Louis XVIII of France

King of France and Navarre from 1814 to 1815 and from 1815 to 1824

Photo by: François Gérard · Public Domain · Wikimedia Commons

Born:November 17, 1755

Died:September 16, 1824

Age at death:68

Manner of death:Natural Causes

Cause of death:Disease

Zodiac Sign:Scorpio

Born in:Palace of Versailles, France

Residence:Palais des Tuileries, France

Buried in:France

Languages:Spanish, French

Politician

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Related People

Brother: Louis XVI of France

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Photo credits (2)

Louis XVIII of France:
Photo by: François Gérard · Public Domain · Wikimedia Commons
Louis XVI of France:
Photo by: Didier Descouens · Public Domain · Wikimedia Commons

Links

Wikipedia

Awards

Knight of the Order of the Elephant (1818)Knight of the Garter (1814)Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece (1767)Grand Cross of the Legion of HonourKnight of the Order of the Holy Spirit

Louis XVIII of France

King of France and Navarre from 1814 to 1815 and from 1815 to 1824

Biography

Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (French: le Désiré), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. Before his reign, he spent 23 years in exile from France beginning in 1791, during the French Revolution and the First French Empire. Until his accession to the throne of France, he held the title of Count of Provence as brother of King Louis XVI, the last king of the Ancien Régime. On 21 September 1792, the National Convention abolished the monarchy and deposed Louis XVI, who was later executed by guillotine. When his young nephew Louis XVII died in prison in June 1795, the Count of Provence claimed the throne as Louis XVIII. Following the French Revolution and during the Napoleonic era, Louis XVIII lived in exile in Prussia, Great Britain, and Russia. When the Sixth Coalition first defeated Napoleon in 1814, Louis XVIII was placed in what he, and the French royalists, considered his rightful position. However, Napoleon escaped from his exile in Elba and restored the Napoleonic Empire. Louis XVIII fled, and a Seventh Coalition declared war on the French Empire, defeated Napoleon again, and again restored Louis XVIII to the French throne. Louis XVIII ruled as king for slightly less than a decade. His Bourbon Restoration government was a constitutional monarchy, unlike the absolutist Ancien Régime in France before the Revolution. As a constitutional monarch, Louis XVIII's royal prerogative was reduced substantially by the Charter of 1814, France's new constitution. His return in 1815 led to a second wave of White Terror headed by the Ultra-royalist faction. The following year, Louis dissolved the unpopular parliament (the Chambre introuvable), giving rise to the liberal Doctrinaires. His reign was further marked by the formation of the Quintuple Alliance and a military intervention in Spain. Louis had no children, and upon his death the crown passed to his brother, Charles X. Louis XVIII was the last king or emperor of France to die a reigning monarch: his successor, Charles X (r. 1824–1830), abdicated; and both Louis Philippe I (r. 1830–1848) and Napoleon III (r. 1852–1870) were deposed.

This biography uses content from the Wikipedia article “Louis XVIII of France”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.

Quotes

“Religious Worship must be re-established, the Hydra of Anarchy destroyed, the Regal Authority be restored to all its rights, before we can execute our intentions of opposing abuses of all kinds with invincible firmness; of seeking them with diligence, and of proscribing them with decision.”

— p. 3

“We are Frenchmen—a title, which the crimes of a few individuals can no more degrade than the enormities of the Duke of Orleans can pollute the blood of Henry the Fourth. This title, which was ever dear to us, will also render us dear to those who bear it.”

— p. 3

“My government was liable to commit errors: perhaps it did commit them. There are times when the purest intentions are insufficient to direct, or sometimes they even mislead. Experience alone could teach; it shall not be lost. All that can save France is my wish.”

Quotes sourced from the Wikiquote article "Louis XVIII of France", available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.

Photos

Louis XVIII of France

Crown with king Louis XVIII

Louis XVIII of France

Collections of Musée de l'armée. Manteau de l'Ordre de Louis XVIII.

Identificatie Titel(s): Beleg van Antwerpen, noodmunt van tien cent, geslagen door Lodewijk XVIII, koning van Frankrijk Objecttype: noodmunt Objectnummer: NG-VG-4-554-A Omschrijving: Koperen noodmunt. Voorzijde:twee letters L binnen lauwerkrans onder opschrift boven jaartal; onder lauwerkrans:letter R. Keerzijde:waardeaanduiding binnen omschrift Vervaardiging Vervaardiger: anoniem Plaats vervaardiging: Antwerpen Datering: 1814 Fysieke kenmerken: koper Materiaal: koper Techniek: slaan Afmetingen: d 3,4 cm. × g 24,84 gr Onderwerp Wat: Beleg van Antwerpen (1814) Wanneer: 1814 - 1814 Waar: Antwerpen Wie: Lodewijk XVIII (koning van Frankrijk) Verwerving en rechten Credit line: Schenking van mevrouw J.M. van Gelder-Nijhoff Verwerving: schenking 1885 Copyright: Publiek domein

