who was the king of france during the american revolution
W hen 70-year-old Benjamin Franklin boarded the Continental sloop-of-war Reprisal in Philadelphia on October 26, 1776, for a month-long voyage to France, General George Washington 's Continental army was losing the American Revolutionary War. Louis XVI was the last king of France (177492) in the line of Bourbon monarchs preceding the French Revolution of 1789. Louis XIV, byname Louis the Great, Louis the Grand Monarch, or the Sun King, French Louis le Grand, Louis le Grand Monarque, or le Roi Soleil, (born September 5, 1638, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Francedied September 1, 1715, Versailles, France), king of France (1643-1715) who ruled his country, principally from his great palace at Versailles, during LOUIS XVI IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. Louis XVI was the last king of France (1774-92) in the line of Bourbon monarchs preceding the French Revolution of 1789. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. In European waters, France and Spain joined forces with the entry of Spain into the war in 1779. . Although Louis was his fathers third son, he was the eldest male child to survive to adulthood. . French participation in North America was initially maritime in nature and marked by some indecision on the part of its military leaders. Public opinion in France was in favor of open war, but King Louis and his advisors were reluctant due to the possible risks and heavy expenses involved. With his good health, Louis enjoyed physical activities including hunting and wrestling. French and Spanish forces captured Minorca in February 1782 but the Great Siege of Gibraltar the largest operation of the war from 1779 to 1783, was unsuccessful in either storming the place, or preventing repeated British relief of its garrison. From an early age, he enjoyed locksmithing, which became a lifelong hobby. xiv, 327 online, Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness, Washington's crossing of the Delaware River, African Americans in the Revolutionary War, Intelligence in the American Revolutionary War, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=France_in_the_American_Revolutionary_War&oldid=1147740025, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from December 2017, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Rodolphe-Ferdinand Grand, banker, along with his brother Georges, to America, Brown, John L. "Revolution and the Muse: the American War of Independence in Contemporary French Poetry. The British government responded by passing the Intolerable Acts, which included the closing of Boston Harbor and the revocation of Massachusetts's colonial charter. Louis XVIs policy of not raising taxes and taking out international loans, including to fund the American Revolution, increased Frances debt, setting in motion the French Revolution. Attempts to rally Spain also failed: Spain did not immediately recognize potential gains, and the American revolutionary spirit was seen as threatening the legitimacy of the Spanish Crown in its own American colonies. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. He was succeeded by his son Louis the Pious (r. 814840), who eventually divided the kingdom between his sons. However, the trade never materialized, and in 1793 the U.S. proclaimed its neutrality in the war between Britain and France. Suspicions of treason led to the capture of the royal palace and the temporary suspension of the kings powers. The most famous was Lafayette, a charming young aristocrat who defied the king's order and enlisted in 1777 at age 20. Louis XVIs father was the dauphin (heir apparent) Louis, and his mother was Maria Josepha of Saxony. Louis XI "Louis XVI in the American Revolution France had kept the Brest fleet to protect commercial shipping in European waters, and it sailed out only after a British fleet was confirmed to have left in pursuit of d'Estaing, thus weakening the British Channel fleet. Secretly approached by Louis XVI and France's foreign minister, the comte de Vergennes, Pierre Beaumarchais was authorized to sell gunpowder and ammunition to the Americans for close to a million pounds under the veil of the French company Rodrigue Hortalez et Compagnie. Please select which sections you would like to print: Also known as: Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette, Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, Historian and journalist Marc Leepson is the author of nine books, including. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Plantagenets based their claim on being closer to a more recent French king, Edward III of England being a grandson of Philip IV through his mother, Isabella. The French government's failure to control spending (in combination with other factors) led to unrest in the nation, which eventually culminated in a revolution a few years after the conflict between the US and Great Britain concluded. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. During the reign of King Louis XVI of France (r. 1774-1792), the first two estates enjoyed a significantly greater degree of privilege than the third, despite the Third Estate representing more than 90% of the French population and paying almost all taxes. Marie Antoinette was an Austrian princess who married Louis XVI, then the Dauphin of France, at the age of 14. Best Known For: Louis XVI was the last king of France (177492) in the line of Bourbon monarchs preceding the French Revolution of 1789. Murphy, Orville T. "The Battle of Germantown and the Franco-American Alliance of 1778." By July 1789, he was forced to acknowledge the National Assembly's authority. He was taught to avoid letting others know his thoughts, which has led to sharp disagreement about his intelligence. