Biography

Louis the 16th became heir to the throne when his father died in 1765. In 1770 he married the Austrian archduchess Marie-Antoinette, daughter of Maria Theresa and the Holy Roman emperor Francis I. In 1774, on the death of his grandfather, he ascended to the throne. His approval of French military support for American colonists led to foreign policy success, but also drove the government almost to bankruptcy. To remedy this problem the government enacted radical fiscal, economic, and administrative reforms. Louis the 16th has been criticized for lacking political insight and distracting himself with hobbies during critical moments in the Revolution. He was forced to accept his role as constitutional monarch during the Revolution. Yet he secretly did not support the Constitution of 1791 and did not faithfully implement it. He was subsequently tried to treason and found guilty and condemned to death.