King Louis Xvi Case

King Louis XVI was one of the most influential figures throughout the French Revolution. His perceived lack of ruling and concern for the French People, the imposition of taxations approved by the king and his youth and inexperience caused hatred and resentment among the French population. In turn, these actions of King Louis contributed to the onset of the French Revolution.

King Louis XVI was born the grandson of King Louis XV. Due to being the oldest of 7 siblings and his father passing away at the age of 36, Louis XVI was set to become the next king of France. At the age of 15 Louis married Marie Antoinette an Austrian princess and by 1775, at the age of 20, Louis' grandfather died, making him Louis XVI, King of France. His young age at receiving the throne was one of the factors leading to the revolution and the kings downfall. The king was too young and inexperienced and hence politically weak to bring about the reforms desperately needed by France at the time. At the time he ascended the throne, France was an absolute monarchy. The large Third Estate and some of the nobility were inspired by the revolutionary actions in other countries such as America, displaying the way the ideology of equality and freedom within the Enlightenment could be put into practice. King Louis XVI's inability to accept the idea that the structure of the monarchy had to change and he had to give up part of his absolute power angered the French citizens and caused them to create grievances and demands relating to freedom and equality, issues that the King did not have the means or experience to react to. The kings inability to bring around such reforms brought the angered citizens to drastic actions which in turn caused the French Revolution.

The citizens of France, particularly the Third estate, were also infuriated by the kings lack of concern for the people. The King's lifestyle was often perceived as lavish and privileged, this was especially evident through his wife's way of life. She enjoyed extravagant living including partying, expensive clothes, excessive gambling and decadent feasts. On top of this the royals were isolated in Versailles, living in extravagant mansions. This expensive lifestyle made the King appear as if he was unconcerned about the financial struggles, crop failures and food shortages of his people and appear dethatched and uninvolved in their ruling as they were living in overcrowded cities and poor conditions. This led the common people attacking the lavish spending and undemocratic nature of the monarchy, frustrating them to the point that they wished for abolition of the monarchy and hence starting the revolution.

The king was also in able to deal with the severe financial crisis imposing on France throughout his reign. Although he did not cause the financial problems, when ascending the throne, Louis inherited a large debt from his grandfather, mainly due to Frances imposition