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. Louis IV was crowned on 19 June 936, following a brief interregnum after the death of Rudolph. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Hostilities soon followed after Britain declared war on France on March 17, 1778. At the same time, he encouraged the Girondin faction in the Legislative Assembly (which had succeeded the National Assembly in September 1791) in their policy of war with Austria, in the expectation that French military disaster would pave the way for the restoration of his authority. Francis I was crowned on 25 January 1515. Louis XVIs great-great-great grandfather was Louis XIV of France (also known as the Sun King). Like the first conflict of that name, it was a period of intermittent warfare and political and economic rivalry between the two powers. The royal family was forcibly transferred from Versailles to Paris on October 6, 1789. Odo was crowned on 29 February 888 and then again on 13 November. Up against the British power, the young nation lacked arms and allies, and so it turned towards France. These forces were largely inactive since the fleet was closely watched by the British fleet from its bases in New York and eastern Long Island. When a final decision on the question of a respite was taken on January 19, Louis was condemned to death by 380 votes to 310. Through negotiations conducted first by Silas Deane and then by Benjamin Franklin, France began covert support of the patriots' cause. Encyclopedia of the American Revolution: Library of Military History. That year's West Indies fleet was commanded by the comte de Grasse, and specific arrangements were made to coordinate operations with him. With the Americans split from their allies the war formally ended in September 1783 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. War broke out in April 1792. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Omissions? His failure to grasp the situation and to compromise, coupled with his requests for foreign intervention, were factors that led to his execution by guillotine and the creation of the new republic. [10] France was also approaching the limits of its ability to borrow money and now sought a quick end to the war. His younger brothers would succeed him as Louis XVIII and Charles X. Unable to reform France's financial system, Louis begrudgingly accepted a series of political reforms in the 1780s that put him between irreconcilable domestic forces. The House of Capet are also commonly known as the "Direct Capetians". Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. [2] This conflict exacerbated tensions further. [5], With the House of Bonaparte, the title "Emperor of the French" (Empereur des Franais) was used in 19th-century France (during the first and second French Empires) between 1804 and 1814, again in 1815, and between 1852 and 1870.[6]. De Grasse took service in 1734 on the galleys of the Knights of Malta, and in 1740 he entered the French service. All of Louiss elder siblings died when they were children. Estimates place the percentage of French-supplied arms to the Americans in the Saratoga campaign at up to 90%. He would later be overthrown during the events of the Franco-Prussian War, becoming the last monarch to rule France. The meeting did not go well. The republican government itself went through several changes in form and constitution until France was declared an empire following the ascension of the First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte as Emperor Napoleon I. Napoleon himself would be overthrown twice following military defeats during the Napoleonic Wars. A British fleet sent to confront de Grasse's control of the Chesapeake was defeated by the French on September 5 at the Battle of the Chesapeake and the Newport fleet delivered the French siege train to complete the allied military arrival. It is believed the couple did not consummate their marriage for some time, having their first child eight years after their wedding. All but Marie-Thrse died in childhood. His mother never recovered from the family tragedies and also succumbed to tuberculosis on March 13, 1767. France's navy at first dominated in the West Indies, capturing Dominica, Grenada, Saint Vincent, Tobago but losing St. Lucia at the beginning of the war. In the fall of 1797, he briefly lived above what would later become the Union Oyster House restaurant in Boston. During their time in Boston, Prince Philippe lived in a room above Capen's . Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. "French and American Women in the Age of Democratic Revolution, 17701815: a Comparative Perspective. The marriage was met with some skepticism by members of the French court, as they remembered a previous alliance with the Habsburgs pulled France into the Seven Years War. The Carolingians were a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. Ultimately unwilling to cede his royal power to the Revolutionary government, Louis XVI was found guilty of treason and condemned to death. In spite of this reduction, the British fleet still outnumbered the French fleet at Brest, and Admiral d'Orvilliers was instructed to avoid combat when he sailed in July. [13] The French took pride in their cultural influence on the young country through the Enlightenment, as attested by Franklin and Jefferson, and as embodied in the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the United States Constitution in 1787. Henry IV was crowned on 27 February 1594. After 1789 Louis XVIs incapacity to rule, his irresolution, and his surrender to reactionary influences at court were partially