Louis XVIII

Louis XVIII
source
Name	Louis XVIII
Caption	Portrait by Robert Lefèvre
Succession	King of France
Reign	8 July 1815 – 16 September 1824
Coronation	N/A
Predecessor	Napoleon I (as Emperor)
Successor	Charles X
Birth date	17 November 1755
Birth place	Palace of Versailles, Kingdom of France
Death date	16 September 1824 (aged 68)
Death place	Louvre Palace, Paris, Kingdom of France
Burial place	Basilica of Saint-Denis
Spouse	Marie Joséphine of Savoy
House	Bourbon
Father	Louis, Dauphin of France
Mother	Maria Josepha of Saxony
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Louis XVIII was the last King of France to die while still reigning, restoring the House of Bourbon to power after the defeat of Napoleon I. His reign, known as the Bourbon Restoration, was defined by a precarious balance between royal authority and the revolutionary legacy of a constitutional monarchy. Navigating the turbulent politics of post-Napoleonic Europe, he implemented the Charter of 1814, which established a representative government while attempting to reconcile the Ancien Régime with the new social order.

Early life and exile

Born at the Palace of Versailles, he was styled the Count of Provence and was a grandson of Louis XV. Following the outbreak of the French Revolution, he fled Paris in 1791, initially seeking refuge in the Austrian Netherlands. He spent decades in exile across Europe, residing in places like Mittau, Warsaw, and England, where he declared himself regent for his nephew Louis XVII and later, following the latter's death, proclaimed himself king in 1795. His exile was marked by dependence on the hospitality of monarchs like Tsar Paul I of Russia and the financial support of the British government, while he watched the rise and fall of the First French Republic and the First French Empire.

Reign as King of France

He first ascended the throne in April 1814 after the Treaty of Fontainebleau forced Napoleon I's abdication, an initial period known as the First Restoration. This rule was interrupted by Napoleon's dramatic return during the Hundred Days, which forced him to flee to Ghent. Following the Battle of Waterloo and Napoleon's final defeat, he returned to Paris for the Second Restoration in July 1815. His reign was immediately challenged by the White Terror in southern France and the demands of the victorious Allied powers, who imposed the Treaty of Paris (1815) and an army of occupation.

Constitutional and political views

A pragmatic monarch, he understood that a return to absolute rule was impossible. He therefore granted the Charter of 1814, a constitution which created a bicameral legislature consisting of the Chamber of Peers and the Chamber of Deputies. This charter preserved many gains of the French Revolution, including equality before the law and the Napoleonic Code, while restoring the Catholic Church as the state religion. His reign was characterized by a struggle between the Ultra-royalists, led by his brother the Count of Artois, and more moderate forces. He often resisted the most reactionary impulses of the Chambre introuvable, dissolving it in 1816 to curb its excesses.

Death and succession

In his final years, he was severely debilitated by obesity and gangrene, likely from gout and atherosclerosis. He died at the Louvre Palace in September 1824, with his last rites administered by the Archbishop of Paris. Having no surviving children with his wife Marie Joséphine of Savoy, the throne passed to his younger brother, the Count of Artois, who became Charles X. His death marked the end of a relatively cautious phase of the Restoration, paving the way for more confrontational policies that would culminate in the July Revolution of 1830.

Legacy and historical assessment

Historians view him as a shrewd and flexible politician who stabilized France after a quarter-century of upheaval. His acceptance of a constitutional framework, however reluctant, helped integrate the Bourbon monarchy into the post-revolutionary state. The period saw the emergence of modern political divisions between left, right, and center, terms coined from the seating arrangements in the Chamber of Deputies. While criticized by both ardent royalists and liberals, his reign provided a decade of peace and diplomatic reintegration for France within the Concert of Europe established by the Congress of Vienna.

Category:Kings of France Category:House of Bourbon Category:French Restoration