I have a Bibliographical Dictionary (Mirriam-Webster) that says there were XVIII King Louis’ of France! Wow! Now Louis XVI was killed during the French Revolution. And, I thought Napolean came to power shortly after that! So, why would these people recognize a King after the Revolution…and why wouldn’t Louis XVII punish the people severely for killing his Mom and Pop?
What went on here? Very confusing!
Also, I meant to add the following tidbit: Conflicting with the above info, The World Almanac summary of this period in French history says that the French Revolution is credited with establishing many new Republics in Europe shortly thereafter.
In other words, the people now had some say in their government.) Yeah, and are we to believe like Louis XVII helped count the chads? Not unless the Mitsubishi guy on the radio with the raspy voice tells me to believe it! 
The Revolution finally brought Napoleon to power, but after Napoleon was finally defeated in 1815, a process called Reconstitution came over Europe, which finally meant the status quo from pre-revolutionary times was reconstructed. The international negotiations on this were held in Vienna, and Europe’s rulers agreed to let the pre-1789 dynasty acceed to France’s throne again-
Now what with Louis XVII? He never was King. He was second son of Louis XVI and became dauphin (successor to the throne) when his elder brother died in 1789. The revolutionaries put him in prison, but the royalists nonetheless proclaimed him King after his father’s execution (without any effect, of course). He died in prison, but he was included in the numbering of the Kings, so when his uncle (Louis XVI’s brother) became King in 1814, this was to be Louis XVIII.
Also, one should not mix up “republic” and “democracy.” The majority of people didn’t have too much to say in politics at that time, neither before nor after the Revolution.
Louis XVII was never actually king, having died as a boy while being held as a prisoner during the French Revolution. However, as he would have become king had France not been a republic, the Royalists counted him as Louis XVII.
Louis XVIII was his uncle, the brother of Louis XVI. He was installed as king in 1814 with the backing of the European powers opposed to Napoleon. The return of Napoleon the following year forced Louis back into exile again but the allied victory at Waterloo allowed him to return. Both in 1814 and 1815 Louis was restored on condition that he rule in conjunction with a parliament. Most power however remained in the king’s hands. On the issue of whether to seek revenge against the former supporters of the Revolution, Parliament actually felt that Louis was too lenient.
As to why many Frenchmen were willing to support the restoration of the monarchy, it may come as a surprise to you but many of those Frenchmen thought that the Revolution had been a mistake. From the perspective of 1814-15, it could be argued that all the Revolution had done was to plunge France into a prolonged period of political chaos and bloodletting, followed by a military dictatorship headed by a meglomaniac who had tried to conquer the rest of Europe. The Bourbons had come to seem not so bad after all. Many saw them as a possible source of stability. Not that the restored Bourbons brought stability…
How appropriate…when I’m revising the French Revolution for my exams. Thanks Jinx!
18 King Louis’s: This is because the next Louis who was returned to power by the Allies called himself Louis XVIII, in honour of Louis XVI’s son.
Why did the French choose to retain the monarchy after the events of 1789? Primarily the leaders of the revolution were conservative and propertied. Though they were against the king being an absolute monarch and the old system of privileges and titles, by getting rid of the monarchy would be to give in to the pressures of the Parisian poor and their radicalism. Moreover, the revolution was not aimed at getting rid of the king but to weaken his power and let the “people” (typically the propertied and wealthy middle class) have a say in politics.
It was only when war broke out with Austria, Prussia and France that Louis was proven a traitor - because as King of the constitutional monarchy he had continued contacting his fellow despotic, tyrannic monarchs in a feeble attempt to reclaim his own power in France. This was when the Parisian citizens, who were converted to radicalism and republicanism, started calling for Louis’s head.
Louis XVII could never hope to avenge his father because when Louis XVI went to the guillotine the monarchy was already scrapped and replaced by a republic.
The Revolution and the mass-guillotining bits (the Terror) soon came to an end as the war started going in the favour of France. The entire system of government was revamped and there was a very strict division of powers of government - a 5 man executive, where a director retires every year and is replaced by another, a lower house of 500 (creatively named the Chamber of 500), an upper house (the Ancients), and an independent judicary. During this period of moderation there were fears of a royalist or radical rising and the executive - the Directors - frequently intervened in the elections. One director, Barras, eventually got fed up with the whole system and roped in Napoleon to stage the Coup of Brumiaire.
Napoleon soon consolidated his power and became emperor, thus undoing all the republican structures created by the Revolution. He also created a new imperial nobility. But what proved to be his downfall was the wars he waged against Russia, Prussia, Austria and Britain. He was defeated, exiled to Elba, returned to France, defeated at Waterloo again, and exiled to St Helena. The victors decided to put Louis XVIII (the Comte de Provence until 1795 when Louis XVII died) on the throne. But he had to govern by a constitution this time.
The strange thing perhaps is why the French tolerated a monarchy for the early part of the Revolution and during the Napoleonic era. After all the American and Russian Revolutions got rid of monarchs. The thing to note is that the anti-monarchy sentiments were most vocally expressed by the Parisians. Royalist sentiments ran high in the provinces where republicanism was closely identified with radicalism and centralisation under Paris.
I have a Bibliographical Dictionary (Mirriam-Webster) that says there were XVIII King Louis’ of France! Wow! Now Louis XVI was killed during the French Revolution. And, I thought Napolean came to power shortly after that! So, why would these people recognize a King after the Revolution…and why wouldn’t Louis XVII punish the people severely for killing his Mom and Pop?