HOW SUCCESSFUL WAS THE REIGN OF LOUIS XVIII

Louis XVII came to the throne in 1814 as the rightful heir. After the defeat of Napoleon there were two possible branches of the Bourbon family. The elder branch, which was Louis XVIII (brother to guillotined Louis XVII) and the younger branch, which was Louis Phillippe, duc d'Orleons. It was left to the allies to choose who should rule, and they did not want France to be a republic. However Europe could no establish who should be the new ruler of France. They therefore decided to let France choose for herself. This was just a way of covering up the fact that they couldn't choose a ruler themselves. However there was no intention of consulting the people of France through any system of voting. Talleyrand, once Napoleon's legal servant, was in favour of the Bourbon's returning. It was therefore him who convinced the allies that there was widespread support in France for the restoration of the Bourbons, and when Wellington entered Bordeaux to be met by crowds of people shouting "vive le roi" (long live the king) it convinced the allies that the restoration was stood a good chance of success. Therefore in April 1814 Louis XVIII returned as king.

Louis XVIII, at the time he came to the throne, was aged fifty-nine years old. He was over weight and walked with difficulty. His personality was dull and uninspiring. He was known to be a firm believer in the divine right of kings. His character was such that he lacked charm and the truth was, that he was wanted for what he stood for, rather than what we really was.

When Louis XVIII came to power, the economy was strong, and this was therefore good and positive for his reign. Louis XVIII did not squander the advantages he possessed. By supporting capable ministers, especially his favourite, Elie Decazes, he ensured the governments finance was on a firm footing. With the war fees paid off by 1818 & foreign troops withdrawn, the country was able to settle down after the costly glory of Napoleonic era. In fact under Louis