Louisxvi

The King and the Revolution
What sort of man was Louis XVI?

Louis XVI came to the throne in 1774. He was an absolute monarch, which
meant that he was not bound by a constitution, so had complete power. Like
many other European monarchs, Louis believed his power had been given to
him by God. Louis was a ‘family-man’. Even during the Estates General
meeting, Louis was more concerned with his son who was dying of
tuberculosis than the political crisis he was facing. Louis was dominated by
his wife, Marie-Antoinette, whose brother was the Austrian Emperor.
Marie-Antoinette was the subject of many rumours about love affairs,
expensive clothes and over spending. She was also criticised by many for the
way she interfered with Louis’s attempts to govern the country.
“The power to make laws

Source A. King Louis XVI belongs only to me”
of France
Source B. Louis XVI,
(1774 – 1793)
How did
did Louis respond to the events
of 1789-
1789-91?
It is possible that Louis did not fully understand the events of 1789 —
1791. It is also possible that Louis had no idea how widespread the
demand was for reform in France. When the Three Estates met in Source C. Queen Marie-
May 1789, Louis did not have any ideas to put to them. When the Antoinette of France.
National Assembly was set up, Louis did not know what he should do.
On 5-6 October, 1789, the Paris mob came to Louis’s palace at
Versailles and attacked. They captured Louis and his family, and
imprisoned him in the Tuilleries in Paris. Louis could have ordered his
guards to fire on the mob but refused to do so. Louis claimed that Source D. Descriptions of Louis and Marie -Antoinette by an
he played the role of an English style ‘constitutional monarch’. American Ambassador in France.
Between 1789-1791, Louis signed decrees from the Assembly so
that they became law. On Louis…
He is an honest man and wishes to do good, but he has not
In September 1791, when the constitution was finally either genius or education…
proclaimed, Louis signed an oath of loyalty. Some believe that
this was an act of good will from Louis. Others think that On Marie-Antoinette…
Louis took the oath because he had no other choice. What do Louis has a queen who controls his weak mind. Her
..extravagance has been a major cause of exhausting the
YOU think? Read the information on Louis’s behaviour government’s finances.
between 1789 and 1791 before you make your decision.
By Miss Lavelle www.SchoolHistory.co.uk

How did Louis behave in 1789 — 1791?
Louis behaviour in the years 1789 — 1791 is crucial in deciding whether or not Louis co-
co-operated with the Assembly’s
attempts at reform.
1) When many nobles fled France after their chateaux were burned. Louis continued to support the nobles (known
as emigrés) who were now living in the courts of other European monarchs, by sending money to them.
2) Marie-Antoinette (whose brother was Emperor of Austria) wrote to neighbouring monarchies stating that she
and Louis wanted to leave France and that they hoped their absolute monarch friends would invade France, put
down the revolution and restore Louis to absolute monarch. Louis agreed with his wife’s actions, and himself
wrote to the kings of Prussia, Spain and Sweden, as well as the emperors of Austria and Russia to suggest an
alliance to put down the revolution.
3) During the night of June 20-21, 1791, Louis attempted to escape to Montmedy, near the Austrian Netherlands.
He and his family were disguised and carried false passports. Once there, he hoped, he would rally the emigrés
nobles, get the support of Austria and return with an army. However, Louis’s plan was filled with problems.
- Firstly, the queen insisted that all the family travel together. This meant using a larger, slower coach, which,
even with six horses had a top speed of only 10km per hour.
- The bodyguards wore easily recognisable uniforms.
- There were six people instead of five listed on the passport.
- Louis himself was recognised on the route to Varennes, and a mob prevented his coach from proceeding.
- Louis’s advisers suggested he use his bodyguards to shoot their way through the mob, but Louis refused.
On June 22nd, Louis and his family were captured and brought back to Paris. The crowd along the way jeered them, but
once in Paris, Louis and his family were greeted with a grim silence. Anyone who applauded the King was beaten, and
anyone who insulted him was hanged. The National Assembly had to decide what to do with Louis…. What happened
next??
Well???
In the end, the Assembly
decided to keep Louis as their
CONSTITUTIONAL
MONARCH (a monarch who
has to obey the rules of a
constitution). On September 3rd
Source E: Louis and family being brought back to Paris. The caption read, ‘the family of 1791, the constitution was
pigs being brought back to the pigsty’ proclaimed and Louis swore an
oath of loyalty to it. On 30th
September 1791, the National
Tasks… Assembly declared its work
1) Carefully look at sources A, B, and D. What kind of person do you think finished. It seemed the
Louis XVI was? revolution was over.
2) Now look at sources C and D. How would you describe Marie-Antoinette? We shall see…
3) Can you be sure that your descriptions of Louis and his queen are
And finally…
accurate? Explain your answer.
4) Find all the dates on this worksheet and write them in your margin. Next
Extension: Write a
to each date, write down the event it relates to.
newspaper report for ‘Le
5) In what three ways did Louis behave badly in the years 1789-1791? Explain News’ on Louis’s attempted
each fully. escape. You’ll need a
6) How did Louis show that he could not be trusted during this time? headline, a picture, and as
7) What point was the cartoonist of source E trying to make? Explain your many details of the event
answer. as you can find! Ask your
8) Mini-essay (at least one page of your exercise book) – How did Louis deal teacher for a writing
with the difficulties he faced in the years 1789 – 1791? Use the frame, or make your own!
information and sources on this sheet, as well as your previous work.

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The King and the Revolution

What sort of man was Louis XVI?

“The power to make laws

By Miss Lavelle www.SchoolHistory.co.uk

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