Louis XVIII
Louis Stanislas Xavier entered the world on the 17th of November 1755 inside the Palace of Versailles. He was a younger son of Louis Ferdinand, Dauphin of France, and Maria Josepha of Saxony. His grandfather, King Louis XV, sat upon the throne at that moment. The boy received no name until six months after his birth when priests baptized him. This ceremony made him a Knight of the Order of the Holy Spirit. He held the title Count of Provence from the day he was born.
His education followed strict Bourbon traditions under the guidance of Madame de Marsan. She served as his governess and favored him above his siblings. When he turned seven years old, men took over his training. Priests like Jean-Gilles du Coëtlosquet taught him religious doctrine alongside classical studies. La Vauguyon drilled into young Louis how princes should reason correctly and work diligently. By April 1771, his formal schooling concluded at age fifteen.
Independence arrived in December 1773 with an extravagant household establishment. Contemporary observers noted three hundred ninety servants within his residence by 1773 alone. He acquired titles including Duke of Anjou and Count of Maine during this period. His lifestyle remained quiet yet sedentary despite his royal status. He maintained a library containing over eleven thousand books at Balbi's pavilion.
The Count of Provence fled France in June 1791 following the failed Flight to Varennes. He proclaimed himself regent upon arriving in the Low Countries. Prussia and the Holy Roman Empire issued the Declaration of Pillnitz in August 1791 urging European intervention. The National Convention abolished the monarchy on the 21st of September 1792. Louis XVI faced execution by guillotine in January 1793.
Louis XVII died in prison during June 1795 leaving no surviving male heir. The princes-in-exile declared the Count of Provence King Louis XVIII on the 16th of June that year. He drafted the Declaration of Verona as a manifesto for returning to power. Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Venice in 1796 forcing him to abandon Verona. Tsar Paul I offered Jelgava Palace in Courland where he resided from 1798 until 1801.
Tsar Alexander I later expelled the Bourbons from Russia in early 1801. They moved to Warsaw residing first in Wasilewski House then the White House in Łazienki Park. Music played La Marseillaise accidentally when they arrived in Poland. The court auctioned possessions including Marie-Thérèse's diamond necklace to fund their journey out of Russia. Louis boarded a Swedish frigate bound for Stockholm in July 1807 before disembarking at Great Yarmouth.
Allied troops entered Paris on the 31st of March 1814 ending Napoleonic rule temporarily. Louis sent the Count of Artois to France in January 1814 as Lieutenant-General. Napoleon abdicated on the 11th of April allowing Louis to resume the throne five days later. He arrived in Paris on the 3rd of May staging a procession through the city streets. The Tuileries Palace became his residence immediately upon arrival.
Napoleon's senate demanded acceptance of a constitution recognizing the Republic and Empire. Louis opposed this but faced pressure from occupying powers. He issued the Charter of 1814 containing seventy-six articles establishing a bicameral parliament. Catholicism remained the official religion while taxation required chamber approval. Only citizens paying over one thousand francs annually could vote among ninety thousand eligible voters.
Louis signed the Treaty of Paris on the 30th of May 1814 restoring French borders to 1792 limits. No war indemnity was paid during this initial agreement. The Sixth Coalition withdrew armies from French soil immediately. However, he failed to abolish unpopular taxes on tobacco wine and salt leading to riots in Bordeaux. Military expenditure dropped significantly within the 1815 budget accounting for only fifty-five percent of spending.
Napoleon escaped Elba on the 26th of February 1815 bringing approximately one thousand troops near Cannes by the 1st of March. Louis underestimated the threat due to small troop numbers initially. Mass desertions occurred as Bonapartist soldiers joined Napoleon's ranks. Minister of War Marshal Jean-de-Dieu Soult dispatched forces including Louis Philippe Duke of Orléans to stop him.
Louis suffered gout attacks preventing him from joining campaigns against Napoleon. On the 19th of March the army outside Paris defected leaving the capital vulnerable. He fled midnight that day traveling first to Lille then crossing into the United Kingdom of the Netherlands halting at Ghent. Other leaders debated whether Louis Philippe should replace him after victory.
