Person

Louis XVI

1754–1793 · 18th century · Also known as Louis XVI of France

Louis XVI was King of France from 1774. He supported the American War of Independence, which worsened the crown's debts, and in 1789 he summoned the Estates-General, opening the French Revolution. He accepted a constitutional monarchy in 1791 but was deposed in 1792, tried by the National Convention and guillotined in January 1793.

Louis XVI
Image: Antoine-François Callet · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 profile

Kingdom of FranceDecline

Mentioned in 4 state histories

Kingdom of FranceFrench Saint-BarthélemyFrench First RepublicBourbon Restoration

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Louis XVI. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/louis-xvi
MLA
“Louis XVI.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/louis-xvi. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Louis XVI.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/louis-xvi.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Louis XVI’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/louis-xvi (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