Character Catalog

Granting civil status to Protestants and Jews in France, this edict is one of Louis XVI's great liberal reforms, inspired by Enlightenment ideas and paving the way for revolutionary civic equality.

Louis XVI committed France militarily and financially alongside the American insurgents, contributing to the victory of the American Revolution and the birth of the United States of America.

Faced with the State's financial crisis, Louis XVI convened the Estates-General, bringing together for the first time since 1614 the three orders of the kingdom, inadvertently triggering the revolutionary process.

By accepting the first French Constitution, Louis XVI became the first constitutional king of France, transforming the absolute monarchy into a constitutional monarchy, even though this acceptance was deemed coerced by the revolutionaries.

Louis XVI personally funded and prepared the scientific expedition of Jean-François de Galaup de La Pérouse around the world, illustrating his interest in geographical sciences and colonial competition.

On July 14, 1789, Louis XVI notes laconically in his personal diary: "Nothing." — a reference to his hunting day, with no mention of the storming of the Bastille, illustrating the disconnect between the king and the revolutionary events.

"I am innocent of everything I am charged with. I have never feared that my conduct would be examined publicly; I have always acted in accordance with the laws."

"I die in the Catholic, Apostolic and Roman faith [...] I forgive with all my heart those who have made themselves my enemies, without my having given them any cause."

The king justifies the dismissal of his finance minister by invoking the need for a firmer government, without anticipating the popular consequences of this decision.

"I accept the Constitution; I commit to upholding it internally, to defending it against attacks from without, and to enforcing its laws."

Louis XVI's main residence until October 1789. The Hall of Mirrors was the setting for decisive events, and in the Estates-General chamber he vainly attempted to regain control of the political crisis.

The royal family's forced residence from October 1789. The palace was stormed on 10 August 1792, marking the effective end of the monarchy. Louis XVI spent his final years as king there.

Small town in Lorraine where Louis XVI and his family were arrested on 21 June 1791 during their attempted flight abroad. This failure proved to be the decisive turning point of the French Revolution.

Medieval prison where Louis XVI was incarcerated with his family from August 1792. It was there that he was separated from his loved ones and wrote his will before his execution.

The site of Louis XVI's execution by guillotine on 21 January 1793. The crowd gathered in the square witnessed the death of the last king of the Ancien Régime.

Louis XVI practiced locksmithing as his favorite hobby in his workshop at Versailles. These tools symbolize the contradiction between his artisanal passion and the demands of royal power.

A large enclosed carriage used for royal travel, made infamous during the Flight to Varennes in June 1791. Its slowness and ostentatious luxury contributed to the king's arrest.

A revolutionary banknote bearing the king's portrait, ironically used by postmaster Drouet to recognize Louis XVI during his flight to Varennes.

Louis XVI had a passion for science, astronomy, and geography. He owned optical instruments and closely followed the scientific explorations of his era.

Official acts bearing Louis XVI's seal, most notably the acceptance of the Constitution of 1791, represent the king's attempts to adapt to constitutional monarchy.

Louis XVI was deeply devout and observant. During his final days of captivity in the Temple, he devoted himself to religious reading and prayer with the non-juring priest Henry Essex Edgeworth.