Louis Philippe Encyclopedia > History > Biographies > French History: Biographies Louis Philippe Louis Philippe (lwē fēlēpˈ) [ key ], 1773–1850, king of the French (1830–48), known before his accession as Louis Philippe, duc d'Orléans. The son of Philippe Égalité (see Orléans, Louis Philippe Joseph, duc d' ), he joined the army of the French Revolution, but deserted (1793) with Gen. Charles François Dumouriez . Although in exile for the next 20 years, he did not collaborate with France's enemies. Reconciled with the Bourbons , he returned to France after their restoration and soon recovered his huge fortune. He figured in the liberal opposition to kings Louis XVIII and Charles X and was supported by the discontented upper bourgeoisie and by the liberal journalists.

In the July Revolution of 1830, Louis Philippe was made lieutenant general of the realm and, with the support of the marquis de Lafayette , was chosen "king of the French." His reign, known as the July Monarchy, marked the triumph of the wealthy bourgeoisie and a return to influence of many former Napoleonic officials. Although the constitutional charter of 1814 was revised (1830) in a liberal direction, the new legislature was unresponsive to the economic needs and political desires of the lower classes. In the early years of his reign, Louis Philippe's basically conservative outlook was strengthened by a number of workers' demonstrations and by several attempts on his life, notably that of Giuseppe Fieschi (1835). Although the king was a constitutional monarch, he gained considerable personal power by splitting the liberal movement and appointing weak ministers, such as Louis Molé . Eventually a conservative ministry, dominated (1840–48) by François Guizot , who had the king's confidence, came to power. In foreign policy, Louis Philippe promoted Anglo-French friendship and supported colonial expansion; Algeria was conquered in his reign.

He cooperated with England in support (1831) of Belgian independence and in the Quadruple Alliance of 1834. The Franco-British rapprochement was ended (1846), however, by the Spanish marriages (see Isabella II ), which violated a previous Franco-British agreement. In France, Louis Philippe became increasingly unpopular. On the right he was opposed by the legitimists (who supported the senior Bourbon line) and by the Bonapartists. The leftist elements organized numerous secret revolutionary societies. The opposition to the government undertook (1847–48) a banquet campaign to propagate the demand for electoral reform. The campaign led to the February Revolution of 1848. Louis Philippe abdicated in favor of his grandson (see Orléans , family), but a republic was set up. The king fled to England, where he died. Louis Philippe was known as the "citizen king" because of his bourgeois manner and dress, and he and his regime were satirized by Honoré Daumier . See J. Lucas-Dubreton, The Restoration and the July Monarchy (tr. 1929); biographies by J. S. C.

Abbott (1902), C. Gavin (1933), A. de Stoeckl (1958), T. E. Howarth (1961), and P. H. Beik (1965). The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. Louis-Philippe - King - Biography.com quotes “Louis Philippe was a king who was too paternal a king.” “The great error of his life was that he never would submit to be a constitutional King.” Louis-Philippe Synopsis Louis-Philippe d'Orléans was born on October 6, 1773, in Paris, France. He lived in exile for most of the French Revolution, only returning to France after Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated. Following the July Revolution, Louis-Philippe became the country's "citizen king" in 1830. A repressive ruler, he was forced to abdicate the throne in 1848. He died on August 26, 1850, at age 76, in Claremont, England.

Early Life and Role in the French Revolution Louis-Philippe d'Orléans was born on October 6, 1773, in Paris, France. Though related to King Louis XVI, Louis-Philippe, like his father, was a supporter of the French Revolution. He joined the French army in 1792, and went to fight in Austria, but deserted in April 1793. Later that same year, his father was executed in France, a casualty of the Revolution's Reign of Terror. Exile and Return to France Unable to return home, Louis-Philippe was forced to live in exile. He taught in Switzerland before going on to live in Sweden, in the United States and finally in England. There he mended fences with his Bourbon relatives and fellow exiles, including Louis XVIII. Louis-Philippe, now married to Neapolitan princess Marie-Amélie, returned to France in 1814, following Napoleon Bonaparte's defeat (although he went back to England during Napoleon's brief 1815 return).

