Louis XVI


noun

1754–93, king of France 1774–92 (grandson of Louis XV and husband of Marie Antoinette).

British Dictionary definitions for louis xvi

Louis XVI

noun

1754–93, king of France (1774–92); grandson of Louis XV. He married Marie Antoinette in 1770 and they were guillotined during the French Revolution

Cultural definitions for louis xvi

Louis XVI
[ (looh-ee) ]

The last king of France before the French Revolution; the husband of Marie Antoinette. He at first accepted a change from absolute monarchy (see ancien régime) to constitutional monarchy in France. Then he tried to flee the country and was brought back a prisoner. Radicals, including the Jacobins, assumed control of the revolution and had Louis and Marie Antoinette beheaded for treason.