Mini Essay : How did Louis deal with the difficulties he faced in the years 1789 – 1791?

How did Louis deal with the difficulties he faced in the years 1789 – 1791?

Louis XVI became King of France at a very young age. Throughout his reign he focused mainly on religious uniformity and foreign affairs. That was the main reason why people of France started to rebel against him and his popularity deteriorated progressively. After the revolution broke out, Louis had to take important decisions to face the political difficulties of that time and during the years 1789-1791 he committed some mistakes that forced him to remain in France and govern under a Constitutional monarchy.

 To begin with Louis was left alone to deal with all the difficulties that the French revolution involved since most nobles had decided to leave France after their chateaux were burned. They realized that their lives were in danger because the mobs would try to catch them. Although this can be considered a betrayal to Louis, the king went on supporting the nobles by sending them money to other European countries.

 Secondly, Louis allowed his wife Marie-Antoinette to write letters to other monarchies asking for help to leave France secretly. The king and the Queen needed to organize an invasion over France so as to stop the revolution and restore an absolute monarchy. Then Louis himself wrote to the kings of Prussia, Spain and Sweden, Austria and Russia to suggest an alliance to put down the revolution. This fact clearly showed that the King had no intention at all of reforming the country; he just wanted to be an absolute king again.

 Finally, during the night of June 20-21, 1791, Louis and his family tried to escape to Montmedy, near the Austrian Netherlands in secret. They disguised themselves and carried false passports. Louis really hoped to get the support of the emigrés nobles that would provide him with an army. However, Louis’s plan failed because they committed several mistakes: They had to use a large and slow coach because the Queen wanted all the family to travel together. And the bodyguards wore easily recognizable uniforms. Another fault was that there were six people instead of five listed on the passport. What is more, some people recognized Louis on the route to Varennes, and a French mob prevented his coach from proceeding. Louis could have taken the decision of shooting his way through the mob, but he preferred not to do it.

 In conclusion, Louis XVI´s lack of firmness and decisiveness provoked his and his family capture. The mob brought them back to Paris, where they were humiliated by a crowd that received them. Louis could not achieve his purpose of restoring an absolute monarchy. Instead, he had to accept being a constitutional monarch who would obey the rules of a constitution proclaimed by the National Assembly.