King Louis XVI was the last king of France. He was also the only king executed in France’s history. Husband to the notable Marie Antoinette, he was a father to their four children, Marie-Thérèse Charlotte, Louis-Joseph, Louis-Charles, and Sophie. Two of their children died before the Revolution, and Louis-Charles died after the execution of his parents. Their daughter, Marie-Thérèse Charlotte, was the only surviving member of the royal family, marrying her cousin, the Duke of Angoulême. The king of France faced execution during the revolution on January 21, 1793. A symbolic end to the French monarchy.
It is unfortunate that King Louis XVI will go down in history forever known as a weak, cowardly king who couldn’t rule his people with a just hand, and who allowed his wife to act on his behalf. However, he involved himself in financial support for the American Revolution, earning the title the Liberating King by his people. He also signed the Edict of Versailles, which allowed non-Roman Catholics and Jews to practice their religions freely and avoid the tension and persecution in France. With a king open to ample changes during his reign, was King Louis XVI the coward history presented him to be? The historians and researchers on this list don’t think so, as they dive into the events leading up to the monarch’s death. Their works will put forward their findings and truths, deciphering who the last king of France truly was.
The Life of Louis XVI by John Hardman
In the media, King Louis XVI is typically known as either a tyrant or a coward, falling behind his infamous wife, Marie Antoinette. In The Life of Louis XVI, however, Hardman combats this and a few more misconceptions, revealing the late monarch as a well-educated and politically strategic man. King Louis was a man who knew how to change the regime, going along with the enlightenment ideals his people favored. It was his choice to never execute those ideals to the fullest, leading to his death. In a recent book release, Hardman expresses in-depth that the life of a royal was more than living comfortably in a lavish palace.
The Road from Versailles: Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and the Fall of the French Monarchy by Munro Price
Have you ever wondered what the French monarchs Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette thought of their royal power coming to an end? Why were their lives stripped from them so suddenly? British historian Munro Price takes us through his years of research in his compelling biography to answer these questions and more. He goes into great detail about the king and queen’s time while imprisoned, leading up to their execution. While the book focuses on another lesser-known historical figure (the Baron de Breteuil), it’s still an appealing insight into the two most infamous last monarchs of France.
Regicide and Revolution: Speeches at the Trial of Louis XVI by Michael Walzer
This book gets into the nitty-gritty of the execution of King Louis XVI as a firm necessity. Walzer explains how his death brought to mind two kinds of regicide, or the act of killing a king. One way was for a would-be king, or an assassin hired by a would-be king, to kill the current monarch and take their place. Second was what the French Revolution stood for: to end the monarchy for good. The difference between these instances was how the king’s execution occurred. King Louis XVI died in a public setting to show the people that the monarchy was gone forever and that there was no one else to claim the throne.
The Death of Royalty: The Lives and Executions of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette by Charles Rivers
This biography separates fact from fiction. It’s the job of a historian or researcher to seek out the accurate events of the past. For instance, did Marie Antoinette say her supposed famous catchphrase, “Let them eat cake,” causing the revolution to commence? Was King Louis XVI a cynical tyrant whose only choice was to die at the hands of the people? River separates truth from fiction by analyzing the people, places, and events leading up to the French Revolution.
Louis XVI: The Biography of the Last French King, Revolution and the Fall of the Monarchy by United Library
King Louis XVI may have wanted to appease everyone. From high society nobles to the high-taxed French citizens, the king of France wanted to make his monarchy work. Ultimately, it doesn’t end well for him, dragging down the royal family with him. Instead of a man who wrestled the people for money, King Louis was an indecisive king, who didn’t hold up to the standards of a firm king. In a way, it’s sad to see a man who wanted to be a fair ruler and help his people, but his stance as a monarch holding all the power got to him. This book details his fall as king. He became known as Citizen Louis Capet in death.
Each entry makes King Louis XVI a man who didn’t have the courage or initiative to take a stance when it came to the financial difficulties of his country. Even with his high intellect and calculated planning, the king of France was too self-restrained and wavering to handle the pressures of the crown.
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