Charles X.

Charles X., king of France (1824-30), third son of the Dauphin Louis, and grandson of Louis XV., was born at Versailles, 9th October 1757. He received the title of Comte d'Artois, and in 1773 married Maria Theresa of Savoy. The taking of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, prevented the success of a coup d'état planned by Artois and the court party. The first emigration headed by Artois and Condé then followed, and a more disastrous policy was never conceived. The attempts of the émigrés to restore the old state of things in France by means of foreign intervention did more than any single event to insure the fall of the monarchy. After taking a small part in the war of 1792, Charles went to St Petersburg; thence in May 1793 to England. In spite of the failure of the expedition to Quiberon Bay in June 1795, another was attempted under Artois' leadership in October, but he had not courage to land and place himself at the head of the insurgents, whom he basely left to the vengeance of Hoche and the republicans. After this he lived in obscurity, partly at Holyrood and partly at Hartwell, until the allies entered Paris in 1814, when he appeared in France as lieutenant-general of the kingdom, and issued a proclamation announcing the end of despotism, of conscriptions, and of oppressive taxes. After the second restoration, in alliance with the priests, he headed the party of the Ultras in their struggle with the Constitutionalists. The accession of Villèle to office and the unconstitutional character of the latter part of Louis XVIII.'s reign attested the success of Artois' reactionary policy. The death of Louis, on 16th September 1824, brought him to the throne as Charles X. He took the oath of adherence to the Charte, and was at first popular with all parties; but he soon displayed his intention of restoring as much as possible the absolutism of the old French monarchy. Popular discontent rapidly increased. The victory of the opposition at the elections of 1827 was followed by the resignation of Villèle. A ministry of compromise, headed by Martignac, a moderate politician, succeeded in January 1828, but in August 1829 Charles called to the head of affairs the Prince Polignac, an extreme royalist. A royal speech, of a threatening character, on 2d March 1830, was followed by an address of remonstrance, signed by 221 deputies, upon which the king dissolved the chambers. The deputies who signed the address were all re-elected, but the court taking fresh courage from the success of the expedition to Algiers, the celebrated five ordinances of 25th July were signed by the king, putting an end to the freedom of the press, already largely curtailed, appointing a new mode of election, and dissolving the recently elected chamber. Paris took up arms, the guards were repulsed, the revolution was accomplished in three days, and the king found himself compelled to retire to Rambouillet. As a last resource, he abdicated the throne on 2d August 1830 in favour of his grandson, the little Comte de Chambord. But it was too late; the revolution was completed, and Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orleans, was chosen king of the French. Charles then travelled through France to Cherbourg, and embarked for England in an American ship. He resided for some time at Holyrood again, and afterwards at Prague, taking no part in the political intrigues and attempts of the Duchess de Berri. He died of cholera at Götz on 6th November 1836.