France’s royal
family death…
or escape?
By: Christina Deligiannis
JULY 14TH, 1789: THE FRENCH
REVOLUTION OFFICIALLY
STARTS
AUGUST 10TH, 1792: LOUISCHARLES OF FRANCE, YOUNGEST
MEMBER OF FRENCH ROYAL
FAMILY, IS IMPRISONED BY
REVOLUTIONARIES IN TEMPLE
PRISON
JUNE 8TH, 1795: LOUIS XVII DIES
OF TUBERCULOSIS AFTER THREE
YEARS OF IMPRISONMENT
Louis-Charles as the young Dauphin of France
(heir to throne)
Before revolutions racked the kingdom, the
European country of France was a wealthy
nation ruled by its King and Queen, the
nobility and clergy. Power was distributed
only among the rich and the poorer classes did
not have a voice in the political or economical
functioning; this was the reason for the
French Revolution.
The French Revolution had a deep effect on
the royal family of the time. Louis XVI and
Marie Antoinette, as well as their children
Marie Thérèse and Louis-Charles, were
suddenly the target of violence and of
ruthlessness.
Our main focus in this day and age is on the
son of the royal couple, Louis-Charles, and the
mystery surrounding his death… or escape?
HOPES AND FATES OF THE YOUNG HEIR
Louis- Charles of France, later named
Dauphin and Prince Royal of France, was born
on March 27th, 1785 at the Palace of Versailles
to the last royal couple of the country.
He was the second son of Louis XVI and Marie
Antoinette, after Louis-Joseph of France. He
also had a second sister, Sophie Hélène
Béatrice of France, who had passed of a
sickness earlier in 1787.
The year 1789 was a rather difficult one for
France. Of course, the Revolution had recently
been powered, though Louis-Joseph was
suffering from a severe case of tuberculosis.
Later that same year, the 7 year-old heir to
the French throne died, leaving Louis-Charles
to succeed his crown. “Hail the French crown
prince!”, shouted counterrevolutionaries of the
late 18th century.
THE REPERCUSSIONS OF A REVOLUTION
France’s hold on its raged population began to
slip at the close of the 1780’s. Revolting for
reasons such as different fortunes, dissimilar
liberties and disparate positions, those
change-driven would stop at nothing to attack
the rich. Adding to the already long list of
causes, the country of France owned many
unpaid debts to surrounding
countries/territories, such as Austria and
Prussia. The resulting change would be like
no other.
“The ‘finest kingdom in Europe’ was
not at all that it appeared. The
visible outward signs of great
wealth that greeted France
disguised a huge national debt.”
The revolutionaries and radicals of the time
mostly lived in poverty. While peasants, who
encompassed the circle of insurgents, had to
pay taxes to their noble, the King and the
church, the nobility were virtually exempt
from this mandate. An exception to this
statement is the very few number of rich who
joined the Revolution-their values obviously
revolved around those of human rights, alike
with those of poor revolutionaries. This final
planning of people could be called the sansculottes, meaning “without breeches”, and
their anger towards the monarchy would fuel
the violence of the French Revolution.
The three classes: the nobility, the clergy, and
the Third Estate (common people of France)
France’s royal family, mainly Louis-Charles,
was deeply affected by the disruption of their
lifestyle. Their early morning walks around
the palace were overturned by people
throwing harsh insults and threats around;
their acts and deeds were no longer applauded
by the nation; and their celebratory balls were
erstwhile considered too extravagant. The
young Louis-Charles was confused as to how a
population that once praised him, now
shunned him, for nothing more than the
actions of his parents.
Louis XVI was previously living a life of love
and luxury, as he had always known. Though
this revolution, which would be his first and
last, bittered his cup of tea.
Marie Antoinette found herself in very much
the same shoes as her husband. Her once
sparkling jewels turned dull, her goldtrimmed dresses were lambasted, and her
shining crown was being trampled upon by
the feet of revolutionaries.
A SUDDEN SHIFT AND SWITCH
After years of coup breakout, the radicals of
the Revolution finally won their place in
French society. Their capability to control
their country created a schism and, in the
month of August, 1792, they used their power
to imprison the royal family, including our
Louis-Charles.
The Temple Prison was, in the 18th century, a
horrid prison built for the worst of France’s
crime-committers. A dark and seemingly
haunted edifice, the royal kin was forced into
this space by none other than France’s own
agitators. They were, in fact, imprisoned by
their own country.
After months of near solitude and torture, the
year 1792 came to a close and a new year of
insurrection followed. The year 1793 proved to
be horrid: through the accord and disaccord of
few, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were
both guillotined, merely months apart. LouisCharles was left with no parents or guardians,
though with the title of LOUIS XVII. No eight
year-old should be coerced into owning such a
weighty title, regardless of its unreal power.
Sources
“The Lost King of France” by Deborah
Cadbury
http://www.herodote.net/8_juin_1795evenement-17950608.php
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XVII_of_F
rance
http://this-is-france.com/21-fun-facts-aboutthe-french-revolution/