French King (1774-1792) born at Versailles, who created (1789) the General State, but did not develop the promised reforms which provoked the revolution, one of the most important events of the age Modern. He and his queen, Marie Antoinette, were executed at the guillotine (1793) on the Place de la Révolution, then Place de la Concorde, in Paris.
Son of Louis XV and Maria Josefa of Saxony, he became a dauphin, heir to the throne (1765), with the death of his father. Five years later, he married the Austrian Archduchess Marie Antoinette of Habsburg, daughter of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria. He assumed the throne (1774) after the death of his grandfather Louis XV. Recognized as a king of weak character, he lost his governing power to Parliament, dominated by the aristocracy, which brought the kingdom to the brink of bankruptcy.
Due to climatic conditions (1788), food production decreased, prices increased and there was famine, generating discontent. He commissioned Minister Turgot to carry out a tax reform, but he was strongly opposed by the nobles and resigned. Seeking to save the court, he allowed himself to be dominated by the most reactionary factions led by his brother, the Count of Artois, and by Queen Antoinette. The new minister Necker persuaded the king to convene the Assembly of the States General, which met in May (1789) at Versailles.
What was wanted was for the Third Estate to pay the taxes that both clergy and nobility refused. The strategy was for voting to be done by the State and not by individuals. On June 17 of that year the Third Estate met separately and proclaimed the National Assembly, which on July 9 became the National Constituent Assembly. On August 26, the Declaration of Human and Citizen's Rights was approved. Faced with the creation of the National Assembly and the king's refusal to approve it and the Parisian mass invaded Versailles, the royal family tried to flee the country, but was captured, and forced to live in Paris.
He then tried to escape from the Tuileries Palace (1791) to command the counter-revolution from abroad, but was recognized and imprisoned in Varennes. His last hope lay in Austria, the birthplace of Queen Marie Antoinette. The Austro-Prussian army invaded France but was defeated in September (1792) and then the Republic was proclaimed. The king and queen tried for treason, sentenced to death at the guillotine, the monarchy abolished (1792) and he executed on 21 January (1793).
Figure copied from the UNIV website. TEXAS / PORTRAIT GALERY:
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/photodraw/portraits/
Source: http://www.dec.ufcg.edu.br/biografias/
Order R - Biography - Brazil School
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/biografia/luis-augusto-bourbon.htm
