Louis XVI

The reign of Louis XVI, which ended with the guillotining of Louis followed by that of his wife Marie Antoinette in 1793, is a crucial part of French history. John Hardman, who has spent many years tracking down the primary sources, presents an account of Louis' reign. Hardman divides his story into three periods. His account of the first 12 years of Louis' reign, from 1774 to 1786 reveals the secret workings of absolute monarchy in the last stage of its development. During this period, Hartman shows, the king was capable but also austere, enigmatic and at times callous. The second part of the book, from 1787 to 1789, opens with Louis' great personal reform initiative presented to the Assembly of Notables as a pivot of the reign. Here Hardman discusses the disintegration of the regime, the loss of Louis' personal composure, and the corresponding rise in the influece of Marie Antoinette. The king's often misunderstood attitude to the Estates-General in 1789, he argues, determined the whole character and course of the French Revolution. The main theme of the last section, from 1789 to 1793 is the king's attitude toward the Revolution as embodied in the Constitution of 1791. However, the political drama is also partially replaced by a human one: as Louis' political role declines, his character, tempered by suffering, becomes more sympathetic. In the end, Louis emerges as a ruler with clear ideas and a genuine concern for the French people.