Louis XVI
King of France and Navarre, then King of the French · 1774-1792 · born on 23 August 1754, died on 21 January 1793
A reformer at heart, Louis XVI tried to restore the finances with Turgot then Necker, and actively supported American independence — costly for the kingdom’s coffers.
The financial crisis forced him to summon the Estates-General in May 1789: this was the starting point of the Revolution. After the storming of the Bastille (14 July 1789) and the abolition of privileges, the weakened king accepted the constitutional monarchy, but his flight to Varennes (1791) discredited him.
Deposed on 10 August 1792, he was tried by the Convention and guillotined on 21 January 1793. His death sealed the failure to reconcile the Ancien Régime and the Revolution.
Key dates
- 1783: First crewed balloon flight (Montgolfier brothers)
- 1789: Storming of the Bastille, start of the Revolution
- 1793: Execution of Louis XVI
In the tree of power
- Era: Bourbons
- Predecessor: Louis XV (1715-1774)
- Successor: Ière République (1792-1804)
- Queen: Marie-Antoinette (1774-1792)