Louis-Philippe Ier
King of the French · 1830-1848 · born on 6 October 1773, died on 26 August 1850
Descendant of Louis XIV through the Orléans branch, Louis-Philippe rallied to the Revolution in 1789 then went into exile. After the Three Glorious Days of July 1830, which overthrew Charles X, he was proclaimed “king of the French” — and not “king of France” — a monarchy born of the revolution and the people.
The July Monarchy embodied the rise of the bourgeoisie: industrialization, railways, banks, the beginnings of the conquest of Algeria. The regime favoured the interests of the propertied and left the majority of the French outside the suffrage, despite the campaigns for the right to vote.
After a decade of republican opposition and crises, the revolution of February 1848 forced him to abdicate. Exiled to England, he died there in 1850. He is the last king to have reigned in France.
Key dates
- 1830: The July Revolution
In the tree of power
- Era: July Monarchy
- Predecessor: Henri V (1830)
- Successor: Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte (1848-1852)