With the monarchy restored and Louis XVIII in power, Louis-Philippe, holding the title of Duke of Orléans, took possession of his familial estates. The July Monarchy In 1824, Louis XVIII was succeeded on the throne by his brother, Charles X. As the unpopular Charles X angered the bourgeoisie with his policies, Louis-Philippe, now one of the wealthiest men in France, maintained contact with liberal opposition groups. When Charles X issued four repressive ordinances in 1830, the July Revolution led to a loss of control for the monarchy. Louis-Philippe stepped into the power vacuum and was elected lieutenant general of France. After Charles X abdicated, Louis-Philippe was sworn in as King Louis-Philippe I on August 9, 1830. Although he was not welcomed by republicans, nor by those who felt he was an illegitimate king (Charles X had abdicated in favor of his grandson, so "Legitimists" considered Louis-Philippe a usurper), Louis-Philippe was popular when he first took power.

He had been sworn in under a revised governing charter, which limited the king's power, and was described as the "citizen king" of the French. As he had taken power after the July Revolution, his reign was known as the July Monarchy. Louis-Philippe disappointed the country, and many of his supporters, when he began to govern as an autocrat. As France faced economic troubles, more uprisings took place throughout the 1830s. Louis-Philippe clamped down on dissent and put down worker insurrections. He soon gained a reputation for supporting the interests of the rich, and was resented by the poorer classes. During his reign, Louis-Philippe escaped from eight assassination attempts. Abdication and Death Following a period of economic stability in the 1840s, France experienced a depression in 1846. This trouble, combined with rejected demands for expanded suffrage, led to another revolution in 1848. Louis-Philippe abdicated the throne on February 24, fleeing to England as "Mr. Smith." Louis-Philippe, having been unable to guide France through a tumultuous era, was the country's last king.

After his abdication, France set up its Second Republic, while Louis-Philippe spent the remainder of his life in England. He was 76 years old when he died on August 26, 1850, in Claremont, Surrey. Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us ! Citation Information The French Restoration 1814 - 1848 Louis-Philippe I , the Citizen King 1830-1848 Louis-Philippe ascended to the throne during the July Revolution; some historians treat the resulting July Monarchy as a separate period in French history. Following the ouster of the last king to rule France, the Second Republic was formed after the election of Charles Louis Napoleon Bonaparte as President (1848-1852) who then had himself declared Emperor Napoleon III of the Second Empire from 1852 - 1871 Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (November 17, 1755- September 16, 1824) was King of France from 1814 until his death in 1824.

Louis-Stanislas-Xavier was born on November 17, 1755 in the Palace of Versailles, Versailles, France, the fourth son of the dauphin Louis, the son of King Louis XV and Marie Leszczynska. At birth, he received the title of Count of Provence but throughout most of his life he was known as "Monsieur." After the death of his two elder brothers and the accession of his remaining elder brother as Louis XVI of France in 1774, he became heir presumptive. The birth of two sons to King Louis XVI, left him third in line to the throne of France. He was living in exile in Westphalia when the King was guillotined in 1793. On the king's death, Louis-Stanislas-Xavier declared himself Regent for his nephew, the new King Louis XVII. On the 10-year-old king's death in prison on June 8, 1795, Louis-Stanislas-Xavier proclaimed himself as King Louis XVIII. In 1814, he gained the French throne with the assistance of Charles Maurice de Talleyrand after Napoleon's downfall.

Eventually, he fled Paris on the news of the return of Napoleon to Ghent, but returned after the Battle of Waterloo had ended Napoleon's rule of the Hundred Days. King Louis' chief ministers were at first moderate, including Armand Emmanuel, Duc de Richelieu, and Ã‰lie Decazes. The ultraroyalists, led by Louis's brother, the Comte d'Artois (later King Charles X), triumphed after the assassination of the count's son, Charles Ferdinand, Duc du Berry. The new ministry headed by the Comte de VillÃ¨le was thoroughly reactionary. Louis XVIII died on September 16, 1824, and was interred in the Saint Denis Basilica. His brother, the Comte d'Artois, succeeded him as Charles X. Charles X Charles X (October 9, 1757- November 6, 1836) was born at the Palace of Versailles son of Louis (the uncrowned dauphin, son of Marie Leszczynska) and Marie-JosÃ¨phe de Saxe.

