Louis XIV 2

A detailed Summary of Louis XIV 2

Louis XVI began his reign with absolute power, however he ruled at a time when changes were being demanded and ultimately revolution occurred. Louis' power slowly began to decline and on October 10, 1784 he signed a constitution forced upon him by the French Assembly, which limited his power and made him no more than a salaried figurehead who could be convicted of treason (Furneuax 12). On June 20, 1791 Louis made an unsuccessful attempt to regain his power, but he was caught and imprisoned (Furneaux 13). Though Louis Appeared coldhearted he was a kind man and did not deserve to be overthrown, Phyllis Corzine put it best by quoting:

"I've never known anyone whose character contradicted his outward appearances. [According to this man] No man could speak to Louis of disease and war without seeing a look of compassion come over his face, yet his replies were often hard, his tone harsh, his manner unfeeling," (Unknown as quoted by Corzine 13).

Louis XVI was not guilty of treason, however he was an ineffective ruler and was beheaded as a scapegoat by the French so they could prove to themselves that the king was just a regular man and not above his subjects or the law. Louis XVI, the king of Fr

ance from 1774-1792, was the grandson of Louis XV. Louis XVI was born at Versailles on August 23, 1754 (Corzine 2). He was the youngest of the family, with two elder brothers. However, the death of his two elder brothers and father allowed Louis to claim the throne easily. He was made the young prince of Dauphin in France in 1765 at the young age of eleven. Louis was an ugly man, about five and a half feet tall and slightly overweight, Although he had clear blue eyes, and thick fair hair he was pale, with a full flabby mouth and a double chin, and on top of all that he had a bad case of nearsightedness (Corzine 13). Louis XVI married Marie-Antoinette in 1777 and oddly did not consummate the marriage for seven years due to sexual problems and because of this was the laughing stock of European vaudeville (Furret 28). Louis was crowned king in 1774 at the young of twenty and he believed he had divine right to rule, because he was part of the long line of Bourbon rulers (Furret 28). At 10:22 a.m. on January 21, 1793 Louis was beheaded (Hunt 1).

Louis XVI was a weak ruler who got much of his advice from his wife, however the French did not like Marie-Antoinette or her radical ideas. Marie-Antoinette was generally hated because she was Austrian and Austria were long time enemies of France, and because she was known for being extravagant in her way of life, and because people thought she undermined the monarchy (Corzine 14). Louis was unsure of himself, and his weakness was part of the reason he was overt

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Approximate Word count = 1020
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History