Louis-Philippe
After
the death of Louis XVIII, moderation and the
constitutional monarchy failed. Louis' brother Charles X was by
nature more authoritarian, more impetuous, less skilled in politics
and government. His response to growing parliamentary opposition was
to impose his own minister, Polignac, who clumsily made matters worse.
The 'liberals' felt sidelined and, in 1830, tabled a motion
of opposition. Charles reacted by dissolving parliament, pushing more
members into the opposition camp. As the position of either side became
entrenched, the spectre of Revolution was once
again brandished.
Unsurprisingly, revolt grew in fine weather. As the end of July approached, the liberal representatives encouraged the people of Paris to take up arms once more. In just three days – known to history as the Trois Glorieuses – the Restoration was overturned.
On 2 August 1830, Charles X of France signed his own abdication, persuading his son and heir – who might have become Louis XIX – to do the same. The double abdication could have led to the crowning of Charles' grandson, the duke of Bordeaux, as Henri V. But, at the same time, Charles proclaimed Louis-Philippe, the duke of Orléans, 'lieutenant-général du royaume'.
Both Louis-Philippe and his father had supported the Revolution. He sent his children to school – like normal people – at the lycée Henri IV. During the reigns of both Louis XVIII and Charles X, Louis-Philippe's political moderation and unthreatening middle-class lifestyle had earnt him the favour of the people. When Charles abdicated, fearing a constitutional crisis, parliament seized the moment and acclaimed him Louis-Philippe I, 'king of the French' – though not 'of France'.
The tricolore of the Revolution supplanted the white flag of the Restoration as Louis-Philippe took the throne, buoyed by a wave of popular support. As usual, the royal courts of Europe opposed the strengthening of the French nation and mocked him as 'king of the barricades'. His people called him Roi citoyen – citizen king.
Charles X died in 1836 in exile. In 1838, Louis-Philippe sent an army to Mexico, the first of France's blunders in Central America, and later established ties with Ethiopia. As time passed, it became clear that the Roi citoyen was far more king than citizen. His policies began increasingly to favour the wealthy, widening the gap between rich and poor. The powers of the monarchy were reinforced, not delegated.
Soon it became clear – without counting the Napoleonic imperial adventure – that France was on the verge of a third Revolution within a single lifetime.