He was crowned King of France in 1824 in the cathedral at Reims and reigned until the French Revolution of 1830 when he abdicated rather than become a constitutional monarch. He was the brother of both King Louis XVI and King Louis XVIII, as well as uncle to Louis XVII He married Marie-ThÃ©rÃ¨se de Savoie, the daughter of Victor Amadeus III of Savoy, on November 16, 1773. As Comte d'Artois he headed the reactionary faction at the court of Louis XVI. He left France at the outbreak of the French Revolution, and stayed in England until the Bourbon restoration in 1814. During the reign of Louis XVIII he headed the ultraroyalist opposition, which took power after the assassination of Charles's son the Duc du Berry. The event caused the fall of the ministry of Ã‰lie Decazes and the rise of the Comte de VillÃ¨le, who continued as chief minister after Charles became king. The VillÃ¨le cabinet resigned in 1827 under pressure from the liberal press.

His successor, the Vicomte de Martignac, tried to steer a middle course, but in 1829 Charles appointed Jules Armand de Polignac, an ultrareactionary, as chief minister. Polignac initiated French colonization in Algeria. His dissolution of the chamber of deputies, his July Ordinances, which set up rigid control of the press, and his restriction of suffrage resulted in the July Revolution. Charles abdicated in favor of his grandson, the Comte de Chambord, and left for England. However, the Duc d'OrlÃ©ans, whom Charles had appointed Lieutenant-General of France, was chosen as "King of the French." He reigned as Louis Philippe. Fleeing initially to England, he later settled in Prague and then in present-day Slovenia. He died on November 6, 1836 in the palace of Count Michael Coronini Comberg zu Graffenberg at Goritz, Illyria and is buried in the Church of Saint Mary of the Annunciation, Castagnavizza, Slovenia.

Louis-Philippe of France Louis-Philippe of France (October 6, 1773 - August 26, 1850), served as the "Orleanist" King of the French from 1830 to 1848. Born in Paris, Louis-Philippe, as the son of Louis Philippe Joseph, Duc d'OrlÃ©ans (known as "Philippe Ã‰galitÃ©"), descended directly from King Louis XIII. During the French Revolution and the ensuing regime of Napoleon Bonaparte, Louis-Philippe remained mostly outside France, travelling extensively, including in the United States where he stayed for four years in Philadelphia. His only sister, Princess Louise Marie Adelaide EugÃ¨nie d'OrlÃ©ans, married in the US. In 1809 Louis-Philippe married Princess Marie Amalie of Bourbon-Sicilies (1782-1866), daughter of King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies. After the abdication of Napoleon, Louis-Philippe returned to live in France, claiming sympathy with the liberated citizens of the country.

With the restoration of the monarchy under his cousin King Louis XVIII and then under the reign of Louis' brother, King Charles X, the popularity of Louis-Philippe grew. King of the French In 1830, the July Revolution overthrew the repressive regime of Charles X. Charles abdicated in favour of his grandson, whom monarchists regarded as the legitimate Bourbon king. (Supporters of the Bourbon pretender, called 'Henry V', came to be called Legitimists. His grandson was offered the throne again in the 1870s but declined over a dispute over the French tricolour.) Due to Louis-Philippe's Republican policies and his popularity with the masses, the Chamber of Deputies ignored the wishes of the legitimists that Charles's grandson be accepted as king and instead proclaimed Louis-Philippe as the new French king. The new monarch took the style of "King of the French", a constitutional innovation known as Popular monarchy which linked the monarch's title to a people, not to a state, as the previous King of France's designation did.

In 1832, his daughter, Princess Louise-Marie ThÃ©rÃ¨se Charlotte Isabelle (1812-1850), became Belgium's first queen when she married King Leopold I. For a few years, Louis-Philippe ruled in a unpretentious fashion, avoiding the arrogance, pomp and lavish spending of his predecessors. Despite this outward appearance of simplicity, Louis-Philippe's support came from the wealthy middle classes. At first, he was much loved and called the 'Citizen King', but his popularity suffered as his government was perceived as increasingly conservative and monarchical. 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. Abdication On February 24, 1848, to general surprise, King Louis-Philippe abdicated in favour of his young grandson (his son and heir, Prince Ferdinand, having been killed in an accident some years earlier). Fearful of what had happened to Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, he quickly disguised himself and fled Paris.

