Lives of Celebrated WomenGoodrich, Samuel G. (Samuel Griswold)
History
Lives of Celebrated Women
Goodrich, Samuel G. (Samuel Griswold)
Women -- Biography
[5] The Duke of Chartres, afterwards Duke of Orleans, and now Louis
Philippe, king of the French, was born at Paris, October 6th,
1773. His education has been described in the preceding pages.
In 1791, he served in the army, and subsequently held various
military stations, in which he displayed great gallantry. In
1793, having expressed his horror at the excesses of the
revolution, a decree of arrest was levelled against him. To
escape this, he went to Switzerland, where he met his sister and
Madame de Genlis, as related. During his wanderings over this
country, he had to contend with fatigue, poverty, and
persecution. He travelled from place to place, often alone, and
destitute of money.
After the death of his father, Switzerland no longer became a
safe place for him, and he went to Hamburg, to escape to
America. But here his funds failed him, and he spent some time
in travelling in Norway and Lapland, proceeding even to the
North Cape. In September, 1796, he embarked for America, where
he was joined by his brothers, the Duke of Montpensier and Count
Beaujolais. They travelled through the country, though often
distressed for the want of money. After various wanderings, they
reached England. The Duke of Montpensier died in 1807; and the
Count Beaujolais soon after. In November, 1809, Louis Philippe
was married, at Palermo, to the Princess Amelia, daughter of the
king of Sicily. On the restoration of the Bourbons in 1815, he
returned to Paris, and inherited a large part of the immense
wealth of his father. In 1830, he was elevated to the throne.
His family presents a model of union, good morals, and domestic
virtue, and he is himself one of the ablest of living
sovereigns. If his character is in any considerable degree owing
to his education,--and we cannot doubt that it is,--it furnishes
an imperishable monument to the honor of Madame de Genlis.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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