Louis XVIII of France
Louis XVIII of France, born Louis Stanislaus Xavier de France on November 17, 1755, was a significant figure during a tumultuous era in French history. As the son of Louis-Ferdinand, the dauphin of King Louis XV, he faced a challenging path to the throne due to the earlier deaths of his siblings. His political engagement intensified during the French Revolution, when he fled the country in 1791 as royal power was challenged. After years of exile, he returned to France in 1814 following Napoleon Bonaparte's initial defeat, assuming the kingship and adopting the title Louis XVIII.
He sought to stabilize the monarchy by implementing a constitutional government, promising democratic reforms and greater citizen participation through a two-house parliament. Despite facing opposition from various factions, including ultra-royalists and revolutionary proponents, Louis XVIII attempted to navigate the complexities of governance during a time of significant change. His reign, which lasted until his death on September 16, 1824, marked an important experiment in the modernization and democratization of France, influencing the nation’s political landscape long after his passing.
Louis XVIII of France
King of France
- Born: November 17, 1755
- Birthplace: Place of birth: Versailles, France
- Died: September 16, 1824
- Place of death: Place of death: Paris, France
Also known as: Louis Stanislaus Xavier de France; By the Grace of God, King of France; Navarre
Significance: Louis XVIII was a French king who reigned during a period of revolution and political tension. During his reign, he attempted to establish a system of constitutional monarchy under which citizens had increased democratic powers.
Background
Louis XVIII was born on November 17, 1755, in the royal palace at Versailles, France. His full name at birth was Louis Stanislaus Xavier de France. His father, Louis-Ferdinand de France, was the dauphin, or likely successor, to the throne of King Louis XV. His mother was Saxon princess Maria Josepha Carolina Eleonora Franziska Xaveria.
Louis, who held the title of Count of Provence, lived a life of royalty. Since he had three elder brothers, however, he had little chance of actually becoming king. Two of these brothers died, which brought Louis closer to the throne, but the surviving brother ultimately inherited the kingship. This brother took the regal name Louis XVI, and when he had two sons with his wife Marie Antoinette, Louis Stanislaus Xavier again seemed to lose any realistic hopes of becoming monarch.
Despite his poor prospects for advancement in the royal hierarchy, Louis remained active in politics in the coming years. This era proved to be one of the most troubled and dynamic periods in French history, seeing the major social upheavals of the French Revolution (1787–99) and attempts to violently overthrow the monarchy. Although Louis sympathized with some aspects of the revolutionary cause and attempted to stay in Paris—perhaps hoping for an opportunity to claim the throne—he and other royals were finally forced to flee the country in June 1791.
Life’s Work
In the coming years of exile, Louis wandered through Europe, living for brief times in Italy, Poland, and England. He remained politically active during this time by writing letters and attempting to build alliances with other European royals concerned about the popular uprisings in France. Meanwhile, these uprisings continued and intensified, and Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, the rulers of France, were captured and executed in 1793.
Their deaths moved Louis Stanislaus Xavier significantly closer to the throne. Although the coveted title of dauphin fell to his young nephew Louis XVII, Louis Stanislaus took on the role of regent (someone who rules in place of another who is too young). Louis XVII died in 1795, finally clearing the path to kingship for Louis Stanislaus, who took the title Louis XVIII.
Although he had finally become king, Louis XVIII had no stable country to rule. France was still torn by conflict, and in 1799 fell under the dictatorship of Napoleon Bonaparte. Continuing to roam in exile, Louis tried to gather allies to oppose Napoleon and protect his own status as the rightful ruler of France. In 1813, Napoleon suffered dire losses on the battlefield and went into exile. After many years of waiting, Louis XVIII made a triumphant return to France and on May 3, 1814, entered Paris as king.
Louis held true to promises he had made and causes he had previously supported. He vowed to adopt several of the revolutionaries’ changes into a redesigned French government based on the principles of constitutional monarchy. The monarchy would be restored, but the people would have greater democratic powers, ensured by a two-house parliament for fairer legislation and increased protections of religious freedom. Louis outlined his reforms in a constitution called the Charte Constitutionnelle in 1814.
Although his political approach was generally popular with citizens, Louis faced several more obstacles. First and foremost was the reappearance of Napoleon, who returned to France intent on reclaiming power. During the so-called Hundred Days, a period of war against the former dictator, Louis again slipped out of France and waited in the relative safety of Ghent, Belgium. Upon Napoleon’s crushing military defeat at Waterloo in 1815 and subsequent permanent exile, the national stage of France was reset for the planned constitutional monarchy. However, Louis XVIII still had a daunting task ahead.
Under the new parliamentary system, Louis shared rule with elected lawmakers. Generally, he held much power in making and enforcing laws and budgets, but these actions required the approval of parliament. Even as he engaged in the work of rebuilding the war-torn nation, Louis had to wrestle with parliament as well as pacify extreme factions within the body. Some factions pushed for stronger revolutionary reforms; another group, known as the ultra-royalists, sought to eradicate all such changes.
Regardless of this conflict, Louis XVIII prevailed in defending many of his visions of constitutional monarchy, at least temporarily. He remained in power until September 16, 1824, when he died in the capital city of Paris. At that time, his younger brother became king, taking the title Charles X. Political instability remained during the reign of Charles X, however, and many of the reforms of Louis XVIII faded.
Impact
Louis XVIII lived and ruled during a time of great transition in France, when ideas of traditional monarchy began falling before the wave of democratic revolutions. Louis introduced the idea of compromise within the government, namely by designing a more balanced system of constitutional monarchy. Although not all of his innovations worked well or lasted long, they remained an important experiment in the modernization and democratization of France.
Personal Life
Louis married Marie Joséphine de Savoy in 1771. The couple did not have children. Louis was born to a line of kings and was brother of kings Louis XVI and Charles X.
Bibliography
"Louis XVIII." Archontology.org. Archontology, n.d. Web. 11 May 2016.
"Louis XVIII." Larousse. Larousse, n.d. Web. 11 May 2016.
"Napoleonic Satires: Louis XVIII." Brown University Library Center for Digital Scholarship. Brown University, n.d. Web. 11 May 2016.
Price, Munro. The Perilous Crown: France Between Revolutions 1814–1848. London: Pan Books, 2007. Print.
Wellington, Robert. Antiquarianism and the Visual Histories of Louis XIV: Artifacts for a Future Past. Burlington: Ashgate, 2015. Print.