KING LOUIS XVIII (FRANCE) - MANUSCRIPT DOCUMENT SIGNED 12/18/1773 - HFSID 49427

KING LOUIS XVIII
Manuscript document detailing the pays of Officers of the House, including the care of their home and spouses, signed as "Louis Stanislas Xavier"
Manuscript document signed: "Louis Stanislas Xavier", 9¾x11¾, 2 pages (front and verso). Document 18, 1773. An order to pay Officers of the House: where he lives and his military quarters, as well as those of his wife's home. Partial translation, in part: "and for those of our very dear spouse for which I desire to establish support, pension, nourishment, lodging and attributions under reserve to establish a period of their reedition of complete maintenance established by the treasurer, and to take care of their accounting and general handling of our property es Boir". KING LOUIS XVIII of France (1755-1824), the grandson of the guillotined Louis XVI and the son of Louis XVII (who died in prison in 1795, unrecognized by the French Republic), lived in exile from 1791 until 1814, when Allied armies restored him to power by defeating Napoleon. He returned to Paris in April 1814, taking up residence in the Tuileries Palace, only to flee the city in March of 1815 when Napoleon, escaped from his own exile, returned to Paris for the Hundred Days. Defeated again at Waterloo, Napoleon was permanently exiled, and Louis returned to the capital. Intent on restoration of Bourbon power and the privileges of the aristocracy, Louis XVIII did not undo all of the reforms introduced by the Revolution and Napoleon, and tried to restrain the ultra-Royalists who wanted more vengeance upon their defeated foes. Louis actually retained many Napoleonic officers in his service, which proved to be a mistake since many of them defected to Napoleon during the Hundred Days. Louis reigned until 1824, the last French monarch to die while still on the throne. Multiple folds. Light surface creases. Toned. Soiled. Light stains across. Paper trimming affixed to left margin. Paper fragments on right margin. Moisture damage to top margin. Otherwise, fine condition.