Louis XVI, King of France and Navarre, was born on August 23, 1754, in Versailles in the Kingdom of France. He belonged to the House of Bourbon and reigned from 1774 to 1792. In 1770, he married Marie Antoinette, the daughter of Maria Theresa. His legacy is marked by tragedy – during his reign, the French Revolution broke out, and he was executed by guillotine. His wife met the same fate nine months later.
He is described as an honest and devout man. However, as a ruler, he often acted indecisively and was unable to resolve the deep financial crisis or reform France’s outdated feudal system. He had been taught to avoid revealing his thoughts to others, which led to doubts about his intelligence. Nevertheless, he had an excellent memory, spoke Latin and English, and was interested in history and geography.
Marie Antoinette
The wife of King Louis XVI was the fifteenth child of the Habsburg Empress Maria Theresa. Interestingly, she was formally married to the king in Vienna at the age of 14 without the groom’s presence. Even after seven years of marriage, she remained a virgin due to her husband’s “impotence.” The issue was eventually resolved by surgery, allowing the couple to conceive children. She loved hosting balls and parties, set fashion trends, and was imitated by women of the court.
The Palace of Versailles, residence of the French kings.
Enemy of the people
Life at the French royal court was always fascinating due to its grandeur, wealth, and beauty. In the 17th and 18th centuries, everyone of significance lived in Paris and its surroundings or at the court in Versailles. However, the extravagant lifestyle of the court, an outdated tax system, poor financial management, and France’s involvement in wars gradually drove the country into a dire economic and social crisis. On the eve of the French Revolution in 1789, only two percent of the population – the clergy and nobility – were exempt from taxes and held political power. The rest of French society, especially peasants and townspeople, had no political power but were required to pay taxes. Special taxes were introduced, such as those on chimneys, clothing, and windows. The people’s patience ran out, and the revolution erupted, with the king and queen becoming its chief enemies. Although Louis XVI signed a constitution establishing a constitutional monarchy and limiting his absolute power, the crowd insisted that the king and queen must lose their heads.
A failed escape attempt
On the night of October 5, 1789, a mob incited by Parisian women stormed Versailles and dragged the king and his family to the Tuileries Palace, where they were kept under strict guard. They became prisoners of the revolution. Despite this, they managed to escape with the help of the queen’s friend and likely lover, the Swedish aristocrat Axel Fersen. Foreign embassies in Paris assisted Fersen in organizing the royal escape. The family left the palace without issue, but on their way to freedom, they were recognized by locals and nearly lynched by the crowd. They were taken to the Temple prison, from which there was only one way out – to the gallows. The trial was not conducted against the king but rather against “Citizen Capet,” marking the symbolic end of his royal status. He was accused of treason and later found guilty.
Procession to eternity
On January 20, 1793, the National Convention sentenced Louis XVI to death, with his execution scheduled for the following day. That evening, the king bid farewell to his wife and children. The morning of January 21 was cold. At eight o’clock, a guard unit of a thousand horsemen arrived to escort the former king to the gallows. He was accompanied by the English priest Henry Essex Edgeworth, who lived in France and recorded the event. Louis sat calmly in the carriage, humbly reciting psalms with the priest. The journey to the gallows took two hours, the road lined with citizens armed with pikes and even with muskets. The former king stepped out of the carriage and, with the priest’s help, ascended the gallows. “I die innocent of all the crimes attributed to me. I forgive those who have caused my death and pray to God that the blood you are about to shed will never afflict France.” To the sound of drums, the guillotine severed Louis’ head from his body, and the crowd erupted in chants of Vive la République!
Statue of Louis XIV in Versaiiles.
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