Riding in an ordinary cab under the name of 'Mr Smith', he escaped to England. The National Assembly initially planned to accept his grandson as king. However, pulled along by the tide of public opinion, they accepted the Second Republic proclaimed in controversial circumstances at Paris City Hall. In a popular election, Prince Louis Napoleon Bonaparte was elected as President. In 1851 he declared himself president for life. Within a year, he named himself Emperor Napoleon III and resurrected the concept of a "Napoleonic Empire". Louis-Philippe and his family lived in England until his death on August 26, 1850), in Claremont, Surrey. He is buried with his wife Amelia (April 26, 1782 - March 24, 1866) at the Chapelle Royale, the family necropolis he had built in 1816, in Dreux, France.

The Clash of the Pretenders The clashes of 1830 and 1848 between the Legitimists and the Orleanists over who was the valid monarch had its epilogue in the 1870s when, after the fall of the Empire, the National Assembly with the support of public opinion offered a reconstituted throne to the Legitimist pretender, 'Henry V', the Comte de Chambord. As he was childless, it was expected (and agreed by all but the most extreme Legitimists) that the throne would then pass to the Comte de Paris, Louis-Phillippe's grandson, so healing the ancient rift between France's two royal families. However Chambord, with infamous stubbornness, refused to accept unless France abandoned the flag of the revolution, the Tricolore, and replaced it with what he regarded as the flag of pre-revolutionary France. This the National Assembly was unwilling to do. A temporary Third Republic was established, to be disestablished and replaced by a constitutional monarchy when Chambord died and the more moderate Comte de Paris became the agreed pretender. However Chambord lived far longer than expected.

By the time of his death in 1883 support for the monarchy had declined, with most people accepting the Third Republic as the form of government that 'divides us least', in Adolphe Thiers's words. Thus France's monarchical tradition came to an end, though some, notably Dwight D. Eisenhower, did suggest a monarchical restoration under a later Comte de Paris after the fall of the Vichy regime. Instead however, the Third Republic was briefly resurrected before being replaced by the Fourth Republic in 1946. Most French monarchists regard the descendants of Louis Philippe's grandson, who hold the title Comte de Paris, as the rightful pretender to the French throne. A small minority of Legitimists however insist on a nobleman of Spanish birth, Don Luis-Alfonso de Borbon, Duke of Anjou (to his supporters, 'Louis XX') as being the true legitimist pretender. Both sides even challenged each other in the French Republic's law courts, in 1897 and again almost a century later, in the latter case, with Henri, Comte de Paris (d.

1999) challenging the right of the Spanish-born 'pretender' to use the French royal title Duc d'Anjou. The French courts disagreed with the Comte de Paris and threw out his claim. Ruler of France known as the “citizen king” Ruler of France known as the “citizen king” Louis Philippe I was the ruler of France known as the "citizen king". This conversation has been confirmed as correct, not copied, and helpful. Edited by alfred123 [4/14/2014 3:05:09 PM], Confirmed by alfred123 [4/14/2014 3:05:10 PM] Get an answer Ruler of France known as the “citizen king” New answers There are no new answers. Comments Log in or sign up first. Questions asked by the same visitor The entry of the United States into World War I tipped the scales in favor of THE ALLIES. [smile] Added 4/2/2014 10:14:01 AM This answer has been confirmed as correct, not copied, and helpful.

Confirmed by selymi [10/29/2014 10:32:25 AM] The entry of the United States into World War I tipped the scales in favor of the Allies. Added 8/30/2015 12:47:51 AM This answer has been confirmed as correct, not copied, and helpful. Confirmed by yumdrea [8/30/2015 12:58:39 AM] The entry of the United States into World War I tipped the scales in favor of the Allies. Added 7/10/2015 9:21:02 PM This answer has been confirmed as correct, not copied, and helpful. Confirmed by yumdrea [7/10/2015 9:59:19 PM] Russia was unhappy with the results of the Treaty of Versailles because: It was left out of the peace talks. Added 8/17/2015 4:12:26 AM This answer has been confirmed as correct, not copied, and helpful. Confirmed by Andrew.

