| Louis XVI: Louis Seize, Lived [1754-1793] Ruled [1774-1792]. Youngest son and not expecting to rule he inherited a weak and impoverished France. He had married an Austrian princess, Marie-Antoinette, by his Coronation at the age of twenty.. Burdened with debts and heavy taxation the multitudes were miserable and defiant. He employed some able Ministers who averted immediate Insurrection. Calonne who was perhaps able to save the Autocracy fell victim to the radicality of their reforms and were forced to resign. Between 1778 and 1781 Louis granted financial aid to the American War of Independence fighters. A tradition of lavish Court spending was a particular ranker. The undue influence of the Queen only excerbated the precarious situation. |
