Alison Johnson lives in midcoast Maine.

Louis XVI was a gentle and unassuming man who did not want to be king but attempted to work for the welfare of his people--until his government was engulfed by the violent upheavals of the French Revolution. Facing the rapidly changing desires of his subjects, he gave way to the policies they demanded. Few rulers have acquiesced to such startling changes of government within such a brief span of time.
Louis XVI lacked the charisma of Marie Antoinette, but he is remarkable for the courage he exhibited when facing violent armed men only a few feet away. The quiet dignity with which he approached his execution has been praised by countless people, including Albert Camus and Victor Hugo. This biography traces the painfully exciting events involving Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and their two children. The royal family was first taken by a violent mob from Versailles to Paris. They attempted an escape but it failed when they had almost reached safety. A year later the king and queen were guillotined.

Table of Contents


Preface

¿1.¿Youth and Marriage

¿2.¿Early Years of Reign

¿3.¿Marie Antoinette's Lifestyle

¿4.¿Deteriorating Financial Situation

¿5.¿The Necklace Affair

¿6.¿Attempts to Avoid Bankruptcy

¿7.¿Composition of the ­Estates-­General

¿8.¿Opening of the ­Estates-­General

¿9.¿Fall of the Bastille

10.¿Accommodating the Revolutionaries

11.¿Mob Takes Royal Family Captive

12.¿Life of the Royal Family in Paris

13.¿Bastille Anniversary Celebration

14.¿Civil Constitution of the Clergy

15.¿Flight to Varennes

16.¿Final Steps Toward a Constitutional Monarchy

17.¿Acceptance of the Constitution

18.¿Invasion of the Tuileries Palace

19.¿Attacks by Austrian and Prussian Forces

20.¿Insurrectional Commune Seizes Power in Paris

21.¿Battle at the Tuileries Palace

22.¿The Royal Family in Prison

23.¿September Prison Massacres

24.¿French Military Successes

25.¿Trial of the King

26.¿King Condemned to Death

27.¿Final Hours and Execution

Epilogue

Chronology

Chapter Notes

Works Cited

Index