[8/17/2015 7:02:53 AM] Ruler of France known as the “citizen king” Question and answer Ruler of France known as the “citizen king” Louis Philippe. He was called the 'citizen' king. He was to 'reign but not to rule'. He gave up the symbols of the ancient monarchy. Ruler of France known as the “citizen king” New answers Weegy: Machiavelli would have found Napoleon to be the perfect PRINCE. (More) Question After abdicating his throne, Napoleon was exiled to the island of Elba. This is True. Added 2/7/2015 4:38:48 PM This answer has been confirmed as correct, not copied, and helpful. Confirmed by selymi [6/5/2015 6:47:32 AM] Weegy: I'd say that the biggest things wrong with the world are ignorance and greed. But I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

[ ] (More) Question Janet17 M Although the cahiers were very informative, the main problem of having so many problems presented was that the three Estates did not always agree. Added 5/1/2014 4:13:40 AM This answer has been confirmed as correct, not copied, and helpful. French History, Past History of the French People and Country Metric Unit Conversion French History When discovering the French Culture, Architecture and even Politics, you cannot avoid the influence of the History of France! The French way of life as well as the Government still hold some marks of major historical events. French-Property.com gives you here some clues about the French History. Why is Christianity the major religion in France? Where does the name "France" originate from? How long had the French Monarchy lasted, when was the First Republic of France created? So many questions about the French History we tried to answer here, from the Medieval Times to the 20th century... Learn More About the History of France, By Region! Antiquity France was originally named Gaul or Gallia. Julius Caesar led the Romans into Gaul, whilst the Celts were still dominating the territory.

In 121, the Roman troops won a conclusive victory over the Celtic tribes and the Roman Empire set the First Roman Province (in the area of Narbonne). Marseilles, ally to Rome as it was a great rival of the Carthaginians, became an important centre for trading and merchandising. After his trumphal campaigns and famous Gallic Wars (58-51 BC), Julius Caesar got built the town of Lutetia - future Paris - in 52 BC, when the Southern regions were already successful (the southern town of Lugdunum (Lyon) used to be the capital of the Gauls). Romans also brought the Christian Religion into Gaul in the 2nd century. From the 3rd century, Barbarian from the East such as the Franks, the Vandals and the Visigoths, started to invade the territory. Thus Gauls gathered up and formed alliances with local lords to gain their protection: the first marks of the Feodal system emerged. The Franks were actually a Germanic people who decided to conquer the Gallic territory from the East.

Their leader, Clovis, rapidly became the First Frankish King and the "Country of the Franks" received its Latin name Francia - France in modern French. Christianity was definitely renowned and adopted when Clovis, who initiated the Merovingian Dynasty, was baptised in the Cathedral of Rheims in the late 4th century. French legends related that Clovis' conversion to Catholicism was an evidence of his love for Clotilda, a Burgundian princess who was Catholic. The most popular French Kings' name - Louis - may derive from the Latin name for Clovis. Middle-Ages Taking over from Dagobert I, last Merovingian Frankish king, Charles Martel initiated the Carolingian Dynasty. He expanded the Frankish kingdom even more than Clovis had done to the East, and struggled to stop Muslims' invasion from the South in 732. A popular French kids' song - entitled Le Bon Roi Dagobert - talks about King Dagobert who apparently has put his pants back to front! So-called Pepin the Short succeeded his father in 751 but the powerful Charlemagne ("Charles the Great" in Latin) rapidly took over as Military Leader.

Charlemagne is crowned Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III in 800, which is still one of the major dates of the History of France regarding the relationships with Papacy as well as politics. Emperor Charlemagne indeed made crucial changes - these changes would have consequences for the future France, especially in the education and arts fields. A very popular 60s French song even evoked Charlemagne "inventing" school! During the Middle Ages, the Frankish kingdom successions caused many wars and conflicts. After the Treaty of Verdun was completed in 843 to share Charlemagne's lands into his three sons, the Carolingian dynasty started to decline. Dane and Norvegian Viking raids increased on the Northern coast and the Carolingian King lost his power. The Scandinavian word for Viking is "Northman", becoming Normand in vernacular French. The Normandy province of France actually received its name from the former Vikings' French dukedom. Hugh Capet was finally enthroned in 987, initiating the Capetian Dynasty.

The complex game of dynasties would continue with the Duke of Normandy known as William the Conqueror, but who was also officially the King of France's vassal and would become the King of England in 1066! At that time, France widely developped the Education and Architecture fields. When Pope Gregory IX licenced Paris's university La Sorbonne as an independent institution, the Gothic style emerged as the Saint Denis and Chartres Cathedrals were restored. The Sorbonne was rapidly renowned as a centre of education and culture, and French Gothic churched would become a benchmark in terms of Architecture. After the death of Charles IV, last Capetian King, Edward III of England started the Hundred Years' War in 1337, determined to get the French kingdom - especially the Southwest regions (Gascony or the modern Aquitaine used to be English people's fief). The Franks' Victory was partly dued to a young French peasant girl named Jeanne d'Arc, Joan of Arc, who helped Charles VIII to send the English out of France (excepting Calais) in the late 15th century.

