Ask The History Doc: Louis XVII

  Dear History Doctor:When I look on my list of French monarchs, I find Louis XVI and Louis XVIII, but not Louis XVII. Don’t the French know how to count? —–Not Mathematically Challenged Dear Challenged: Speaking as one who definitely IS mathematically challenged, I believe I should begin by congratulating you on your numerical abilities. To answer your question directly, however, I must point out that yes, of course the French know how to count, and that even in French 17 comes after 16. It turns out, though, that in terms of monarchs, numerical sequencing may be partially a matter of one’s political viewpoint. In addition, “Louis XVII” was the son of Louis XVI, and what really happened to him is something of a mystery. To begin the story, you may recall that Louis XVI, along with his wife Marie Antoinette, lost both throne and head in the French Revolution. Today you may visit the Conciergerie and see the exact chamber where the Queen was incarcerated before they forced her to face Mme Guillotine. Louis XVI had already been executed by that time. But what happened to the children? There were two surviving offspring, a girl (“Madame Royale”) and a boy, young Louis, who was 8 at the time of his father’s execution. It was, of course, not in the best interest of the revolutionaries to allow them to survive. The fate of Madame Royale is largely unknown. The young Dauphin, like his sister, seems to have been passed around, rather from pillar to post, consigned to the unkind care of various revolutionary figures from the time of his father’s death. Cruelly, the children were not allowed any contact with each other. Not surprisingly, the Dauphin’s health deteriorated and he probably contracted tuberculosis. As far as we know, he died suddenly in June 1795. This quick demise provoked contrary rumors. One school of thought insisted he had been poisoned and buried in the cemetery of Sainte-Marguerite. On the other hand, rumors quickly began circulating to the effect that another child’s body had been substituted for that of the Dauphin, and that somehow Royalists had managed to smuggle him out of the country or to a safe place inside France. Eventually some 30 young men emerged, claiming to be the Dauphin. Even today, there are “sightings” of his “descendants” in New Orleans! Since he never actually assumed the throne, “Louis XVII” is usually not counted in the list of rulers. Supporters of the concept of a French Republic object to the idea that the Dauphin is entitled to a number. Royalists, however, maintain that he automatically became king when his father was executed. Skipping the number XVII appears to serve as a compromise, although I will admit that it does seem confusing. Louis XVIII, who became ruler of France in 1814 after the defeat of Napoleon, was the brother of Louis XVI. He survived by fleeing the ravages of the Revolution and going into temporary exile in England. The fate of the young Dauphin was clarified in 2000, when DNA analysis did seem to verify that the body in the cemetery was that of Louis XVI’s heir. As Thirza Vallois points out in her book Romantic Paris, you may visit the grave in the garden of the Church of Sainte-Marguerite. —Resources: Thirza Vallois, Romantic Paris, Interlink Books, 2003 (Try this for all sorts of interesting details about Paris.) Conciergerie, 1 quai de l’Horloge, 4e. 01-53-73-78-50. www.paris.org/Monuments/ConciergerieApr.-Sept. daily, 9:30-6:30; Oct.-Mar. daily, 10-5Metro: Cite, Chatelet, or St.-Michel Church of Sainte-Marguerite, rue St. BernardMetro: Ledru Rollin. From the Metro, go east on Faubourg St. Antoine, turn left onto rue St. Bernard, continue north to church. —Jean England Freeland is a now-retired professor of history presently living on a real farm raising real fruit and veggies. After struggling to learn French for four years, she has at last reached the point where, whenever she visits Paris and actually speaks the language, the natives no longer flee screaming. She considers this one of the major accomplishments of her life. Discover Paris and its history with Paris Photo Tours!