The King’s Quarry
How Louis XVI went from hunter to hunted
One of the most famous diary entries of all time consists of a single word: rien, which is French for “nothing.” It’s what King Louis XVI recorded on July 14, 1789, the day the Bastille was stormed.
This entry (or lack thereof) is often cited as evidence of the king’s disinterest in the brewing revolution. The standard narrative about Louis is that he was simply not up to the task of dealing with the forces that threatened his throne. As a second son, he wasn’t initially raised to be king; it was only when his older brother died that he became the heir.
The story goes like this. Louis was smart but incompetent. His deep introversion made him reluctant to perform the ceremonial roles of the monarchy. He was indecisive at key moments and mostly tried to avoid dealing with the issues that put his throne and life at risk. He greatly preferred messing around with locks and other little gadgets over dealing with the mounting debt and social unrest t…
