Louis XVI, Louis the Last, fr. Louis August de Bourbon, (born August 23, 1754 in Versailles, amended January 21, 1793 in Paris - the Duke de Berry, ultimately the king of France and Navarre from 1774 to 1791, then the King of the French (Roi des Français) in 1792. Son Louis Ferdinand of Bourbon and Mary Joseph, grandson of Louis XV and Maria Leshchinsky (great-grandson of the King of Poland - Stanislav Leschinsky), and King of Poland August III.The elder brother of kings: Louis XVIII and Charles X of the Bourbon dynasty, and Madame Clotilde, and Madame Elizabeth. the wife was Marie Antoinette.
The childhood of Louis XVI
Louis August Bourbon was the seventh child of Louis Ferdinand of Bourbon (1729-1765) and his second wife Maria Joseph (1731-1767) and the first son to live to adulthood. From birth, he was called the Duke of Berry (until 1765), and later the Heir to France (1765-1774).
He had a difficult childhood, as his parents were more concerned about his older brother, Louis Joseph of Bourbon, Duke of Burgundy (1751-1761), who, in their opinion, was smarter and more beautiful. The future king of France and Navarre, Louis XVI was the strongest and healthy child, but very shy. He was very fond of studying. His favorite subjects were: Latin, history, geography and astronomy. In addition, he was fluent in Italian and English. Louis Augustus loved physical activity. hunting with his grandfather, king of France Louis XV (1710-1774), as well as various games and fun with his younger brothers: Louis Stanislav (1755-1824), Count of Provence and Charles Philippe (1757-1836), Count of Artois.
After the death of his father, who died of tuberculosis on December 20, 1765, the 11-year-old Louis Augustus became the new Heir to the crown. His mother was never able to recover from the blow after losing her beloved husband and died on March 13, 1767.
Personal life
On May 16, 1770, at the age of 15, Louis Augustus Bourbon married the 14-year-old Duchess Marie Antoinette of Habsburg (1755-1793), who was the youngest daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Franz I of Lorraine (1708-1765) and Empress Maria Theresa of Habsburg (1717-1780). The marriage of Dauphin in France with the Austrian was negatively perceived among the French public. It was believed that the alliance of France with Austria dragged the country into a terrible seven-year war in which the French were defeated by the British in Europe and North America.
The shyness of Louis-Augustus, as well as the young age and inexperience of the newlyweds led to the fact that the royal couple did not wait for children in the first 7 years of marriage, which was a bad sign for the court and the public. Moreover, the absence of any heir caused the creation of unfavorable pamphlets about the Dauphin of France and his wife.
Ultimately, despite the initial problems of the royal couple in the birth of the heir, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were the parents of four children, and these were:
Marie-Therese-Charlotte, born December 19, 1778, Louis Joseph Francis Xavier, Dolphin, born October 22, 1781, Louis Carl was born on March 27, 1785, Sophia Elena Beatrice was born on July 9, 1786.
US War of Independence
In the year 1778. after the victory of American troops under Saratogą, France was involved in the war for the independence of the North American colonies against Great Britain, signing an allied treaty with the United States and sending a military expeditionary force and financing the purchase of weapons for the rebels. The war ended in 1783. the creation of a new state, the United States of America.
Convocation of the General States
To counter the crisis, Louis XVI decided to restitution, the General States, this is a meeting of representatives of three states: the clergy, the nobility and the burghers, as an advisory body to the king, in order to establish taxes and fees. The first meeting was held at Versailles on May 5, 1789. From the very beginning, serious discrepancies between the positions of individual states were identified. True, everyone wanted reforms, including tax changes, but not at the expense of their own privileges.
After two months of formal meetings, the United States was transformed and turned into the National Assembly, thus emphasizing its nationwide representation and began work on a new state constitution.
Revolution
The king did not want any new constitution and gathered around Versailles and Paris 20 thousand. the troops, apparently intending to disperse the National Assembly or impose their will on it. But on July 11, 1789, large street riots began, revolutionary committees were created, the formation of the National Guard and the police began.
The French Revolution began, and the day of the capture of the Bastille, July 14, subsequently became the national holiday of France.
After July 15, Louis XVI withdrew his troops from Paris, but at Versailles the Flemish regiment was preparing to restore the monarch’s full power. Fearing a monarchist revenge, the rebels transported Louis to Paris under the control of the revolutionary authorities. Ultimately, the National Assembly approved in September 1791. the new constitution, which proclaimed France a constitutional monarchy, but already next year the monarchy was liquidated in favor of the republican system.
