It's one of those great WHAT IFs of French history... if Napoleon had won at Waterloo, if Louis XVI had made it out of the country, if the Edict of Nantes hadn't been revoked... I could spend weeks buried in these historical "what ifs" - sometimes I think history is not only my passion but also my coping mechanism for the world "outside"!
Yes, it’s a fair question, and French monarchies are nothing if not confusing, so you’re right to raise it. Louis-Philippe absolutely counts as a king.
What I’m focusing on isn’t whether France ever had another monarch after 1830, but the last serious attempt to restore a monarchy once it was gone. After the Franco-Prussian disaster, there was every chance it could be, and a constitutional restoration was genuinely on the table, with plenty of parliamentary support, with Henri d’Artois central to that plan.
When he refused the flag, that all fell apart. After that, France would never again consider monarchy to be a viable political option (not to date, anyway!) and this is the moment that closes that chapter...
It's one of those great WHAT IFs of French history... if Napoleon had won at Waterloo, if Louis XVI had made it out of the country, if the Edict of Nantes hadn't been revoked... I could spend weeks buried in these historical "what ifs" - sometimes I think history is not only my passion but also my coping mechanism for the world "outside"!
I absolutely loved the story and photos on Chambord Chateau. It's rich in so much history that I never knew before.
Thank you so much for writing and sharing it
I'm so glad you liked it! I was trying to get beyond the usual and look at the WHY...
Absolutely fascinating. I did not know that France got so close to restoring the monarchy that late. But there's much I don't know!
Yes, it’s a fair question, and French monarchies are nothing if not confusing, so you’re right to raise it. Louis-Philippe absolutely counts as a king.
What I’m focusing on isn’t whether France ever had another monarch after 1830, but the last serious attempt to restore a monarchy once it was gone. After the Franco-Prussian disaster, there was every chance it could be, and a constitutional restoration was genuinely on the table, with plenty of parliamentary support, with Henri d’Artois central to that plan.
When he refused the flag, that all fell apart. After that, France would never again consider monarchy to be a viable political option (not to date, anyway!) and this is the moment that closes that chapter...
Is Louis Philippe not counted; I had always thought he was counted as a monarch?