Renaissance and Grand Siècle When François I was enthroned in 1515, he brought the Italian Renaissance to France, inviting great artists like Leonardo da Vinci who would largely influence the French culture, arts and architecture. Meanwhile, the increasing number of Protestants following Calvin's Reformation and coming to France led to serious and long religious wars. These violent conflicts between Catholics and Protestants were initiated by the terrible Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre ordered by Catherine de Medicis. The first Bourbon King of France, Henri IV, originally protestant, converted to Catholism and put an end to the Wars of Religion signing the Edict of Nantes in 1598 that gave the Huguenots (protestants) full civil rights and protection. The 17th century is known as the Grand Siècle, a period of extravagance and power for the French Monarchy. After more thriving and peaceful times, Cardinal Richelieu indeed ventured to turn the French feudal system into an absolute monarchy. From that day onwards, France has been more important on the European stage.

King Louis XIV take the most of it and strengthened his own power by centralising the elaborate court life at his palace in Versailles (hosting the well-known "hall of mirrors", Galerie des Glaces) . Louis XIV - nicknamed Le Roi Soleil ("Sun King") to represent his influence - also forced the local princes and lords to be answerable to him and revoked the Edict of Nantes. Following the example of Richelieu and principal "minister" Mazarin, Colbert became the so-called Louis XIV's right hand man, acting with autority as for the French economy for instance. The reign of Le Roi Soleil was crucial as regards to the French culture and arts too: court ballets, shows, exhibitions and above all dramas were successful at that time. Molière, Racine and Corneille remain three major symbols of the French Classic Theatre. Probably resulting from the Fronde - refering to the political agitation affecting France for five years as a reaction against Richelieu absolute rules - the French Monarchy eventually stopped during the reign of Louis XV. Age of Enlightenment and French Revolution The 18th century gave rise to Modern Thoughts, Enlightenment and Revolution in France.

The Bourgeoisie began to demand more political rights, scholars and thinkers like Diderot, Voltaire and Rousseau questioned the absolutism and claimed equal rights, free trade and liberalism. French philosophers and writers also criticized the abuses associated with the French political system (the "Old Regime"), targetting especially the clergy and the nobility. In the meantime, inspired by the recent struggle for the American Independence, Parisian masses began to protest against disparities. As a result, the well-known French Revolution occured on July 14th, 1789, symbolised by the storming of a great prison called La Bastille. Robespierre, Danton and Marat were some powerful figures of the Revolution, leading a radical group called the Jacobins and imposing the so-called Reign of Terror. The French national anthem La Marseillaise resulted in fact from the call to fight: the officer Rouget de Lisle composed this entertaining song to encourage the soldiers. Learn more about the symbols of France! During the Revolution, Louis XVI was decapitated (convicted of treason) at the Place de la Revolution now known as "Place de la Concorde".

This event tragically marked the end of the French monarchy and in 1792, the First Republic of France was proclaimed. The court of Louis XVI and Austrian Queen Marie Antoinette is now often regarded as powerful as well as frivolous and corrupt. The French struggle between the privileged classes and the king turned into a real, political crisis and led the noble deputies to give up their traditional privileges: the legislation voted in August 1789 abolished all forms of feudalism - serfdom, monopolies and taxation, tithes to the clergy stopped, equality before the law and free provision of justice were set. Learn more about the Former Provinces of France such as Normandy, Anjou and Berry! Napoleon, 19th Century To conclude the crucial - and bloody - late 18th century that also led to a kind of revolutionary war against France's European neighbours, the authoritarian and ambitious Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned "Emperor Napoleon I" in 1804. Apart from challenging the authority of the church and centralising again the French administration, Napoleon was foremost renowned for his military campaigns.

