Editing Charles X of France (section)

==Crisis and French Revolution==

Charles's political awakening started with the first great crisis of the monarchy in 1786, when it became apparent that the kingdom was bankrupt from previous military endeavours (in particular the [[Seven Years' War]] and the [[American Revolutionary War|American War of Independence]]) and needed fiscal reform to survive. Charles supported the removal of the aristocracy's financial privileges, but was opposed to any reduction in the social privileges enjoyed by either the [[Catholic Church]] or the nobility. He believed that France's finances should be reformed without the monarchy being overthrown. In his own words, it was "time for repair, not demolition."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Willsher |first=Kim |date=2016-09-27 |title=France calls for remains of King Charles X to be returned from Slovenia |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/27/france-calls-for-remains-of-king-charles-x-to-be-returned-from-slovenia |access-date=2023-08-07 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

King Louis XVI eventually convened the [[Estates-General of 1789|Estates General]], which had not been assembled for over 150 years, to meet in May 1789 to ratify financial reforms. Along with his sister Élisabeth, Charles was the most conservative member of the family<ref>Fraser, p. 326.</ref> and opposed the demands of the Third Estate (representing the [[commoner]]s) to increase their voting power. This prompted criticism from his brother, who accused him of being "plus royaliste que le roi" ("more royalist than the king"). In June 1789, the representatives of the Third Estate declared themselves a [[National Assembly (French Revolution)|National Assembly]] intent on providing France with a new constitution.<ref>Fraser, pp. 274–278.</ref>

In conjunction with the [[Louis Auguste Le Tonnelier de Breteuil|Baron de Breteuil]], Charles had political alliances arranged to depose the [[Classical liberalism|liberal]] minister of finance, [[Jacques Necker]]. These plans backfired when Charles attempted to secure Necker's dismissal on 11 July without Breteuil's knowledge, much earlier than they had originally intended. It was the beginning of a decline in his [[political alliance]] with Breteuil, which ended in mutual loathing.{{Citation needed|date=July 2020}}

Necker's dismissal provoked the [[storming of the Bastille]] on 14 July. With the concurrence of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, Charles and his family left France three days later, on 17 July, along with several other courtiers. These included the [[Yolande de Polastron|Duchess of Polignac]], the queen's favourite.<ref>Fraser, p. 338.</ref> His flight was historically attributed to personal fears for his own safety. However recent research indicates that the King had approved his brother's departure in advance, seeing it as a means of ensuring that one close relative would be free to act as a spokesman for the monarchy, after Louis himself had been moved from [[Palace of Versailles|Versailles]] to Paris.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Price |first=Monro |title=The Fall of the French Monarchy |date=2003 |isbn=978-0-3304-8827-3 |pages=93–94}}</ref>