Charles X of France

Charles X, King of France and of Navarre (October 9 1757 – November 6 1836) was born at the Palace of Versailles. He was the grandson of Louis XV and his Polish queen, Marie Leszczynska, and youngest son of Louis, dauphin de France, who never reigned, and his German wife Marie-Josèphe of Saxony. He was crowned King of France in 1824 in the cathedral at Reims and reigned until the French Revolution of 1830 when he abdicated rather than become a constitutional monarch. He was the last king of the senior Bourbon line to reign over France.

Exile during the Republic

After the fall of the Bastille on 14th July 1789 he was ordered to leave France by Louis XVI, who feared that Charles would soon be the victim of an assassination. It was also Louis's intention that Charles should represent the Monarchy abroad, and carry on the dynasty if the worst should happen.

Related Topics:
Bastille - 1789 - France

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In exile - first in Germany and then Italy - Charles feared that his brother Louis would compromise with the Revolution and betray the Monarchy. He took the disastrous decision of appointing Calonne to his council, which outraged Marie Antoinette, who had never liked him. This was an end to Charles and Marie-Antoinette's deep friendship, and Charles was left wracked with guilt after her execution in 1793. Charles' major foreign ally at this time was Catherine the Great, the Empress of Russia, who preferred Charles to the Baron de Breteuil, who was the opposing leader of the royalists-in-exile.

Related Topics:
Germany - Italy - Calonne - Marie Antoinette - 1793 - Catherine the Great - Russia - Baron de Breteuil

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Charles later emigrated to Britain, where George III allowed him to live in Holyrood House, a royal palace in Edinburgh. He was not comfortable with the ultra-Protestant environment of the city and spent most of his time behind the palace walls, although he was by no means rude to the locals. Communication between Charles and his surviving brother, the Comte de Provence, living in Lithuania, was particularly strained once it became apparent that Charles was utterly indifferent to his brother's financial problems.

Related Topics:
George III - Holyrood House - Edinburgh - Protestant - Comte de Provence - Lithuania

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When Louise de Polastron died of consumption in 1803, Charles took a vow of perpetual chastity. His grief was intense, for he had been truly in love with her. His religious convictions strengthened and he became a devout Roman Catholic. His personal life became "entirely blameless". In his later years, he enthusiastically supported the Ultramontane movement within the Catholic Church.

Related Topics:
Consumption - 1803 - Roman Catholic - Ultramontane - Catholic

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Charles's wife, Marie-Therese, died in 1805. His eldest son, the duc d'Angouleme, was married to his cousin (also named Marie-Thérèse), who was the daughter of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Charles's other son, the Duc du Berry, secretly married an English Protestant named Amy Brown who was also a commoner. This marriage was annulled when it was discovered - probably at Charles's behest. Berry was later married to an Italian princess, and they produced the Comte de Chambord.

Related Topics:
1805 - Marie-Thérèse - Louis XVI - Marie Antoinette - Duc du Berry - Comte de Chambord

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