KING LOUIS XVIII (FRANCE) - DOCUMENT SIGNED 07/29/1814 - HFSID 258053

KING LOUIS XVIII
Louis XVII signed this document in Paris in 1814 to bestow the Order of St. Louis upon naval officer Jean-Baptiste Raymond de Lacrosse. This document was signed less than eight months before Napoléon's return from Elba in 1815.
Document signed "Louis". 1 page, 20½x15¾ vellum, with 1¾-inch diameter paper seal near bottom left corner. Paris, France, July 29, 1814. In French, untranslated. Louis signed this document to bestow the Order of St. Louis upon contre-amiral (Counter-Admiral) Jean Raymond Lacrosse. JEAN-BAPTISTE RAYMOND DE LACROSSE (1761-1829, born in Meilhan, France) joined the French Navy in 1779. He was made Counter-Admiral despite the loss of his ship in a battle against two British frigates after a failed invasion of Ireland. He was also governor of Guadeloupe in 1793, and, after the Reign of Terror, was made General Captain of Guadeloupe of under Bonaparte (1801-3). LOUIS XVIII (1755-1824, born Louis-Stanislas-Xavier in Versailles, France)wasthe brother of guillotined King Louis XVI. He fled France during the Revolution, declared himself Regent for his nephew Louis XVII in 1793, and pronounced himself King when Louis XVII died in prison in 1795. During Napoléon's rule (1796-1814), he traveled throughout Europe, engaging in royalist conspiracies. He would always date the beginning of his reign from 1795, but he did not actually rule France until Napoleon's downfall (1814, and again in 1815 after the Hundred Days of Napoleon's return). Vellum is a natural product and will have color and texture variations inherent in the material. Lightly toned, creaseedDocument is separated in half and repaired on verso with tape, which shows through (does not touch signature). Adhesive residue near bottom corners and on verso with show-through (do not touch signature). Folded once horizontally and thrice verically. Otherwise in fine condition.