Louis XVI in Florence, Italy

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Title: The Fateful Reign of Louis XVI Artist: An Anonymous French Master Date: Post-1783 Medium: Unspecified Art Form Dimensions: Unknown Accession#: INV. O.D.A. 1911 n 186 Credit: A Forgotten Chapter in History Louis-Auguste, also known as Louis Capet, was a King of France from 1774 until his downfall in 1792. His formal title after 1791 was King of the French, but he was eventually guillotined on January 21, 1793. Born in 1754, Louis XVI was the son and heir apparent of Louis, Dauphin of France, who died in 1765. This led to Louis succeeding his grandfather, Louis XV of France, as king in 1774. Initially, Louis' reign focused on implementing reforms inspired by Enlightenment ideals. He attempted to abolish serfdom, remove the taille, and increase tolerance toward non-Catholics. However, the French nobility reacted with hostility and successfully opposed these changes. Despite this setback, Louis continued to advocate for deregulation of the grain market, which led to increased bread prices during periods of bad harvests. Consequently, food scarcity would prompt the masses to revolt. From 1776, Louis XVI actively supported the North American colonists in their struggle for independence from Great Britain, which was realized in the 1783 Treaty of Paris. This move contributed significantly to France's debt and financial crisis, ultimately exacerbating the unpopularity of the Ancien Régime. The discontent among France's middle and lower classes resulted in strengthened opposition to the French aristocracy and the absolute monarchy, which Louis XVI and his wife, Queen Marie Antoinette, represented. The storming of the Bastille during riots in Paris marked the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789. Louis' indecisiveness and conservatism led some elements of the population to view him as a symbol of the perceived tyranny of the Ancien Régime. His disastrous flight to Varennes in June 1791 further eroded his credibility, leading many to believe that he was seeking salvation through foreign invasion. The abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of a republic became an increasingly likely possibility. In August 1792, Louis XVI was suspended and arrested during the insurrection, one month before the constitutional monarchy was abolished. He was subsequently tried by the National Convention, found guilty of high treason, and executed by guillotine on January 21, 1793, as a desacralized French citizen known as "Citizen Louis Capet." This marked the end of more than a thousand years of continuous French monarchy.