Louis XVI was the last king of France before the monarchy was overthrown by the French Revolution. He wore the style of Citizen Louis Capet during the four months just before his execution by guillotine.

Louis XVI authorized French military support for the American colonies’ success in fighting the British, but the costs brought the country to the brink of bankruptcy. He convened the General Assembly to settle his financial crisis, but in doing so he unwittingly sparked the French Revolution.

King Louis XVI was intellectually capable but lacking determination and authority, his regime was often classified as one of corruption, excess, and lack of concern for his subjects.

Who Is King Louis XVI?

Louis XVI, Louis Auguste born on 23 August 1754 was the last king of France before the monarchy was overthrown by the French Revolution. He wore the style of Citizen Louis Capet during the four months just before his execution by guillotine.

He was the son of Louis, Prince of France, son and heir to the throne of Louis XV, and Mary Josepha of Saxony. When his father died in 1765, he became the newly Crowned Prince. After the death of his grandfather on May 10, 1774, he became King of France and Navarre, reigning until he received the title of King of France on September 4, 1791, and entered the monarchy on September 21, 1791.

The first part of his reign was marked by attempts to reform the French government in the spirit of the Enlightenment. These included the abolition of serfdom, the abolition of the taille (property tax) and the levy (labor tax), greater tolerance for non-Catholics, and the abolition of the death penalty for deserters. Louis implemented the deregulation of the grain market advocated by the business liberal minister Turgot, but the price of bread rose. In times of poor harvest, this led to food shortages, and during a particularly poor harvest in 1775, the populace rebelled.

Due to his indecision and conservatism, some of the French saw him as a symbol of the tyranny of the Ancient Regime, and his popularity waned. His failure to flee to Varennes in June 1791, four months before the constitutional monarchy was declared, suggested that the king would link his hopes of political relief to the possibility of foreign intervention. The king’s credibility was severely damaged, and the possibility of abolishing the monarchy and establishing a republic became more and more likely.

Louis XVI was suspended and arrested during the August 10, 1792 uprising. A month later, the monarchy was abolished and on September 21, 1792, the First French Republic was proclaimed. Louis was then tried by the National Convention (which itself was set up as a court on the occasion), was found guilty of high treason, and was named after its founder, Hugues Capet, on 21 January 1793.

Louis XVI was the only French king to be executed, and his death ended more than 1,000 years of the unbroken French monarchy. His two sons died in infancy before the Restoration of Bourbon. His only child who lived to adulthood, Marie-Thérèse, was given to the Austrians in exchange for French prisoners of war and eventually died childless in 1851.

How Old Was King Louis XVI

Born in 1754, King Louis XVI was 38 years before he died of execution.

King Louis XVI Nationality

Louis-Auguste de France, better known as King Louis XVI was born in the Palace of Versailles, France, and that makes him a French national.

King Louis XVI Personal Life

Louis-Auguste de France, who received the title Duke of Berry at birth, was born on 23 August 1754 in the Palace of Versailles. He was one of the seven children, the grandson of Louis XV, and the second son of Louis, Dauphin of France. His mother was Marie Josepha of Saxony, daughter of Augustus III, Elector of Saxony, and King of Poland.

Louis-Auguste was overlooked by his parents and his older brother Louis, Duke of Burgundy, was thought to be intelligent and handsome, died in 1761 at the age of nine. A strong and healthy boy, but very shy, Louis-Auguste was a good student, had strong tastes in Latin, history, geography, and astronomy, and was fluent in Italian and English.

He enjoyed his physical pursuits, such as hunting with his grandfather and playing the wild game with his younger brothers Louis Stanislas, Count of Provence, and Charles Philippe, Count of Artois. From an early age, Louis-Auguste was encouraged by another interest of his, locksmithing, which was seen as a profitable occupation for children.

When his father died of tuberculosis on December 20, 1765, 11-year-old Louis-Auguste became the new crown prince. His mother never recovered from the loss of her husband, and she died of tuberculosis on March 13, 1767. A strict and conservative education from 1760 until he married in 1770 the “Governor des Enfants de France” (Governor of the Children of France), Duke of Vauguyon, who prepared him for his succession to the throne. It wasn’t after the death of his grandfather Louis XV that he became king.

Who Is Louis XVI Wife?

On May 16, 1770, at the age of 15, Louis-Auguste married the 14-year-old Habsburg Archduke Maria Antonia (known as the French version of Marie Antoinette) the daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Rich Franz I and his wife, Empress Maria Theresa.

The marriage was met with hostility from the French public. France’s alliance with Austria dragged the country into the devastating Seven Years’ War, losing to Great Britain and Prussia in both Europe and North America.

Louis XVI Parents

Louis XVI was the son of Louis, Dauphin of France, son and heir-apparent of King Louis XV, and Maria Josepha of Saxony.

Prince Louis of France was the eldest and only surviving son of Louis XV and Queen Marie Leszczynska of France. As the son of a king, Louis was the crown prince of France. As heir to the throne, he became the Dauphin of France. However, he died before taking the throne.

Maria Josepha Carolina Eleonore Franziska Xaberia of Saxony was Dauphine of France by marriage to Louis, son, and heir of Louis XV. Marie-Joseph was the mother of the three kings of France, Louis XVI, Louis XVIII, Charles the 10th, and Madame Elisabeth.

Louis XVI Children

Louis XVI is a father to four biological children; Marie Thérèse Charlotte, born on December 9, 1778, Louis Joseph Xavier François born in 1781, Louis XVII of France born in March 1785, and Sophie Hélène Béatrix born in July 1786.

Like many children from this period, two of Marie Antoinette’s children died prematurely. Her daughter Sophie Beatrix was less than a year old when she died, and Crown Prince Louis Joseph died of tuberculosis at the age of seven. After his death, Louis-Charles became the new crown prince of France.

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