responsible for the failure to establish in France the forms of a limited constitutional monarchy. De Grasse asked to be supplied with North American pilots and to be informed of possible operations in North America to which he might contribute. Louis XVI was the only king of France ever to be executed, and his death brought an end to more than a thousand years of continuous French monarchy. Despite the last-minute efforts of the Girondins to save him, Citizen Capet, as he was then called, was found guilty by the National Convention and condemned to death on January 18, 1793, by 387 votes (including 26 in favour of a debate on the possibility of postponing execution) to 334 (including 13 for a death sentence with the proviso that it should be suspended). Historians debate the cause, but most likely, Louis suffered from a physiological dysfunction that took time to rectify. Louis Auguste was ill-prepared for the throne he was soon to inherit. Encyclopedias almanacs transcripts and maps, Encyclopedia of the American Revolution: Library of Military History. When the international climate at the end of 1777 had become tenser, Habsburg Austria requested the support of France in the War of the Bavarian Succession against the Prussia in line with the Franco-Austrian Alliance. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. ." The Revolution was perceived as the incarnation of the Enlightenment Spirit against the "English tyranny." Francis II was crowned on 18 September 1559. De Grasse reached the Chesapeake as planned and his troops were sent to assist Lafayette's army in the blockade of Cornwallis's army. Louiss resistance to popular demands was one of the causes of the forcible transfer of the royal family from Versailles to the Tuileries Palace in Paris on October 6. After the Napoleonic period followed two different royal governments, the Bourbon Restoration, which was ruled successively by two younger brothers of Louis XVI, and the July Monarchy, ruled by Louis Philippe I, a distant cousin who claimed descent from Louis XIII. Following the Wethersfield conference, Rochambeau moved his army to White Plains, New York and placed his command under Washington. From the autumn of 1791 the king tied his hopes of political salvation to the dubious prospects of foreign intervention. Louis, duc d'Anjou, was the second sur, Louis-Joseph, Marquis de Montcalm-Gozon de Saint-Vran, https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/louis-xvi-american-revolution. He then sailed to Boston after his fleet was damaged in a storm. An ignition of a global war with Britain started shortly thereafter. Support became more notable when, in 1780, 6,000 soldiers led by Rochambeau landed at Newport, itself abandoned in 1779 by the British, and then established a naval base there. Louis nevertheless possessed an excellent memory, acquired a sound knowledge of Latin and English, and took an interest in history and geography. His first son, Francis II, died in his minority. After the siege of Yorktown the French returned to the West Indies and were successful in taking St. Kitts (despite a naval defeat), Montserrat as well as Demerara and Essequibo in South America by February 1782. Corrections? Their young son, Louis-Charles, died in prison where living conditions were horrible. On December 3 it was decided that Louis, who together with his family had been imprisoned since August, should be brought to trial for treason. These groups are: This article is about French kings beginning with the 843 Treaty of Verdun. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. Following the death of his parents, Louis' tutors provided him with poor interpersonal skills. He was married to Marie Antoinette and was executed for treason by guillotine in 1793. Astrological Sign: Virgo, Death Year: 1793, Death date: January 21, 1793, Death City: Paris, Death Country: France, Article Title: Louis XVI Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/royalty/louis-xvi, Publisher: A&E; Television Networks, Last Updated: April 23, 2021, Original Published Date: April 2, 2014. France gained little except that it weakened its main strategic enemy and gained a new, fast-growing ally that could become a welcome trading partner. ." His sister Elizabeth would follow him to the guillotine. The alliance treaties followed quickly in March 1778, and with them openly declared conflict. The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and . The Siege of Yorktown and following surrender by Cornwallis on October 19 were decisive in ending major hostilities in North America.[8]. Louis XVI's early foreign policy success was supporting the American colonies' fight for independence from France's archenemy Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War. On the death of his grandfather Louis XV, Louis succeeded to the French throne on May 10, 1774. The aid given by France, much of which passed through the neutral Dutch West Indies port of Sint Eustatius, contributed to George Washington's survival against the British onslaught in 1776 and 1777. During the Revolution, France sent an estimated 12,000 soldiers and 32,000 sailors to the American war effort, the most famous of whom was the Marquis of Lafayette. He suppressed baronial power, made peace with E, Louis XIV (France) (16381715; Ruled 16431715) The last Capetian to rule would be Louis Philippe I, king of the July Monarchy (18301848), a member of the cadet House of Bourbon-Orlans. Odo's death is universally given as 1 January, as given by a late 13th century chronicle. