what was the role of Louis sixteen in french revolution?
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ROLE OF KING LOUIS XVI DURING THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
By Anirudh -December 25, 20188890
Louis XVI was the monarch of France during the French Revolution till the monarchy was abolished and France was declared a Republic. He was born Louis-Auguste on 23rd August 1754 in the French Palace of Versailles. On 16th May 1770, at the age of 15, he married the 14-year-old Habsburg Archduchess of Austria Marie Antoinette. This marriage was disliked by the French public from the beginning as Austria had pulled France into the disastrous Seven Years’ War and because they considered the bride a foreigner.
France was in severe inflation and debt leading up to the Revolution. It hadn’t helped that France had decided to help the U.S. in the American Revolution. Expenses also rose dramatically due to the lifestyles of Louis XIV and other previous Kings.
Due to this economic turmoil, Louis XVI decided to call for the Estates General, and from there we have the Tennis Court Oath, rise of Robespierre, and the eventual beheading of Louis and Marie Antoinette.
Louis and his wife actually tried to escape the country earlier in the Revolution, but were unsuccessful and it helped bring the idea that the King was a traitor. The Brunswick Manifesto also contributed to this idea.
So, basically, Louis XVII was just the wrong King at the wrong time and he paid for it with his head. I’m not saying he hadn’t contributed to debt or that sort of stuff, but I don’t believe it was predominantly his fault. After the creation of the National Assembly, there was nothing he could due to stop Robespierre and the Jacobins. Once the Revolution was in swing, it could not be stopped.