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Revision as of 10:19, 26 October 2002 by 203.97.97.131 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Louis-Philippe of France (October 6 1773 - August 26 1850), was King of France from 1830 - 1848.
Born in Paris, France, Louis-Philippe was the son of Louis Philippe Joseph, Duc d'Orléans (known as "Philippe Egalite"), a direct descendant of Louis XIII.
During the French Revolution and the ensuing regime of Napoleon Bonaparte, Louis-Philippe remained outside France, traveling extensively, including in the United States where he stayed for four years in Philadelphia . His only sister, Louise Marie Adelaide Eugènie d'Orléans, married a German-American merchant from New York City.
In 1809 he married Maria Amelia, daughter of King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies. They had six sons and four daughters. After the abdication of Napoleon, Louis-Philippe returned to live in France, claiming sympathy with the liberated citizens of France. With the restoration of the monarchy under his cousin King Louis XVIII and then under the reign of Louis' brother, King Charles X, the popularity of Louis-Philippe grew.
In 1830, the July Revolution overthrew the repressive regime of Charles X and due to his Republican policies and his popularity with the masses, the Chamber of Deputies proclaimed Louis-Philippe as the new French king. The new monarch took the style of "King of the French".
For a few years, Louis-Philippe ruled in a unpretentious fashion, avoiding the arrogance, pomp and lavish spending of his predecessors. Despite this outward appearance of simplicity, Louis-Philippe's support came from the wealthy middle classes. At first, he was much loved and called the `Citizen King', but with time he fell back into old monarchist habits. Under his management the conditions of the working classes deteriorated, and the income gap widened considerably. An economic crisis in 1847 led to the citizens of France revolting against their king once again.
On February 24, 1848, King Louis-Philippe abdicated and, well aware of what had happened to Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, he quickly disguised himself and fled Paris. Riding in an ordinary cab under the name of `Mr Smith', he escaped to England. The departure of Louis-Philippe led to the election of Louis Napoleon as President of the Second Republic, who, a few years later would name himself Emperor Napoleon III.
Louis-Philippe and his family lived in England until his death in Claremont, Surrey. He is buried with his wife Amelia (April 26, 1782 - March 24, 1866) at the Chapelle Royale, the family necropolis he had built in 1816, in Dreux, France.