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. They exacerbated his shyness by teaching him that austerity was a sign of a strong character in monarchs. However, the goal was the total involvement of France in the war. Reinforced by Gen. Mad Anthony Wayne and milita troops under Steuben, Lafayette harried British commander Lord Charles Cornwallis across Virginia, trapping him at Yorktown in late July. In 1789, faced with a grave financial crisis, the king summoned a meeting of the Estates General at the palace. ", Kaplan, Lawrence S. "The Diplomacy of the American Revolution: the Perspective from France.". It was a constitutional innovation known as popular monarchy which linked the monarch's title to the French people rather than to the possession of the territory of France. Because of decisive battles on American soil, the French were in a strong position during the peace negotiations in Paris at the beginning of 1782. Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Name: Louis XVI, Birth Year: 1754, Birth date: August 23, 1754, Birth City: Versailles, Birth Country: France. His dismissal of Necker in early July 1789 set off popular demonstrations culminating in the storming of the Bastille, which forced the king to accept the authority of the newly proclaimed National Assembly. The British naval force, then the largest fleet afloat, and French fleet confronted each other from the beginning. The Republic of France was declared, and soon the King was put on trial. "In Search of a 'Just and Lasting Peace': The Treaty of 1783, Louis XVI, Vergennes, and the Regeneration of the Realm." For example, New England colonial forces captured the fortress of Louisbourg in Acadia during King George's War in 1745, . Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Louis XVI was the last Bourbon king of France who was executed in 1793 for treason. Franklin, age 70 and already well known in French intellectual circles for his scientific discoveries, served as the chief diplomat with the title of "minister" (the term "ambassador" was not used). 27 Apr. As Navarre did not have a tradition of male-only primogeniture, the Navarrese monarchy became distinct from the French with Joan II, a daughter of Louis X. As a result, he presented himself as being very indecisive. Henry III was crowned on 13 February 1575. During his 59-year reign, he pushed through a British victory in the. Allied with the French, the Mysoreans for a time threatened British positions on the east coast. The day is now commemorated in France as a national holiday and the start of the French Revolution. The American Revolution occurred during a period that some historians refer to as the "Second Hundred Years War" between France and Britain. LOUIS XVI (FRANCE) (17541793; ruled 17741792), king of France. Battle of Trenton. The defeat was costly militarily and financially. The Royal Navy now had the strategic initiative, and as a result British demands at the peace talks greatly strengthened. . Even though France's European territories were not affected, victory in a war against Great Britain with battles like the decisive siege of Yorktown in 1781 had a large financial cost which severely degraded fragile finances and increased the national debt. In the fall of 1791, Louis XVI tied his hopes on the dubious prospect of war with Austria in hopes that a military defeat would pave the way for a restoration of his authority. Louis lacked sufficient strength of character and decisiveness to combat the influence of court factions or give support to reformers in their efforts to improve France's government. The king's economic and military advisors, in particular, remained reluctant. [9] The British fought on with Mysores until that conflict ended as status quo ante bellum in 1784. Omissions? Louis XVI came to the French throne in 1774 at age nineteen with a determination to reestablish France's position as the premier monarchy of Europe; regain the monarch's authority as "most Christian majesty"; and overcome France's disastrous losses to England in the Seven Years' War, albeit with a hesitation to undertake outright warfare. This marked the second time the thrones of Navarre and France were united under one monarch; as different inheritance laws had caused them to become separated during the events of the Hundred Years Wars. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. John II was crowned on 26 September 1350. On the homefront, he invoked an edict that granted French non-Catholics legal status and the right to openly practice their faith. '", "France in the American Revolutionary War", Learn how and when to remove this template message, United States Army Corps of Engineers Early history, Pedro Pablo Abarca de Bolea, 10th Count of Aranda, Anne-Catherine de Ligniville, Madame Helvtius, Louis-Lon de Brancas, comte de Lauraguais, List of French units in the American Revolutionary War, Jean-Frdric Phlypeaux, comte de Maurepas, David Murray, 2nd Earl of Mansfield, The Viscount Stormont, "1774: Parliament passes the Boston Port Act", Praeger Publishers, 2003. Charles X's son Louis signed a document renouncing his own right to the throne only after a 20-minute argument with his father. At first known as the duc de Berry, he became the heir to the throne on his fathers death in 1765. Turgot, his comptroller-general of finances from 1774 to 1776, was initially a restraining influence on the more aggressive plans of foreign minister Vergennes. Rochambeau, in a separate letter, urged de Grasse to come to the Chesapeake Bay for operations in Virginia. Charles IV was crowned on 21 February 1322. Yet he made still more mistakes, refusing to follow the secret advice tendered to him after May 1790 by the comte de Mirabeau, abdicating his responsibilities, and acquiescing in a disastrous attempt to escape from the capital to the eastern frontier on June 21, 