04/10/13

[4th LizzK]

• Post Napoleon France
  • Following the ousting of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1814, the Bourbon Dynasty was restored to the French throne. The period of their reigns is called, in French, Restauration. (Restoration).
  • France had just fought for ten years to get rid of the Monarchy, but 15 years later it’s back. However, this time it is in the form of a constitutional monarchy, rather than an absolute monarchy.
  • Absolute – The king is the ultimate power, he makes the laws and rules with no limits. There is no constitution.
  • Constitutional – The king has power, but he has laws he has to follow. There is a constitution.
• The Next 3 Kings
  • Louis XVII 1814 – 1824
  • Charles X 1824 – 1830
  • Louis-Philippe I, the Citizen King 1830-1848
• Louis XVII
  • Louis XVII was Louis XVI’s younger brother. He was going to inherit the kingship after his brother.
  • However, Louis XVI had two sons that cut the brother in line, now XVII is third in line.
  • Well, in 1795, the 9 and 6 year old sons are killed, so Louis XVII proclaims himself to be the new king for France.
  • From Monarchy (Absolute) to Empire (w/ an Emperor), back to a Monarchy (Constitutional).
• Citizen King (Louis-Philippe I)
  • At first, he was much loved and called the ‘Citizen King’, but his popularity suffered as his government was perceived as increasingly conservative and monarchial.
  • Under his management, the conditions of the working classes deteriorated, and the income gap widened considerably.
  • An economic crisis in 1847 led to the citizens of France revolting against their king once again.
• Napoleon III
  • Nephew to Napoleon Bonaparte.
  • Military leader just like his uncle.
  • He was determined to regain the French throne.
  • After the Revolution of 1848, in 1850, Napoleon III was elected president of the Second Republic.
  • He served in that position until 1852, when he was made emperor – a position he held until 1870.
  • When the disastrous Franco-Russian War led to his capture, he was disposed of and sent to England, where he died in 1873.