King Louis XVI was born in the Palace of Versailles on August 23, 1754. Then he received the title of Duke of Berry. His father was the Dauphin (heir to Prsetol) Louis Ferdinand, who, in turn, was the son of the King of France Louis XV.
Childhood
In childhood, the child was the second of seven children in the family. His older brother was a namesake who died at the age of 9 in 1761. While Louis grew up in his shadow, his parents did not notice him. He was fond of hunting, which he often went with a reigning grandfather. After his father passed away from tuberculosis in 1765, the title of dauphin passed to an 11-year-old child. His hasty training began in order to prepare for the throne, which he should now inherit from his grandfather.
Heir
In 1770, the future Louis XVI, who was 15 years old, married Marie Antoinette. She was a maternal cousin of the Dauphin, and was also the daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Franz I. The French public was hostile to the marriage, as most recently the country had already entered into an alliance with the Austrian monarch and suffered a shameful defeat in the Seven Years War (1756 - 1763). Then many colonies in North America, lost to Britain, were lost. The crowned couple for a long time could not acquire offspring, which is why in France there were even stinging pamphlets affecting the health of Louis. However, from 1778 to 1786, 4 children were born (2 sons and 2 daughters).
The growing heir in nature was very different from the imperious grandfather. The young man was shy, quiet, modest and completely did not fit into the then royal court.
The reform
In 1774, Louis XV passed away and a new king, Louis XVI, was elevated to the throne. The monarch sympathized with the ideas of the Enlightenment, because of which he immediately dismissed many odious ministers and advisers of the last reign, who were distinguished by reactionaryness. In particular, Madame Dubarry, Chancellor, etc., were excommunicated from the court. Reforms aimed at abandoning feudalism began, royal spending on the environment was significantly reduced. For all these changes, there was a request from the French society, which wanted civil liberties and an end to the dominance of the authorities.
The greatest response was given to the transformation in the field of finance. Turgot, who in the future was firmly associated with reforms, was appointed the general controller for this part. He proposed to redistribute taxes, increase taxes from the higher prosperous strata of society. Domestic customs posts that robbed merchants were abolished, monopolies were destroyed. The sale of bread became free, which greatly facilitated the existence of the estate of peasants who had the least means of subsistence. In 1774, local parliaments were restored, which served as judicial and representative bodies.
Conservative resistance
Among commoners, all these ideas were perceived with enthusiasm. But the upper layers of French society resisted the innovations initiated by King Louis XVI. The nobility and the clergy did not want to lose their own privileges. There were demands to take the post from Turgot, who was the main inspirer of change. Louis XVI was insecure and therefore ceded to the nobility. Turgot was removed, and complete anarchy began in finance. The new ministers and managers could not do anything with the growing hole in the budget, but only took new loans from lenders. Debts were associated with lower income tax revenues. In addition, domestic trade could not move to new tracks immediately, which caused the economic crisis in cities, including a shortage of bread, to begin.
Compromise
Against this background, in the 80s, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette tried to maneuver in the changing conditions of French society. The first manifestations of counter-reforms began, aimed at smoothing out the radical changes left after Turgot.
For the third estate, the posts of officers and judges began to be closed again. The feudal lords regained the position when they paid reduced taxes. All this caused a ferment in society. Everyone was dissatisfied: the nobles from the uncertainty of the king, the townspeople from the difficult economic situation, and the peasants from the fact that the reforms that had begun were curtailed.
At this time, France took part in the War of Independence, which was unfolding in North America. The rebellious colonies received the support given to them by Louis XVI. The operation to weaken the UK required to act on the same side with the revolutionaries. This was completely unusual for absolute monarchs, one of which was still Louis XVI. A brief biography of the king suggests that the king’s policies displeased his "colleagues" - the rulers of Austria, Russia, etc.
At the same time, numerous French officers who fought in America returned to their homeland by completely different people. They were alien to the old order of the homeland, where feudalism was still triumphant. Across the ocean, they felt what freedom is. The most famous officer from this layer was Gilbert Lafayette.