Identificatie Titel(s): Beleg van Antwerpen, noodmunt van tien cent, geslagen door Lodewijk XVIII, koning van Frankrijk Objecttype: noodmunt Objectnummer: NG-VG-4-554-B Omschrijving: Koperen noodmunt. Voorzijde:twee letters L binnen lauwerkrans onder opschrift boven jaartal; onder lauwerkrans:letter R. Keerzijde:waardeaanduiding binnen omschrift Vervaardiging Vervaardiger: anoniem Plaats vervaardiging: Antwerpen Datering: 1814 Fysieke kenmerken: koper Materiaal: koper Techniek: slaan Afmetingen: d 3,5 cm. × g 26,89 gr Onderwerp Wat: Beleg van Antwerpen (1814) Wanneer: 1814 - 1814 Waar: Antwerpen Wie: Lodewijk XVIII (koning van Frankrijk) Verwerving en rechten Credit line: Schenking van mevrouw J.M. van Gelder-Nijhoff Verwerving: schenking 1885 Copyright: Publiek domein

Identificatie Titel(s): Beleg van Antwerpen, noodmunt van tien cent, geslagen door Lodewijk XVIII, koning van Frankrijk Objecttype: noodmunt Objectnummer: NG-VG-4-554-C Omschrijving: Koperen noodmunt. Voorzijde: twee letters L binnen lauwerkrans onder opschrift boven jaartal; op strikken van lint, waarmee krans is samengebonden:opschrift; links onder: sporen van misslag of ouder opschrift. Keerzijde: waardeaanduiding binnen omschrift; kantschrift [?]. Vervaardiging Vervaardiger: Jean Louis Gagnepain Plaats vervaardiging: Antwerpen Datering: 1814 Fysieke kenmerken: koper Materiaal: koper Techniek: slaan Afmetingen: d 3,5 cm. × g 25,4 gr Onderwerp Wat: Beleg van Antwerpen (1814) Wanneer: 1814 - 1814. Waar. Antwerpen Wie: Lodewijk XVIII (koning van Frankrijk) Verwerving en rechten Credit line: Schenking van mevrouw J.M. van Gelder-Nijhoff Verwerving: schenking 1885 Copyright: Publiek domein

Identificatie Titel(s): Beleg van Antwerpen, noodmunt van tien cent, geslagen door Lodewijk XVIII, koning van Frankrijk Objecttype: noodmunt Objectnummer: NG-VG-4-554-D Omschrijving: Koperen noodmunt. Voorzijde:twee letters L binnen lauwerkrans onder opschrift boven jaartal; op strikken van lint, waarmee krans is samengebonden:opschrift. Keerzijde:waardeaanduiding binnen omschrift; kantschrift [?] Vervaardiging Vervaardiger: Jean Louis Gagnepain Plaats vervaardiging: Antwerpen Datering: 1814 Fysieke kenmerken: koper Materiaal: koper Techniek: slaan Afmetingen: d 3,5 cm. × g 23,31 gr Onderwerp Wat: Beleg van Antwerpen (1814) Wanneer: 1814 - 1814. Waar. Antwerpen Wie: Lodewijk XVIII (koning van Frankrijk) Verwerving en rechten Credit line: Schenking van mevrouw J.M. van Gelder-Nijhoff Verwerving: schenking 1885 Copyright: Publiek domein

Identificatie Titel(s): Beleg van Antwerpen, noodmunt van tien cent, geslagen door Lodewijk XVIII, koning van Frankrijk Objecttype: noodmunt Objectnummer: NG-VG-4-554-E Omschrijving: Koperen noodmunt. Voorzijde: twee letters L binnen lauwerkrans onder opschrift boven jaartal; op strikken van lint, waarmee krans is samengebonden: opschrift; links onder en onder jaartal: sporen van opschrift in spiegelbeeld. Keerzijde: waardeaanduiding binnen omschrift; kantschrift [?]. Vervaardiging Vervaardiger: Jean Louis Gagnepain Plaats vervaardiging: Antwerpen Datering: 1814 Fysieke kenmerken: koper Materiaal: koper Techniek: slaan Afmetingen: d 3,5 cm. × g 24,56 gr Onderwerp Wat: Beleg van Antwerpen (1814) Wanneer: 1814 - 1814. Waar. Antwerpen Wie: Lodewijk XVIII (koning van Frankrijk) Verwerving en rechten Credit line: Schenking van mevrouw J.M. van Gelder-Nijhoff Verwerving: schenking 1885 Copyright: Publiek domein