How Did King Louis Xvi Cause The French Revolution

King Louis, originally called Louis-Auguste, was born on August 23, 1754 in Versailles, France. He was the the dauphin Louis and Maria Josepha’s third son, and was first known as the duc de Berry. Antoine de Quelen de Caussade was his educator in his early life, and was taught to not let people know his thoughts. Louis had a great memory and had a particular interest in history and geography, and was knowledgeable in the languages such as English and Latin. Louis became the heir to the throne in 1765 after his father’s death. He married Austrian archduchess Marie Antoinette in 1770, and took the throne on May 10th, 1774, after the death of his grandfather, Louis XV. At this time, he was not yet ready to be a leader, which was evident in his
Many people were very upset with he and his wife getting to waste materials and resources, such as food and clothes, while the commoners were living in poor conditions and were dealing with starvation and debt. After the formation of the National Assembly, even more rumors about Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette began to fly, talking about how they wanted to dismiss the National Assembly and even that there were foreign troops coming to massacre French citizens. These thoughts scared many people, and lead to the storming of
Prussian armies threatened to attack Paris if any revolutionaries tried to harm any royalty. So on August 10, approximately 20,000 citizens stormed to Tuileries, which was were the royal family was currently staying. They killed all the royal guards and took the royal family captive. They then imprisoned them, along with any of their supporters.
A short while after, a radical group, called the Jacobin Club, took control. One of the most significant Jacobins was named Jean Paul Marat. Marat wrote a newspaper called Friend of the People (L’Ami du Peuple). In this paper, he called for the death of any supporters of Louis XVI, and anyone associated with him. This action harmed Louis’s power and helped get French citizens more riled up about the Revolution.
Eventually, the King’s reign had to come to an end. By now, thanks to the Nation Convention, King Louis XVI’s power had been reduced by so much that he could be considered a common prisoner. The Jacobins put Louis on trial for treason against France, in which the Convention found him guilty. While the vote was very close, he still was not innocent, and he was sentenced to death. So on January 21, 1793, Louis was sent to the guillotine, and he was beheaded. This death ended many problems the French had with their government, and overall, King Louis XVI was vital to the story of the French