Convention began. The former king was charged with infringement on national security. The convention decided that the defendant deserved to die. The execution of Louis XVI took place on January 211793. When he was on the scaffold, his last words were the question of the fate of the expedition of Jean-Francois de La Perouse. Marie Antoinette was beheaded a few months later, in October.
The execution of the king led to the fact that the European monarchs finally united against the Republic. The news of Louis's death caused a declaration of war on England, Spain and the Netherlands. A little later, Russia joined the coalition.
