Louis XVI

Rating:
Summary: Perhaps the best book ever written on Louis XVI.
Review: John Hardman's superb biography of this much-maligned king has many virtues. First, it offers a sorely needed examination of the personality and motivations of Louis, and does so with a refreshing lack of bias. The reader encounters the king without prejudice--a man who was much more intelligent, self-aware, and courageous than one might think, given the constant Louis-bashing that characterizes most accounts of the final days of the old regime.

Second, Hardman offers a concise and clear overview of the numerous interacting forces that ultimately spelled disaster for both Louis and, in the end, France itself. Louis bears the blame for much of this, but he was also a product of his time and lineage. In a number of situations, he could have turned the course of history had he seized the initiative. He didn't, and paid with his head, as did tens of thousands of his subjects. Ultimately, however, the roots are to be found in the social and political structure of early modern France itself.

Finally, Hardman gives the reader an excellent synthesis of the historiography of both the twilight of the ancien regime and the dawn of the French Revolution. These various interpretations, consisting of both primary and secondary sources, give insight into how those momentous years have been interpreted through the centuries.

All in all, an excellent and necessary book about a kind but unfortunate man.