Louis XVIII of France

Louis XVIII (November 17, 1755 - September 16, 1824) was King of France and Navarre from 1814 (although he declared that he considered his reign to have begun in 1795) until his death in 1824, with a brief break in 1815 due to Napoleon's return in the Hundred Days.

Early Life

Louis-Stanislas-Xavier was born on November 18, 1755 in the Palace of Versailles, Versailles, France, the fourth son of Louis, dauphin de France and Marie-Josèphe of Saxony, and grandson of King Louis XV. At birth, he received the title of Comte de Provence but after his brother's accession to the throne he was generally known as "Monsieur," the standard title of the eldest brother of the King. After the death of his two elder brothers and the accession of his remaining elder brother as Louis XVI of France in 1774, he became heir presumptive.

Related Topics:
November 18 - 1755 - Palace of Versailles - Versailles - France - Louis, dauphin de France - Marie-Josèphe of Saxony - King Louis XV - Comte de Provence - Louis XVI of France - 1774 - Heir presumptive

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The birth of two sons to Louis XVI left him third in line to the throne of France. During the events leading up to the French Revolution, Provence initially took a moderately liberal line opposing his brother, but the increasing radicalism of the Revolution very soon alienated him. He fled the country in 1791 at the same time as his brother's unsuccessful Flight to Varennes. The Comte de Provence was living in exile in Westphalia when the King was guillotined in 1793. On the king's death, Provence declared himself Regent for his nephew, the new King Louis XVII, although the boy never actually reigned. On the 10-year-old king's death in prison on June 8, 1795, Provence proclaimed himself as King Louis XVIII, although he was often referred to by the title of pretense of Comte de Lille. In the Verona Declaration, the pretender announced his rejection of all the changes that had been made in France since 1789, which effectively destroyed the position of moderate constitutional monarchists in France, who hoped to restore the monarchy under a limited constitution which would codify most of the changes since the Revolution began. This prompted the famous remark that the exiled Bourbons had learned nothing and forgotten nothing.

Related Topics:
French Revolution - 1791 - Flight to Varennes - Westphalia - 1793 - Regent - King Louis XVII - June 8 - 1795 - Verona Declaration - 1789

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In the years that followed, Louis XVIII moved all over Europe, living for a time in Russia, before he settled himself in England. By this time, the conquests and success of Napoleon, who had established himself as Emperor of the French, made any Bourbon restoration seem unlikely.

Related Topics:
Russia - Napoleon

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