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Louis-Charles, Duc de Normandie, enjoyed a charmed early childhood in the gilded palace of Versailles. At the age of four, he became the dauphin, heir to the most powerful throne in Europe. Yet within five years he was to lose everything. Drawn into the horror of the French Revolution, his family was incarcerated and their fate thrust into the hands of the revolutionaries who wished to destroy the monarchy.
In 1793, when Marie Antoinette was beheaded at the guillotine, she left her adored eight-year-old son imprisoned in the Temple Tower. Far from inheriting a throne, the orphaned boy-king had to endure the hostility and abuse of a nation. Two years later, the revolutionary leaders declared Louis XVII dead. No grave was dug, no monument built to mark his passing.
Immediately, rumors spread that the prince had, in fact, escaped from prison and was still alive. Others believed that he had been murdered, his heart cut out and preserved as a relic. As with the tragedies of England's princes in the Tower and the Romanov archduchess Anastasia, countless "brothers" soon approached Louis-Charles's older sister, Marie-Therese, who survived the revolution. They claimed not only the dauphin's name, but also his inheritance. Several "princes" were plausible, but which, if any, was the real heir to the French throne?
The Lost King of France is a moving and dramatic tale that interweaves a pivotal moment in France's history with a compelling detective story that involves pretenders to the crown, royalist plots and palace intrigue, bizarre legal battles, and modern science. The quest for the truth continued into the twenty-first century, when, thanks to DNA testing, the strange odyssey of a stolen heart found within the royal tombs brought an exciting conclusion to the two-hundred-year-old mystery of the lost king of France.
- Sales Rank: #476610 in Books
- Published on: 2003-10-23
- Released on: 2003-10-23
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.50" h x .71" w x 5.50" l, .90 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 336 pages
From Publishers Weekly
British writer Cadbury (Terrible Lizard) sets out to unravel a historical mystery in this winning, highly readable account of the French Revolution and the fate of the dauphin, the son of the executed King Louis XVI. Cadbury dramatically relates how the French monarchy moved inexorably toward the abyss of 1789; she describes the seizure of the Bastille, the royal family's imprisonment in the Temple and the execution of the king and queen. But what became of their son? According to the official account, Louis XVII remained in solitary confinement in a filthy, vermin-infested prison cell, where he contracted tuberculosis and died at age 10 in June 1795; bizarrely, the physician who performed the autopsy literally, and fortuitously, stole the boy's heart. Yet millions believed that the prince had escaped, and over the years, hundreds came forward claiming to be the dauphin. Not until two centuries later, with advances in forensic science, was the mystery of Louis XVII's fate finally solved... Cadbury does an exemplary job describing the history, the mystery and the tragic fate of Louis XVII. 8 pages of b&w photos.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
“Absolutely stupendous . . . This is history as it should be. I can't praise it highly enough. It is stunningly written; I could not put it down. This is the best account of the French Revolution I have ever read.” ―Alison Weir, author of Henry VII: The King and His Court
“A wonderful book . . . Deborah Cadbury's fascinating account of a child victim of revolutionary brutality is a masterly synthesis of science and narrative history that provides a definitive solution to a celebrated mystery. Authoritative, lucid, and utterly absorbing.” ―Anne Somerset, author of Elizabeth I
“A first-class read---informative, entertaining, and a great, grand adventure. Most noteworthy.” ―Margaret George, author of The Autobiography of Henry VIII
“Unputdownable. Deborah Cadbury succeeds in conveying the human tragedy of this story more emotively than any other writer. Added to that, her book has the gripping pace of a thriller. I cannot recommend this too highly.” ―Maureen Waller, author of 1700: Scenes from London Life
“The Lost King of France is a fascinating and well-told story that reads with great interest and pleasure. My congratulations on a well researched work.” ―Ian Dunlop, author of Louis XIV
“An absorbing tale, combining sound history and modern science. The restrained description of the sufferings of the little prince from the officious sadism of the revolutionary officials serves only to add poignancy to his story.” ―John Hardman, author of Louis XVI: The Silent King
About the Author
Deborah Cadbury is an award-winning journalist specializing in the fundamental issues of science and history and their effects on today's society. She is also the author of the highly acclaimed books Terrible Lizard and The Estrogen Effect. She has produced science programs for BBC television and has won numerous international science film awards, including an Emmy. She lives in London.
Most helpful customer reviews
55 of 56 people found the following review helpful.
