The last French monarch with the royal title Louis-Philippe ruled the country from 1830 to 1848. He was a representative of one of the side branches of the Bourbons. His era is also known in history as the July Monarchy.
Childhood and youth
Louis-Philippe was born in Paris in 1773. He received an extensive education, as well as liberal habits and views. His youth fell at the beginning of the French Revolution. Like his father, the young man joined the Jacobins. He joined the army and fought in several important battles, such as the Battle of Valmy in 1792.
Due to his noble birth, Louis-Philippe received the title of duke at birth. With the beginning of the revolution, he abandoned it, considering it a relic of the past, and became an ordinary citizen with the names of Egalite. This saved him from the disgrace of the republic, when a decree was issued to expel all Bourbons from French territory. However, at the same time, General Charles Dumouriez betrayed the government. Louis-Philippe also fought under his command, although he did not take part in the conspiracy. Nevertheless, he had to leave the country.
In exile
He first lived in Switzerland, where he became a teacher. Later traveled the world:visited Scandinavia and spent several years in the USA. In 1800, a fugitive representative of the House of Orleans settled in Great Britain, whose government granted him a pension. This was a common occurrence in Europe at that time. All monarchies opposed republican France and defiantly received disgraced citizens of this country.
Bourbon Restoration
After the fall of Napoleon, the restoration of the Bourbons took place. King Louis XVIII returned his relative to the court. At the same time, Louis-Philippe did not enjoy the confidence of the monarchists. He was not forgotten by his liberal convictions of youth, when he, along with his father, took the side of the republic. Nevertheless, the king returned to the relative the property of his family, which was confiscated during the revolution.
The return of Napoleon, who had left Elba, took the Bourbons by surprise. Louis-Philippe was appointed commander of the northern army, but he handed over his post to Mortier, and he himself left for Great Britain. When the Hundred Days ended, the aristocrat returned to Paris, where he ended up in the Chamber of Peers. There he publicly opposed the reactionary policies of the king, for which he was expelled from the country for several years. Nevertheless, the exile soon returned to the country. Under Louis, he became noticeably we althy and became an influential political figure. Many oppositionists dissatisfied with the then monarch considered him as a possible candidate for the throne.
Revolution in 1830
When the next unrest associated with the protest began in the capitalagainst the Bourbons, Louis-Philippe chose to retire and not make any statements. Nevertheless, his many supporters did not sit idle. They organized a widespread agitation for the Duke of Orleans. Colorful proclamations and brochures appeared on the streets of Paris, which emphasized the merits of Louis Philippe to the country. The deputies and the provisional government declared him the "viceroy of the kingdom".
Only after that the duke appeared in Paris. Upon learning of these events, the still legitimate king Charles X wrote a letter to Louis Philippe, in which he agreed to abdicate if the throne passed to his son. The duke reported this to Parliament, but did not mention Bourbon's additional terms. On August 9, 1830, Louis Philippe 1 accepted the crown offered to him by the Chamber of Deputies.
Citizen King
Thus began the reign of the "king-citizen". Louis Philippe, whose biography was very different from past monarchs, received this nickname quite deservedly. The main feature of the new political regime was the supremacy of the bourgeoisie. This social stratum received all the freedoms and opportunities for their own self-realization.
One of the most famous symbols of the reign of Louis Philippe was the slogan "Get rich!". This phrase was said in 1843 by François Guizot, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France. The appeal was directed to the bourgeoisie, which now could freely earn capital.
The short biography of Louis Philippe also contains numerous facts that he was distinguished by his love for money. In thathe looked like the same middle class that had brought him to power.
The state stopped interfering in the market economy that now dominated all of France. This policy was similar to the course adopted in the United States from the very beginning (in general, the American Revolution had a huge impact on the July Monarchy). The principle of laissez-faire state intervention in the economic agenda has become fundamental for Louis Philippe and his government.
Revolution in 1848
Louis-Philippe's popularity waned every year. This was due to the reactionary policy against the disaffected. Louis Philippe, whose photo is in every French history textbook, eventually abandoned liberal politics and began to infringe on civil rights and freedoms. In addition, corruption reigned in the state apparatus. The last straw for the bourgeoisie was the foreign policy of the king. He joined the Holy Alliance (it also included Prussia, Russia and Austria). His goal was to return to Europe the old order that took place before the French Revolution in 1789.
Barricades have appeared in Paris after another banquet was banned, where the liberal public gathered to discuss electoral reform. This happened in February 1848. Soon the bloodshed began, the guards shot people.
Against this background, the government of the unpopular Minister Guizot was the first to resign. On February 24, Louis Philippe abdicated, not wanting to start a civil war. France began a periodSecond Republic. The former king emigrated to Great Britain, where he died in 1850.
