Louis xvi biography

King of France from to

This article is about the king of France. For the type of furniture, see Louis XVI furniture. For the architectural style, see Louis XVI style.

Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; French:[lwisɛːz]; 23 August – 21 January ) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir-apparent of King Louis XV), and Maria Josepha of Saxony, Louis became the new Dauphin when his father died in In , he married Marie Antoinette. He became King of France and Navarre on his grandfather's death on 10 May , and reigned until the abolition of the monarchy on 21 September From onwards, he used the style of king of the French.

The first part of Louis XVI's reign was marked by attempts to reform the French government in accordance with Enlightenment ideas. These included efforts to increase tolerance toward non-Catholics as well as abolish the death penalty for deserters. The French nobility reacted to the proposed reforms with hostility, and successfully opposed their implementation. Louis implemented deregulation of the grain market, advocated by his economic liberal minister Turgot, but it resulted in an increase in bread prices. In periods of bad harvests, it led to food scarcity which, during a particularly bad harvest in , prompted the masses to revolt. From , Louis XVI actively supported the North American colonists, who were seeking their independence from Great Britain, which was realised in the Treaty of Paris (). The ensuing debt and financial crisis contributed to the unpopularity of the ancien régime. This led to the convening of the Estates General of Discontent among the members of France's middle and lower classes resulted in strengthened opposition to the French aristocracy and to the absolute monarchy, of which Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, were representatives. Increasing tensions and vi

The last king of the Ancien Regime of France, Louis XVI was born on August 23, He was the third son of the dauphin or heir. When his father died, Louis became the dauphin, next in line to the throne. As the heir, Louis was taught to avoid letting others know of his true feelings, which led to a disagreement among historians about his true intelligence. He did have an excellent memory, a keen knowledge of English and Latin, and an interest in history and geography. However, he would become known for his weakness of character and lack of political insight, especially in the critical crises that culminated in the French Revolution.

In , to cement an alliance between France and Austria, Louis married Marie-Antoinette, the daughter of Austrian empress Maria-Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I. Four years later, after the death of his grandfather Louis XV, Louis ascended to the throne, gaining the title of King of France and Navarre. The young king, although immature and self-conscious, was well-disposed to his subjects and interested in improving French foreign policy.

His most notable foreign policy pursuit was supporting the American Revolution, to take revenge on Great Britain and make France once again the preeminent power in Europe. Although the Americans were successful, owing largely to French support, financing the endeavor pushed the already-badly off French regime to the brink of bankruptcy. His wife was also accused of spending French gold on an extravagant lifestyle. A grain shortage throughout France added to the king’s woes.

Louis supported radical fiscal, economic, and administrative reforms proposed by his ministers to resurrect the sinking French ship in , but the measures were never implemented on account of hostile opposition by conservatives. In July , Louis summoned the Estates-General for the first time since The Estates-General was a parliament compromised of the three main “estates” of the French population: the nobles

Louis XVI attempted to reform the French government.

The French monarchy was heavily in debt and facing a number of other issues. Louis XVI tried to change France&#;s foreign, economic and religious policies. The Edict of Versailles, which he signed in , and is often referred to as the Edict of Tolerance, granted non-Catholics in France both civil and legal status as well as the freedom to practice their religions. In an effort to reduce France&#;s debt, he also sought to put more drastic financial changes into place, such as new taxing methods. The nobles and parliament prevented these.

He oversaw the first Estates-General in years.

The Estates-General was a legislative and consultative body made up of delegates from the three French estates; it was traditionally employed as the king&#;s advisory panel while having no formal authority of its own. The Estates-General was called before Louis XVI in , which was the first time since This turned out to be a bit of an oversight. Forced attempts at fiscal reform utterly failed. Ordinary citizens, who made up the Third Estate, proclaimed themselves a national assembly and vowed not to leave until France had a constitution.

Louis was tried for high treason.

On October 5, , the Palace of Versailles was attacked. The royal family was taken captive and sent to Paris, where they were made to accede to their new positions as constitutional kings. As they negotiated the future structure of the French government, they were essentially at the whim of the revolutionaries. After almost two years of discussion, Louis and his family made an effort to evacuate Paris for Varennes in the belief that they might gather enough support there to leave France, bring about the monarchy&#;s restoration and put an end to the revolution. They were recaptured, and Louis&#; plans were discovered; therefore, their plot failed. This was sufficient to bring him to trial for high treason, and it soon became obvious that he would unquestiona

Louis XVI,  ©Louis was king of France when the monarchy was overthrown during the French Revolution. He was guillotined in

Louis was born at Versailles on 23 August In , he married Marie Antoinette, daughter of the emperor and empress of Austria, a match intended to consolidate an alliance between France and Austria. In , Louis succeeded his grandfather Louis XV as king of France.

Louis initially supported attempts by his ministers Jacques Turgot and later Jacques Necker to relieve France's financial problems. French support for the colonists in the American War of Independence had brought the country to the verge of bankruptcy. Meanwhile, accusations of frivolity, extravagance and scandalous behaviour against the queen, Marie Antoinette, further discredited the monarchy.

In , to avert the deepening crisis, Louis agreed to summon the 'estates-general' (a form of parliament, but without real power) in order to try and raise taxes. This was the first time the body had met since Angered by Louis' refusal to allow the three estates - the first (clergy), second (nobles) and third (commons) - to meet simultaneously, the Third Estate proclaimed itself a national assembly, declaring that only it had the right to represent the nation.

Rumours that the king intended to suppress the assembly provoked the popular storming of the Bastille prison, a symbol of repressive royal power, on 14 July In October, Louis and his family were forced by the mob to return to Paris from their palace at Versailles. In June , they attempted to escape, which was considered proof of Louis' treasonable dealings with foreign powers. He was forced to accept a new constitution, thereby establishing a constitutional monarchy.

Nonetheless, against a background of military defeat by Austria and Prussia, the revolutionary leadership was becoming increasingly radicalised. In September , the new National Convention abolished the monarchy and declared France a republic. Louis wa