Fantastic popular history
By E. A. Montgomery
This is as readable as any historical novel and far more interesting. Cadbury brings the shadowy image of Marie Antoinette's children fully to life with detail and emotional depth. Unlike most books on this topic, the parents are moved firmly to the background, coming forward only to illustrate their influence on the children and their lives. I learned more in this fast paced enjoyable read than I have in half a dozen 'scholarly' books on the period. The Lost King's resolution may not surprise you, but it's a rewarding read that immerses you as fully as an epic film. One of the finest histories I've read on any subject and more emotionally affecting than most fiction. You will not be able to forget this family or view them in the same fashion again. A true must read.
42 of 43 people found the following review helpful.
If it were longer and the same it would be 5 stars for me
By A Customer
This book provides what Antonia Frazer's biography of Marie Antoinette does not -- more about the children, more about the aftermath of Marie Antoinette's death. I thought this book would repeat much of Frazer's but, in fact, it enriches Frazer's work. And, except for some melodramatic flourishes, I think it is better written. Though I usually read 2 or 3 books at a time and can easily jump from one to the other, I could not put this book down until I finished it.
I wish there had been more to this volume. The DNA passages sometimes feel 'padded' and the 'mystery' element seems somewhat contrived. Who cares! It was so engrossing that I neglected everything this afternoon so that I could finish this book.
39 of 41 people found the following review helpful.
An unputdownable piece of historical non-fiction
By ilmk
It is a rare piece of historical non-fiction that is so gripping it becomes a one-sitting read, as Deborah Cadbury's book does. As Alison Weir's comments on the hardback edition state, it is: `stunningly written'.
The book opens with a present day mystery of a heart that is purported to be that of Louis XVII of France - the boy-king - that is (dis)proved by DNA. Rather than giving us the answer immediately the author then tells the story of the downfall of the French Monarchy at the hands of the sans-culottes and the leaders of the French Revolution. Told from the royal perspective, centering on Marie Antoniette, Louis XVI, Louis-Charles (Dauphin and future Louis XVII) and their other immediate family and associates, we are given a story full of immense pathos, where the royal family - clearly depicted as undone by previous French royal excesses and a failing economy - are treatedly brutally at the hands of the revolutionaries. Marie Antoniette is depicted as a naïve young woman of excess, then as a great mother, ultimately as aa Queen of France whose suffering reflects much of the Revolution. Louis XVI is presented as a monarch whose stoical steadfastness to uphold the good of his country costs him the constitution and ultimately his life, Louis-Charles as a boy wise beyond his years - clearly intimated as potentially a great french monarch.
The first part of the book is taken up with the history of the french royal family from the moment Maria-Antonia of Austria marries the young Dauphin and follows them as they are vilified, blamed and ultimately killed for the problems assailing France. The story is told from the royal perspective, Cadbury engendering great sympathy with the family, possibly to the extent of presenting a somewhat biased view of the revolutionaries as a brutal regime whose leaders use the anger of the mob to further their own political gain. Drawing mainly on personal testimonies of Clery who served the family during their Parisian imprisonment at Tullieres, The Tower and the Temple, Marie-Therese (daughter of Marie-Antoniette and Louis) and Madame Tourzel, we are given the emotional history of a key point in European history where the author gives a very focused view on the ordeals and depravations of Louis XVI, Marie Antoniette, and finally, in a lengthy section, on Louis-Charles mental and physical abuse. Part 1 ends with the death of Louis-Charles according to the official version given at the time.
Part 2 deals with the twenty year period of revolution, Robespierre and Napoleon, culminating in Marie-Therese's (as the sole direct survivor) reentry into Paris as the Queen with the newly crowned Louis XVIII and subsequent re-fleeing. At this point history gives rise to the legend that Louis-Charles did not die (as Dr Pelletan's autopsy initially stated) but rather was substituted with another child. The primary mover of this legend came from Madame Simon, the wife of the man depicted as responsible for much of Louis-Charles systematic abuse who claimed they had smuggled Louis-Charles out in a wicker basket. What resulted was a procession of Dauphin-claimants, the most prominent being Naundorff, Bruneau and Hervagault each of whom claimed to be the long-lost surviving Louis-Charles - to the evident distress of Marie-Therese. As each of these were found guilty of being imposters eventually the rumours and claimants dwindled until twentieth century forensic and, eventually, DNA, technology enabled scientists to coduct tests on the original family, the notable claimants and the preserved heart that Pelletan had taken from the dead boy during the autopsy.
This leads us back to the opening statement of the book and the resulting conclusions, based on DNA, seem to give a resolution to the story.
What the author has done is present a deeply sympathetic view of the lives of Louis XVI, Marie-Antoniette and Louis-Charles, perhaps seeking to redress the perceptions of them as given in many political articles of the time, and finally, give a satisfactory ending to a mystery that has echoed over the past two hundred years. She has done it in a way that, conclusions aside, is immensely readable and interesting.
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