LOUIS XVI, THE UNKNOWN MAN OF VERSAILLES

Exceptional destinies

An episode from the series SECRETS OF HISTORY - PORTRAITS

Synopsis

The history books on King Louis XVI often only mention his beheading on January 21, 1793. However, behind the image of the ruler who was toppled by the Revolution, there is a guarded monarch, inclined to reforms, kind to his people and family. A cultured man, passionate about the technical innovations of his time, but powerless in the face of the country's abyssal deficit. He actively supported the birth of the United States of America.

Louis XVI was the last king to live in the Palace of Versailles where he organized the first hot air balloon flight, launched Jean-François de La Pérouse's legendary expedition and offered his wife Marie-Antoinette the beautiful Petit Trianon, which millions of visitors from all over the world can still admire.