Louis XVI, Louis the Last, fr. Louis August de Bourbon, (born 23 August 1754 at Versailles, revised 21 January 1793 in Paris - Duke de Berry, ultimately King of France and Navarre from 1774 to 1791, then King of the French (Roi des Français) in 1792. Son Louis Ferdinand of Bourbon and Mary Joseph. Grandson of Louis XV and Maria Leszczynska (great-grandson of King of Poland - Stanislav Leszczynski), and King of Poland August III. Elder brother of kings: Louis XVIII and Charles X from the Bourbon dynasty, and Madame Clotilde, and Madame Elizabeth. the wife was Marie Antoinette.
Childhood of Louis XVI
Louis Augustus Bourbon was the seventh child of Louis Ferdinand Bourbon (1729-1765) and his second wife Maria Joseph (1731-1767) and the first son to live to adulthood. From birth he was named Duke de Berry (until 1765), and later Heir to France (1765-1774).
He had a difficult childhood, as his parents cared more about his older brother Louis Joseph of Bourbon, Duke of Burgundy (1751-1761), who in their opinion was smarter and more handsome. The future king of France and Navarre, Louis XVI, was the strongest and healthiest child, but very shy. He loved to study very much. His favorite subjects were Latin, history, geography and astronomy. In addition, he knew perfectly the languages Italian and English. Louis Augustus loved physical activity. hunting with his grandfather, King of France Louis XV (1710-1774), as well as various games and fun with younger brothers: Louis Stanislav (1755-1824), Count of Provence and Charles Philippe (1757-1836), Count of Artois.
After the death of his father, who died of tuberculosis on December 20, 1765, 11-year-old Louis Augustus became the new Heir to the crown. His mother was never able to recover from the blow after the loss of her beloved husband and died on March 13, 1767.
Personal life
On May 16, 1770, at the age of 15, Louis Augustus Bourbon married the 14-year-old Duchess Marie Antoinette of Habsburg (1755-1793), who was the youngest daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Franz I of Lorraine (1708-1765) and Empress Maria Theresa of Habsburg (1717-1780). The marriage of Dauphin of France to an Austrian was negatively received among the French public. It was believed that France's alliance with Austria plunged the country into a terrible seven-year war, in which the French were defeated by the British in Europe and North America.
The shyness of Louis-August, as well as the young age and inexperience of the newlyweds, led to the fact that the royal couple did not have children in the first 7 years of marriage, which was a bad sign for the court and the public. Moreover, the absence of any heir led to the creation of unfavorable pamphlets about the Dauphin of France and his wife.
Ultimately, despite the royal couple's initial problems in the birth of an heir, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were the parents of four children, and these were:
Maria-Teresa-Charlotte, born December 19, 1778, Louis Joseph Francis Xavier, Dolphin, born October 22, 1781, Louis Charles was born on March 27, 1785, Sofia Elena Beatrice was born on July 9, 1786.
War of independence
In 1778. After the American victory at Saratogą, France became involved in the North American War of Independence against Great Britain by signing an alliance with the United States and by sending a military expeditionary force and funding weapons purchases for the rebels. The war ended in 1783. the creation of a new state, the United States of America.
Convening of the States General
To confront the crisis, Louis XVI decided on the restitution of the States General, a meeting of representatives of three states: the clergy, nobility and burghers, as an advisory body of the king, with the aim of establishing taxes and fees. The first meeting was held at Versailles on May 5, 1789. From the very beginning, there were serious differences between the positions of the individual states. Everyone, however, wanted reforms, including changes in taxation, but not at the expense of their own privileges.
After two months of formal meetings, the United States was reformed and turned into a National Assembly, thus emphasizing its national representation and began work on a new constitution for the state.
The revolution
The king did not want any new constitution and gathered 20 thousand around Versailles and Paris. troops, apparently intending to disperse the National Assembly or impose their will on it. But on July 11, 1789, great street riots began, revolutionary committees were created, and the formation of the National Guard and the militia began.
The French Revolution began, and Bastille Day, July 14, subsequently became a national holiday in France.
After July 15, Louis XVI withdrew the troops from Paris, but in Versailles the Flemish regiment was preparing to restore the full power of the monarch. Fearing a monarchical revenge, the rebels transported Louis to Paris under the control of the revolutionary authorities. It was ultimately approved by the National Assembly in September 1791. a new constitution, which proclaimed France a constitutional monarchy, but the next year the monarchy was liquidated in favor of the republican system.
Arrest and execution
On August 10, 1792, Louis was imprisoned with his family at the Temple and accused of conspiring against the freedom of the nation and of a number of attempts on the security of the state.
On January 11, 1793, the “Citizen Capet” trial of high treason took place at the Convention. The former King of France was named Citizen Capet. This name comes from Hugo Capet - the first ruler of France from the Capetian dynasty.
Citizen Capet was sentenced to death. The verdict was carried out on January 21, 1793 with the help of a guillotine. After his death, the royalists declared his minor son, Louis XVII, king of France. After the restoration of the Bourbons, on January 21, 1815, the remains of Louis were exhumed from the cemetery of St. Magdalene and housed in the crypt of the Basilica of Saint-Denis.
