Louis Antoine de Bourbon, Duc d' Angoulême, 1778-1844

Louis Antoine de Bourbon, Duc d'Angoulême (1778-1844) was a member of the French Royal Family who returned to France with the British in 1814, fought against Napoleon's supporters during the 100 Days, and who died in exile after his father Charles X was overthrown.

Angoulême's father, Charles, comte d'Artois, was the fourth child of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729-1765), son of Louis XV. Artois was a younger brother of Louis XVI, but played little part in politics before the French Revolution.

Angoulême was born in 1775, and was the first member of his generation of the Royal Family. He was thus in his mid-teens when Artois went into exile in July 1789, in the aftermath of the storming of the Bastille.

Angoulême spent the next few years in exile, following the exiled French court as it moved around Europe. He also took part in a number of military endeavours , gaining useful experience.

In 1814 Angoulême joined the Duke of Wellington's army as it invaded the south-west of France. He made a triumphant entry into Bordeaux on 12 March 1814, marking the start of the Bourbon restoration. However this infuriated Wellington, who informed Angoulême that he could expect no help from the Allied armies unless there was a popular declaration of support for the Bourbons. He also lost some local support by appearing in a British style uniform.

In 1815 Angoulême commanded the Royalist forces in the south of France. He was able to raise around 10,000 men. They performed well against Napoleon's supporters at Montélimar (1 April 1815) and Loriol (2 April 1815), but his army began to collapse when faced by a more sizable Napoleonic force under General Grouchy. On 8 April Angoulême had to sign the Convention of La Palud, in which his men were pardoned if they gave up their arms and he and his officers were allowed to go free.

After the second Bourbon restoration Angoulême became a member of his uncle Louis XVIII's Ministry and commanded part of the French army that invaded Spain in 1823. In 1824 Louis XVIII died and Angoulême's father became Charles X. However he was a believer in autocratic monarchy, and his rule became so unpopular that a revolt broke out against him in 1830. Charles and his son were both forced to abdicate and went back into exile. After his father's death in 1836 some Royalists considered Angoulême to be the legitimate king, as Louis XIX. He died in exile in Austria in 1844.

Angoulême was described by Judge Advocate General Larpent as 'affable and good tempered, without displaying any obvious talents'. He was also considered to have been narrow minded and ignorant but with some good sense. He was also an 'ultra royalist', and thus part of the faction that led to his father's abdication.

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How to cite this article: Rickard, J (29 October 2015), Louis Antoine de Bourbon, Duc d' Angoulême, 1778-1844 , http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/people_angouleme.html

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