He indeed did his best to expand his empire in Europe, but the defeats in Russia in 1812 and Waterloo in 1815 forced him to exil on the Saint Helena Island. Napoleon I would remain an essential figure of the French history, mainly remembered for his constitutional reforms, commercial practices and the establishment of the French Baccalauréat examination. The coronation of the following moderate Bourbon King Louis XVIII was known as the Restoration; Louis XVIII was due to establish a constitutional monarchy but the 1820s were marked by reactionary policies at the Parlement. This political turning was even more visible after Charles X succeeded his brother in 1824: the clergy got back its power, the Jesuits reappeared, some money was again given to recompense the aristocracy, etc. Such perturbations rapidly provoked street fighting and rebellion: during the July Revolution, the French people - remembering the recent Revolution - finally won, Charles X gave up and Louis Philippe, a Bourbon cousin, was elected first King of the French by the will of the people". This young and modern King duly called "the Citizen King" originated the July Monarchy, period of prosperity in France.

Napoleon I's nephew, Louis Napoleon, overthrew Louis Philippe and became the first president of the Second Republic in 1848. He was then proclaimed Emperor Napoleon III by national plebiscite - for the first time in France, the new constitution was approved by the nation. This marked the beginning of the Second Empire. At those times, the French were reassured by this new firm government, the economy and trade increased, railways were extended, industrialization and financial services were developed. As part of the Industrial Revolution, the Baron Haussman was ordered to redesign Paris by Napoleon III. That is not surprising then that one of the greatest boulevards in Paris received his name! The late 19th century included some European troubles, especially between France and Prussia - a powerful neighbouring nation that overcame Austria in the Seven Weeks' War. Therefore, a Franco-Prussian war broke out in 1870 due to diplomatic issues, whilst a crucial uprising affected Paris in 1871.

Indeed, as the royalists had a great majority at the Assembly at that time (expecting the return of the Bourbon dynasty), Parisians rose up in reaction to the disarming of the National Guard in March 1871. The following tragic insurrection was very violent and remains a revolutionary event named La Commune. 20th Century in France After the defeat of the 1871 revolution, the third Republic was born. During this period, very important rights have been voted like the freedom of assembly, which led to the creation of the French political parties, and the freedom of the press (1881), the union right (1884). Some symbols of the French Republic were set at that time: Marianne’s bust, the Marseillaise and July, 14th as the French national holiday. The beginning of the 20th century was much influenced by the wish to separate the church from the state. As seen previously, Catholicism has always had a crucial place in the French society and culture, but Jules Ferry fought to establish the non-clerical organisation of public education.

In 1905, a law of separation of church and state was implemented and, among other things, school became obligatory, non-denominational and free. France represented at that time a big colonial empire. The country kept on extending its territories for economic reasons and conquered new colonies in Asia, but especially in Africa in countries such as Senegal, Gabon, Congo and Mauritania for instance. Another characteristic of the third Republic was that the major part of the population was leaving the countryside to go to the city. The rural depopulation began in the middle of the 19th century. It indeed led to the urbanisation of France – as in other developing countries of that time. The 20th century was tragically marked by the two world wars, WWI and WWII. France suffered heavy losses despite being part of the winning forces, but it rapidly recovered thanks to American aid. The WWI bloodiest battle was undoubtedly the battle of Verdun , which occurred in 1916 and caused over 700000 casualties.

During the interwar years, France also experienced les années folles (the French roaring twenties) and the Great Depression – a long and difficult economic crisis which initially hit the United States and appeared later in France. The third Republic came to an end in 1940 when Marshal Pétain (Prime Minister of the third Republic) proclaimed the Vichy government, as a consequence of the French military defeat against the Nazi troops. From 1940 to 1944, France was split into two parts: the northern zone, which was occupied by the German soldiers, and the southern zone, which was “free” and governed by the French Maréchal. General Charles De Gaulle has been the most important president of the 20th century. He has been at the head of the country from 1946 to 1958 (4th Republic) and initiated the 5th Republic in 1958. De Gaulle founded the current 22 French regions in 1969.

After WWII, a period of decolonization began, marked by the first Indonesian war (1946-1954) and the Algerian war (1954-1962). This second controversial and violent war led to the independence of Algeria, in which De Gaulle proved to play an essential part. The following presidents of the 5th Republic were Georges Pompidou (1969-1974), Valéry Giscard d’Estaing (1974-1981), François Mitterrand (1981-1995) and Jacques Chirac (1995-2007).

Question: Which French Monarch was known as the Citizen King?
Answer: Louis-Philippe