The Battle of Waterloo ended Napoleon's return on the 18th of June 1815. Wellington and Blücher defeated the French Empire decisively. Allies agreed to restore Louis XVIII once more. He returned promptly riding in the baggage train of enemy troops. His proclamation stated no persecution would occur except for instigators of rebellion.
King Louis entered Paris on the 8th of July receiving boisterous crowds during his second restoration. The Tuileries Palace gardens filled with bystanders shouting so loudly Wellington could not converse. Ultra-royalists demanded revenge but he rejected their advice seeking continuity instead. Exiles received bonds rather than immediate land returns while the Catholic Church gained favor.
Elections for the Chamber of Deputies returned ultra-royalist results in August 1815 creating the Chambre introuvable. Talleyrand resigned on the 20th of September allowing Richelieu to become Prime Minister. Louis dissolved this parliament on the 5th of September 1816 amid rising anti-monarchical sentiment. Elections limited voting rights to wealthy men most supporting Napoleon previously.
Anti-Napoleonic sentiment fueled White Terror purging officials from government. Guillaume Marie Anne Brune suffered assassination with remains thrown into the Rhône River. Michel Ney executed for treason in December 1815 despite royal reluctance to shed blood. Between fifty thousand and eighty thousand officials faced removal during what historians call the Second White Terror.
France signed another Treaty of Paris in November 1815 ending the Hundred Days formally. Borders contracted back to 1790 extent requiring occupation by allied armies costing one hundred fifty million francs annually. A war indemnity of seven hundred million francs burdened the nation further. The Chambers passed military laws increasing army size over one hundred thousand troops in 1818.
Louis removed Talleyrand from foreign policy continuing peaceful versions of Napoleonic policies. He reversed friendly overtures toward Spain and Ottomans while minimizing Austria's role. France intervened militarily in Spain starting in 1823 crushing a revolt against Ferdinand VII. The Duke of Angoulême headed this successful campaign.
Austria agreed to send forces to Naples in February 1815 after learning Murat corresponded with Napoleon. Louis forged correspondence himself subsidizing the expedition with twenty-five million francs. Parma remained with Empress Marie-Louise until her death while Bourbon branches received Lucca instead.
Health declined rapidly for Louis XVIII beginning spring 1824. Obesity gout gangrene affected legs and spine causing severe pain. He died on the 16th of September 1824 surrounded by family and government officials. Antoine Germain Labarraque washed his body using chlorides of lime eliminating odors before public presentation. Succession passed directly to Charles X youngest brother Count of Artois.
Louis was interred at Basilica of St Denis serving as necropolis for French kings. He became last monarch dying while still ruling after 1774. His nephew Charles Ferdinand Duke of Berry assassinated at Paris Opera on the 14th of February 1820 left succession uncertain. Posthumous son Henry Duke of Bordeaux born September secured dynasty temporarily though doubt persisted regarding Salic law amendments.
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Common questions
When was Louis Stanislas Xavier born and where did he enter the world?
Louis Stanislas Xavier entered the world on the 17th of November 1755 inside the Palace of Versailles. He received no name until six months after his birth when priests baptized him.
How did Louis XVIII become King of France in 1814?
Allied troops entered Paris on the 31st of March 1814 ending Napoleonic rule temporarily. Napoleon abdicated on the 11th of April allowing Louis to resume the throne five days later before arriving in Paris on the 3rd of May.
What happened during the Hundred Days period for Louis XVIII?
Napoleon escaped Elba on the 26th of February 1815 bringing approximately one thousand troops near Cannes by the 1st of March. Louis fled midnight on the 19th of March traveling first to Lille then crossing into the United Kingdom of the Netherlands halting at Ghent.
Why did Louis XVIII die in September 1824?
Health declined rapidly for Louis XVIII beginning spring 1824 as obesity gout and gangrene affected legs and spine causing severe pain. He died on the 16th of September 1824 surrounded by family and government officials.
Who succeeded Louis XVIII after his death in 1824?
Succession passed directly to Charles X youngest brother Count of Artois. Louis was interred at Basilica of St Denis serving as necropolis for French kings.