Louis XVI 1754 - 1793.

The beginning of his reign was the start of retaliation against the monarchy and the French aristocracy. The King was good natured but his government and administration were totally corrupt. With the aid of the court, clergy and nobility, they created a single class with the sole aim of oppressing the ordinary people.

Louis was not renowned for being firm, in fact he showed total lethargy which overshadowed his decisions. His greatest problem when taking office was the dire state of the French treasury which even the work of his ministers, Turgot, Calonne, Necker and Brienne failed to resolve. At a meeting on 5 May 1789 called by Necker, the nobles and clergy refused to give way or give the Third Estate the authority to conduct business. The Third Estate or ‘Tiers Etat’ was a body of lawyers, deputies and commoners set up to persuade the nobility to change the regime of taxes, rights and privilages. During the meeting, they assumed the title of National Constituent Assembly and refused to separate until a new constitution had been created. The nobles and the clergy eventually gave in to the demands and an amalgamation of the groups took place on June 27, 1789. This restriction of the powers of the King and the Notables was, in effect, the begining of the revolution.

The situation was not helped when foreign troops were drafted into Paris to intimidate the Assembly. This action rallied the people to demand arms, which were duly supplied by the municipality of Paris. 14th of July 1789 saw the mob storm and destroy the Bastille.

In 1789, the newly formed National Guard had a new commander, General Marie-Joseph, Marquis de La Fayette, who had fought in the American War of Independence and was a Royalist Liberal. On the 30^th of September 1791 the Assembly finally completed the new constitution, which was sworn to by King Louis XVI on 14th of September. He was reinstated although all his arbitrary powers were curtailed.

The King, Queen and their two children were arrested, taken from the chateau of Versailles and placed under guard in the Tuileries. With the aid of friends and Marie - Antoinette’s lover they escaped, but the plan was flawed and badly executed. Their flight ended when they were recognised at Varennes en Argonne to the east of Reims and they were arrested by order of the National Assembly and La Fayette. They returned to Paris under guard and were placed back in the Tuileries under heavier guard to ensure they did not escape again. On the 3^rd of December 1792 the King was cited to appear before the Convention, which had replaced the old Assembly. A republic had been declared earlier. On the 20^th of January 1793 he was sentenced to death and the following morning was taken to Madame la Guillotine and beheaded. Later in that year, Marie-Antoinette met the same fate.

The King’s son, the Dauphin, was imprisoned, never to be seen or heard of again. Next in line, he would have been Louis XVII. When the monarchy was restored after the defeat of Napoleon, the next King, also Louis, was titled Louis XVIII.