Financial crisis
The second half of the 80s was marked by new financial problems throughout the state. The half measures undertaken by the king and his ministers did not suit anyone because of their inefficiency. A new measure was the convening of parliament, where a reformed tax was to be introduced. Its initiator was Louis XVI. Photos of paintings with his image show us a smartly dressed monarch, while a crisis has ripened in the state. Of course, this set many against the king. Parliament refused to introduce new taxes, after which it was dispersed, and some of its members were arrested. This outraged almost all the inhabitants of the country. As a compromise, it was decided to convene the General States.
General states
The first meeting of the new representative body took place in 1789. Inside it there were several warring groups representing different social strata. In particular, the third estate declared itself the National Assembly and invited the nobility and clergy to join the new faction. It was an attempt on the power of the monarch, who was considered a given god. Violation of the generally accepted traditions that existed in the kingdom for many centuries meant that the National Assembly positions itself as the voice of the people.
Since the third estate had a majority in the General States, it blocked the king's decrees to restore the old order. This meant that now Louis faced a choice: to forcibly dissolve the General States or obey their decisions. The monarch once again showed his desire for compromise and he himself advised the clergy and nobility to join the coalition. He became a constitutional ruler.
Insurrection
This turn of events outraged the conservative part of French society, which was still great and influential. The inconsistent Louis began to listen to the dukes and nobles, who demanded to send troops to Paris and dismiss the initiators of radical reforms. That was done.
After this, the inhabitants of Paris openly ceased to obey the king and rebelled. July 14, 1789 the Bastille was captured - a prison and a symbol of absolutism. Some officials and nobles were killed. The most seriously minded began to form units of the national guard, which served to protect the success of the Revolution. Before the new threat, Louis again made concessions, having withdrawn his troops from Paris and joining the National Council.
At the head of the revolution
After the victory of the Revolution, fundamental reforms began. The feudal system that existed in France since the Middle Ages was first destroyed. At the same time, every month the king lost his influence on what was happening around. Power flowed from his hands. All state institutions were paralyzed both in the capital and in the province. One of the consequences of this change was the disappearance of bread from Paris. The mob living in the city was furiously trying to besiege the castle of Versailles, where was the residence of Louis.
The rebels demanded that the king move him to Paris from the suburbs. In the capital, the monarch became a virtual hostage to the revolutionaries. Supporters of the republic gradually grew in their circles.
The royal family was also restless. Louis XVI, the children of the monarch and his inner circle depended more and more on Marie Antoinette, who was sharply against the revolutionaries. She urged her husband to seek the help of foreign rulers, who were also frightened by the rampant freethinkers in France.
The flight of the king
Due to the fact that the king remained in Paris, the actions of the revolutionaries received a legitimate connotation. In Versailles decided to escape Louis XVI. He wanted to stand at the head of the anti-revolutionary forces or find himself abroad, from where he could try to lead the faithful soldiers. In 1791, the entire royal family incognito left Paris, but was identified in Varenna and detained.
To save his life, Louis announced that he fully supported the radical changes in the country. At this time, France was already in full swing preparing for an open conflict with the European monarchies, which were afraid of an assassination attempt on the old order on the continent. In 1792, Louis, actually on a powder keg, declared war on Austria.
However, the campaign went wrong right from the start. Austrian units invaded France and were already close to Paris. Anarchy began in the city, and new rebels captured the royal palace. Louis and his family were sent to prison. On September 21, 1792, he was officially deprived of his royal title and became an ordinary citizen with the name Capet. In France, the First Republic was declared.
Court and execution
The precarious situation of the prisoner was finally undermined when a secret safe was found in his former castle containing secret letters and documents. It followed from them that the royal family intrigued against the Revolution, in particular, turned to foreign rulers for help. At this time, the radicals were just waiting for a reason to finally get rid of Louis.
Therefore, trial and interrogations in the Convention began. The former king was charged with assault on national security. The convention decided that the defendant deserves death. The execution of Louis XVI took place on January 21, 1793. When he was on the scaffold, his last words were the question of the fate of the expedition of Jean-Francois de Laperouse. Marie Antoinette was beheaded a few months later, in October.
The execution of the king led to the fact that the European monarchs finally united against the Republic. The news of the death of Louis led to the declaration of war on England, Spain and the Netherlands. A little later, Russia joined the coalition.