From Nesta Webster's Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette before the Revolution:
Everyone agrees in calling him weak, but who has tried to put himself in his place and consider the problems that confronted him?
To settle the grievances of each class, without irritating the other classes
To relieve the sufferings of the peasants, without antagonizing the nobles.
To give greater liberty to the Protestants, without alienating the Church.
To reform government, without shaking the foundations of the State.
To revive the spirit of the army, without plunging the country into war.
To reduce taxation, and at the same time restore the ruined finances.
To regenerate morals, to purify the court, and last but not least reconcile the factions within the royal family itself.
These were the problems the boy of nineteen was called upon to face, and that he has been described as weak and imbecile for failing to solve.(Via Vive la Reine.) Share
5 comments:
Poor, poor Louis. I wished more people could read this.
Louis seemed to be such a nice man (A not so glamorus fact is that he used to shoot cats at Versailles)
Thanks, Violet. He shot cats because they had overpopulated the roofs of Versailles and were keeping people awake at night. He didn't do it for fun.
Oh, I didn`t say he did it for fun. No, no, no :)
Great! I would love to read Nesta Webster's books on Louis and Antoinette.
Poor Louis indeed! He had inherited such a difficult situation. People should put themselves in his shoes before judging him so harshly.
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