When discussing Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, one often mentions the poor administration of France's government, negative propaganda about the queen (Thomas, 1993), and their terrible fate on the guillotine, followed by many others during Robespierre’s Reign of Terror (1793-1794). However, few highlight the role of both as parents or the destiny of their son Louis, a silent victim of the French Revolution.
Louis Charles de Bourbon, Duke of Normandy, was born on March 27, 1785. He is the third child of King Louis XVI of France and Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria, and the second son. No one expects him to inherit the throne of France, which should pass to his elder brother, the Dauphin Louis Joseph. Marie Antoinette was very close to her children. She had developed her maternal side in 1782 when her governess resigned unexpectedly and she got used to spending time with them (Hardman, 2019: 92).
In 1786, Marie Antoinette's youngest daughter, Princess Sophie, was born, who died at the age of one. Added to this loss is that of her elder son Louis Joseph in 1789, just on the eve of the Revolution. Queen Marie Antoinette grieves over the death of her children, especially the heir. However, far from the idea surrounding the queen's extravagance, the funerals of the princes are modest as a gesture towards the economic situation France is facing (Fraser, 2006: 181).
The death of Louis Joseph makes Louis Charles the heir to a throne that is crumbling. The Estates-General are already assembled, and political instability will lead to a regime change in France. When the Parisian mob moves to Versailles on October 6th and demands that the king and queen appear on the balcony, Marie Antoinette appears with her children. She tells Lafayette:
“I know my fate, but it is my duty to die at the feet of the king and in the arms of my children”
Maria Antoinette (Hardman, 2019: 191)
That day the royal family moves from Versailles Palace to Tuileries Palace in Paris. There they spend months of uncertainty, pretending to agree with the National Assembly while weighing their options. The inaction of Louis XVI leads Marie Antoinette to consider fleeing alone with her son —and presumably with her daughter— to proclaim him king in exile with herself as regent (Hardman, 2019: 206). Finally, on June 20th, 1791 they flee disguised as servants. Louis Charles leaves alongside his sister Marie Therese and their governess Amelie de Aglaé, pretending to be Baroness Korff and her daughters (Hardman, 2016: 385-390).
The plan fails and the family returns to Paris. In 1792, the family is formally arrested in the Temple Tower, and on September 21st a First French Republic is proclaimed. During their last days together, Louis XVI strives to educate his son, mainly in geography and Latin (Hardman, 2016: 428). Louis XVI is separated from his family and executed on January 21st, 1793. In his will he shows little hope that his son would ever reach the throne:
“I recommend to my son, if it should be his misfortune to become king, that he remember that he owes everything to the happiness of his subjects”
(Louis XVI, 1793: 8)
After his father's death, the royalists in exile proclaim Louis Charles as Louis XVII, a name he is known by despite never wearing the crown. Maria Antoinette and her sister-in-law also recognize their nephew as king within the Temple and treat him differently as such. This was used against Maria Antoinette during her trial. The treatment of the family was scarce. When Louis XVII fell ill, Maria Antoinette demanded a doctor for her son, to which his captors only agreed days later (Duchess of Angouleme, 1858: 55).
On June 3rd, it was decreed that Louis would be separated from his family and moved to another part of the Temple. Upon hearing the news, Louis threw himself into his mother's arms. They only parted when they threatened to kill the child (Duchess of Angouleme: 1858: 60). Isolated from his family, he was prepared for use as a weapon in his mother and aunt’s trial. He was induced to declare that he had committed incest with his mother and aunt, which became one of the pillars of Maria Antoinette's accusation. Supposing what happened, Maria Antoinette defended herself:
“It’s very easy to make an eight-year-old say whatever one wants”
Maria Antoinette (Bashor, 2016: 206)
It is known that Maria Antoinette met her fate on the guillotine on September 16th, 1793, and similarly, her sister-in-law suffered the same fate a year later. Left in the Temple were the two children of the queen, both separated. While Princess Marie Therese was allowed a relatively comfortable life for a prisoner, her brother Louis XVII was left to his own devices, suffering malnutrition and lacking medical care or even basic hygiene. The young king without a throne died on June 8th, 1795, at the age of ten. There are rumors that he died due to poisoning, though his sister does not believe them plausible (Duchess of Angouleme, 1958: 100).
The death of Louis XVII caused such a stir in France that there was debate about his sister Marie Therese. The last Bourbon prisoner became a problematic figure for the French government, and she was sent to Austria, which had been Maria Antoinette's wish during her imprisonment.
As is often the case when a royal child dies under these circumstances, after Louis XVII’s death several impostors claimed to be him. However, mitochondrial DNA tests have been conducted on his heart preserved in Saint Denis Basilica, and it matches that of Maria Antoinette and her sisters (Jehaes et al., 2001). Thus, all evidence points to Louis XVII dying at the indicated time and his heart resting near his parents.
In 1818, a monarchy was reinstated in France with the brother of Louis XVI who took the name of Louis XVIII to respect the numeral of his nephew. In this way, Louis XVII and his non-existent reign during the French Revolution are formally recognized.
Bibliography
Bashor, W. (2016). Maria Antoinette’s Darkest Days: Prisoner No. 280 in the Concierge. Rowman & Littlefield.
Duchess of Angouleme (1858). Memories of Marie-Therese, Duchess of Angouleme. Barghon-Fortrion.
Fraser, A. (2006). Maria Antonia: The Last Queen. Edhasa.
Hardman, J. (2016). The Life of Louis XVI. Yale University Press.
Hardman, J. (2019). Maria Antoinette: The Making of a French Queen. Yale University Press.
Jehaes, E., Pfeiffer, H., Toprak, K., Decorte, R., Brinkmann, B., & Cassiman, J. J. (2001). Mitochondrial DNA analysis of the putative heart of Louis XVII, son of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. European Journal of Human Genetics, 9, 185-190.
Louis XVI. (1793) The Testament of His Late Most Christian Majesty, Louis XVI, King of France. G. Nicol.
Thomas, C. (1993). The Wicked Queen: The Origins of the Myth of Maria Antoinette. Muchnik.
Comments