Louis XVIII of France

Born Louis Stanislas Xavier on November 17, 1755, the fourth son of the Dauphin Louis Ferdinand and Maria Josepha of Saxony. As a younger son, he was not expected to rule. He was given the title Count of Provence and received an excellent education in classics and literature.

Louis married Princess Marie Joséphine Louise of Savoy. The marriage, arranged for diplomatic purposes, proved unhappy and childless. The couple lived largely separate lives, though maintaining public appearances at court.

Upon the death of Louis XV, the Count of Provence's older brother became King Louis XVI. As the king's brother, Louis Stanislas became next in line to the throne until the birth of the Dauphin in 1781. He began participating more actively in court politics.

The storming of the Bastille and subsequent events transformed France. While Louis XVI was moved to Paris, the Count of Provence remained at Versailles initially, then joined the court at the Tuileries. He witnessed the erosion of royal authority with growing alarm.

On the same night as Louis XVI's failed Flight to Varennes (June 20-21, 1791), the Count of Provence successfully escaped France via a different route. He reached Brussels and then Koblenz, beginning 23 years of exile that would take him across Europe.

Louis XVI was guillotined on January 21, 1793. The Count of Provence, in exile, declared himself Regent for his young nephew Louis XVII. The execution of his brother and later his sister-in-law Marie Antoinette deepened his resolve to restore the monarchy.

Following the death of the young Louis XVII in prison, the Count of Provence declared himself King Louis XVIII of France on June 24, 1795. Though he had no kingdom to rule, he maintained a court in exile and never abandoned his claim to the throne.

Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of the French, seemingly ending Bourbon hopes. Louis XVIII was forced to leave various European refuges as Napoleon's power expanded. He found temporary sanctuary in Russia and later England.

Louis XVIII settled at Hartwell House in Buckinghamshire, where he would remain for seven years. Despite straitened circumstances, he maintained royal dignity and continued diplomatic efforts to restore the Bourbons. His patience and perseverance during these years shaped his later moderation.

After Napoleon's abdication and exile to Elba, Louis XVIII returned to France in April 1814. He entered Paris on May 3rd amid mixed reactions. He issued the Charter of 1814, granting France a constitutional monarchy with a bicameral legislature and guaranteed civil liberties.

Louis XVIII promulgated the Constitutional Charter, establishing a framework that balanced royal authority with representative government. The Charter guaranteed equality before the law, religious tolerance, and freedom of the press. It represented Louis's recognition that France had changed forever.

When Napoleon escaped from Elba and marched on Paris in March 1815, Louis XVIII's army defected to the emperor. The king fled to Ghent, enduring another brief exile. He watched anxiously as the Hundred Days unfolded, culminating in Waterloo.

After Napoleon's final defeat at Waterloo, Louis XVIII returned to Paris on July 8, 1815. The Second Restoration began with a more difficult political situation, as Ultra-royalists demanded revenge against Bonapartists and republicans. Louis sought to maintain moderation despite pressures from both sides.

Louis XVIII's nephew, the Duke of Berry, was assassinated by a Bonapartist fanatic on February 13, 1820. This tragedy strengthened the Ultra-royalist faction and forced Louis to adopt more conservative policies. The event haunted his final years and threatened the dynasty's future.

Seven months after the Duke of Berry's assassination, his widow gave birth to a son, Henri, dubbed the 'miracle child' (le miracle). This birth ensured the continuation of the senior Bourbon line and gave hope to monarchists that the dynasty would survive.

The Ultra-royalists gained increasing influence in government under the Count of Villèle. Louis XVIII, increasingly ill and unable to resist, saw his moderate policies undermined. He warned his brother Charles about the dangers of extremism, predicting troubles ahead.

Louis XVIII died on September 16, 1824, at the Tuileries Palace, suffering from diabetes, gout, and gangrene. He was the last French monarch to die while reigning. His final words reportedly urged his successor to maintain the Charter. He was buried at Saint-Denis, the first Bourbon interred there since Louis XVI.