Life And Death Of Louis XVI
                     Life And Death 
Of Louis XVI
Introduction
Louis XVI, also called (until 1774) 
Louis-Auguste, duc de Berry, (born 
August 23, 1754, Versailles, France
—died January 21, 1793, Paris), the 
last king of France (1774–92) in the 
line of Bourbon monarchs preceding 
the French Revolution of 1789.
Source: www.britannica.com S A M P L E  T E X T 2
Early life
Louis was the third son of the 
dauphin Louis and his consort Maria 
Josepha of Saxony. At first known as 
the duc de Berry, he became the 
heir to the throne on his father’s 
death in 1765.
Source: www.britannica.com S A M P L E  T E X T 3
Education
His education was entrusted to the 
duc de La Vauguyon (Antoine de 
Quélen de Caussade). He was 
taught to avoid letting others know 
his thoughts, which has led to sharp 
disagreement about his intelligence. 
Source: www.britannica.com S A M P L E  T E X T 4
Marriage
 In 1770 he married the Austrian 
archduchess Marie-Antoinette, 
daughter of Maria Theresa and the 
Holy Roman emperor Francis I.
Source: www.britannica.com S A M P L E  T E X T 5
French 
throne 
On the death of his grandfather 
Louis XV, Louis succeeded to the 
French throne on May 10, 1774. At 
that time he was still immature, 
lacking in self-confidence, austere 
in manner, and, because of a 
physical defect (later remedied by 
an operation), unable to 
consummate his marriage. 
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Reforming
Well-disposed toward his subjects 
and interested in the conduct of 
foreign policy, Louis had not 
suffi cient strength of character or 
power of decision to combat the 
influence of court factions or to give 
the necessary support to reforming 
ministers, such as Anne-Robert-
Jacques Turgot or Jacques Necker, in 
their efforts to shore up the 
tottering finances of the ancien 
régime.
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Controversial 
attempt
In late 1774 he reversed Louis XV’s 
and Chancellor René Maupeou’s 
controversial attempt to reduce the 
powers of the parlements that had 
been undertaken in 1771; this 
decision was popular but placed 
obstacles in the way of any major 
reforms. 
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French military and 
financial support
His approval of French military and 
financial support for the American 
colonists led to a foreign policy 
success, but the borrowing required 
to pay for the war drove the 
government to the brink of 
bankruptcy and led the king to 
support the radical fiscal, economic, 
and administrative reforms 
proposed by Charles-Alexandre de 
Calonne, the controller-general of 
finance, in 1787.
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Louis’s reaction 
to the Revolution
After 1789 Louis XVI’s incapacity to 
rule, his irresolution, and his 
surrender to reactionary influences 
at court were partially responsible 
for the failure to establish in France 
the forms of a limited constitutional 
monarchy.
Source: www.britannica.com S A M P L E  T E X T 10
Condemnatio
n to death
Despite the last-minute efforts of 
the Girondins to save him, Citizen 
Capet, as he was then called, was 
found guilty by the National 
Convention and condemned to 
death on January 18, 1793, by 387 
votes to 334.
Source: www.britannica.com S A M P L E  T E X T 11