His opportunity came with the revolution of 1830. During the three "July
days" the duke kept himself discreetly in the background, retiring first
to Neuilly, then to Raincy. Meanwhile, Thiers issued a proclamation
pointing out that a Republic would embroil France with all Europe, while
the duke of Orleans, who was "a prince devoted to the principles of the
Revolution" and had "carried the tricolour under fire" would be a
"citizen king" such as the country desired. This view was that of the
rump of the chamber still sitting at the Palais Bourbon, and a
deputation headed by Thiers and Laffitte waited upon the duke to invite
him to place himself at the head of affairs. He returned with them to
Paris on the 30th, and was elected by the deputies lieutenant-general of
the realm. The next day, wrapped in a tricolour scarf and preceded by a
drummer, he went on foot to the Hôtel de Ville--the headquarters of the
republican party--where he was publicly embraced by Lafayette as a
symbol that the republicans acknowledged the impossibility of realizing
their own ideals and were prepared to accept a monarchy based on the
popular will. Hitherto, in letters to Charles X., he had protested the
loyalty of his intentions,[3] and the king now nominated him
lieutenant-general and then, abdicating in favour of his grandson the
comte de Chambord appointed him regent. On the 7th of August, however,
the Chamber by a large majority declared Charles X. deposed, and
proclaimed Louis Philippe "King of the French, by the grace of God and
the will of the people."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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