1791. Charles VI was crowned on 4 November 1380. By early 1781, with the war dragging on, French military planners were finally convinced that more significant operations would be required in North America to bring a decisive end to the war. His failure to successfully address serious fiscal problems would dog him for most of his reign. He became an aide to George Washington and a combat general. Louis XVI, also called (until 1774) Louis-Auguste, duc de Berry, (born August 23, 1754, Versailles, Francedied January 21, 1793, Paris), the last king of France (177492) in the line of Bourbon monarchs preceding the French Revolution of 1789. More importantly, he solidified a favorable American view of France. Louis hesitated to commit to formal alliance and American independence until news of Germantown and Saratoga in 1777 led him to fear Anglo-America rapprochement. [3]. Honor-Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Louis-XVI, Chteau de Versailles - Biography of Louis XIV, World History Encyclopedia - Louis XVI of France, Louis XVI - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. State secretary of Finances Charles Alexandre de Calonne attempted to fix the deficit problem by asking for the taxation of the property of nobles and clergy but was dismissed and exiled for his ideas. She was the youngest daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Francis I and Empress Maria Theresa. Initially, Louis XVI resisted, declared the Assembly null and void and called out the army to restore order. The family consolidated its power in the 8th century, eventually making the offices of mayor of the palace and dux et princeps Francorum hereditary and becoming the real powers behind the Merovingian kings. Trade also severely declined during the war, but was revived by 1783. Encyclopedia.com. The British cause was lost. Louis XVIII decided not to have a coronation. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). He became an aide to George Washington and a combat general. Louis XVI, also called (until 1774) Louis-Auguste, duc de Berry, (born August 23, 1754, Versailles, Francedied January 21, 1793, Paris), the last king of France (1774-92) in the line of Bourbon monarchs preceding the French Revolution of 1789. In 1778, American and French planners organized an attempt to capture Newport, Rhode Island, then under British occupation. In November, proof of Louis XVIs secret dealings with Mirabeau and of his counterrevolutionary intrigues with the foreigners was found in a secret cupboard in the Tuileries. Both kingdoms were in a personal union under him until the Acts of Union 1800 merged them on 1 January 1801. Franklin's image and writings caught the French imagination there were many images of him sold on the market and he became the image of the archetypal new American and a hero for aspirations for a new order inside France. A Treaty of Alliance between the French and the Continental Army followed in 1778, which led to French money, matriel and troops being sent to the United States. Retrieved April 27, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/louis-xvi-american-revolution. Marc Leepson Historian and journalist Marc Leepson is the author of nine books, including What So Proudly We Hailed: Francis Scott Key, A Life; Saving Monticello; and Ballad of the Green Beret: The Life and. In reality, he was imprisoned in the Temple during this time. This is the most accepted and cited date, although it's not entirely confirmed. In 1779, d'Estaing again led his fleet to North America for joint operations, this time against British-held Savannah, Georgia. Daughter Marie-Thrse was released from prison in December 1795 into the custody of her family in Austria. Louis XI (1423-1483), called the Spider King, was king of France from 1461 to 1483. Following the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution was well received by both the general population and the aristocracy in France. ", Pritchard, James. France's prolonged involvement in the Seven Years' War of 1756-1763 drained the treasury, as did the country's participation in the American Revolution of 1775-1783. Hence, he traveled at his own expense to the American colonies, arriving in Philadelphia in July 1777, 27 months after the outbreak of the American Revolution. Eventually, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette had four children together: Marie-Thrse, Louis-Joseph, Louis-Charles and Sophie-Beatrix. Hailed as le Dieudonn, 'the God-giv, LOUIS XII (FRANCE) (born 14621515; ruled 14981515), king of France. George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 1738 - 29 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. France was not directly interested in the conflict, but saw it as an opportunity to contest British power by supporting a new British opponent. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. At age 15 (in May 1770), Louis married the 14 year-old Habsburg Archduchess Maria Antonia (Marie Antoinette), his second cousin once removed, in an arranged marriage. Crout, Robert Rhodes. Ben Franklin traveled to France in December 1776 in order to rally the nation's support, and he was welcomed with great enthusiasm. A new delegation composed of Franklin, Deane, and Arthur Lee, was appointed to lobby for the involvement of European nations. On May 10, 1774, Louis Auguste became Louis XVI upon the death of his grandfather, Louis XV. He talked of reform but resisted demands for it. Afterwards, it passed to the House of Valois, a cadet branch that descended from Philip III. On July 14, riots broke out in Paris and crowds stormed the Bastille prison in a show of defiance toward the King.
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