Louis XVI

Louis XVI (1754-1793) was the king of France (1774-1792) who lost his crown during the French Revolution and was later beheaded by the revolutionaries.

The grandson of Louis XV, Louis XVI was a young prince when his father and brothers died, clearing the way for him to take the throne. He married Marie-Antoinette in 1770, who was a daughter of the Austrian Archduchess Maria Theresa.

France was poor at the time, burden by too much taxation. Louis XVI attempted some tax relief and reforms, but was frustrated by opposition by the upper class and judges.

Louis helped the Americans immensely during the American Revolution against Britain in 1778-1781, but this threw France into greater debt and financial difficulties. When an adviser to Louis proposed taxing nobility, they rebelled, as did the people of France over the longstanding tax burdens and the lavish lifestyle of the royal family.

In 1788 Louis made a tragic mistake of calling for a meeting of the representative governmental body called the Estates-General, for the first time in 175 years. Predictably, once the Estates-General convened it attempted to seize greater powers for itself at the expense of the King.

On July 14, 1789, Parisians seized the Bastille. Soon thereafter they imprisoned Louis XVI and his royal family in the palace of the Tuileries. Their attempt to escape to Austria in 1791 failed, and they were captured.

In 1792, the National Convention declared France a republic and ordered the execution of Louis XVI by guillotine on January 21, 1793. His wife was later executed also.