CHARLES X. (1757-1836), king of France from 1824 to 183o, was the fourth child of the dauphin Louis, son of Louis XV. and of Marie Josephe of Saxony. He was known before his acces sion as Charles Philippe, count of Artois. At the age of 16 he married Marie Therese of Savoy, sister-in-law of his brother, the count of Provence (Louis XVIII.) . His youth was passed in scandalous dissipation, which drew upon himself and his coterie the detestation of the people of Paris. Prior to the revolution he took only a minor part in politics, but when it broke out he soon became, with the queen, the chief of the reactionary party at court. In July he left France and became leader of the emigres. In 1795 he attempted to aid the royalist rising of La Vendee, landing at the island of Yeu. But he refused to advance farther and returned to England, settling first in London, then in Holyrood palace at Edinburgh and afterwards at Hartwell. There he remained until 1813, returning to France in Feb. 1814, and entering Paris in April, in the track of the Allies.
During the reign of his brother, Louis XVIII., he was the leader of the ultra-royalists, the party of extreme reaction. On succeed ing to the throne in Sept. 1824 he won a passing popularity. But his coronation at Reims, with all the gorgeous ceremonial of the old regime, proclaimed his intention of ruling as the Most Chris tian king, by divine right. It was soon apparent that the weight of the crown would be consistently thrown into the scale of the reactionary forces. The emigres were awarded a milliard as corn pensation for their confiscated lands; and Gallicans and Liberals alike were offended by measures which threw increased power into the hands of the Jesuits and Ultramontanes. In a few months there were disquieting signs of the growing unpopularity of the king. The royal princesses were insulted in the streets; and on April 29, 1825 Charles, when reviewing the National Guard, was met with cries from the ranks of "Down with the ministers!" His reply was, next day, a decree disbanding the citizen army.
In 1829 Charles consented unwillingly to try a policy of com promise. Villele's successor was the vicomte de Martignac, who took Decazes for his model ; and in the speech from the throne Charles declared that the happiness of France depended on "the sincere union of the royal authority with the liberties consecrated by the charter." But Charles had none of the patience and com mon sense which had enabled Louis XVIII. to play with decency the part of a constitutional king. "I would rather hew wood," he exclaimed, "than be a king under the conditions of the king of England;" and when the Liberal opposition obstructed all the measures proposed by a ministry not selected from the parlia mentary majority, he lost patience. "I told you," he said, "that there was no coming to terms with these men." Martignac was dismissed ; and Prince Jules de Polignac, the very incarnation of clericalism and reaction, was called to the helm of state.
A formidable agitation sprang up, which only served to make the king more obstinate. In opening the session of 183o he de clared that he would "find the power" to overcome the obstacles placed in his path by "culpable manoeuvres." The reply of the chambers was a protest against "the unjust distrust of the senti ment and reason of France" ; whereupon they were first prorogued, and on May 16 dissolved. The result of the new elections was a large increase in the opposition ; and Charles, on the advice of his ministers, determined on a virtual suspension of the constitu tion. On July 25 were issued the famous "four ordinances" which were the immediate cause of the revolution.
With singular fatuity Charles had taken no precautions in view of a violent outbreak. Marshal Marmont, who commanded the scattered troops in Paris, had received no orders, beyond a jesting command from the duke of Angouleine to place them under arms "as some windows might be broken." At the beginning of the revolution Charles was at St. Cloud, whence on the news of the fighting he withdrew first to Versailles and then to Rambouillet. On learning of the success of the revolutionaries he abdicated in favour of his grandson, the duke of Bordeaux (comte de Cham bord), and appointed Louis Philippe, duke of Orleans, lieutenant general of the kingdom (July 3o). But, on the news of Louis Philippe's acceptance of the crown, he gave up the contest and began a dignified retreat to the sea-coast. Beyond sending a corps of observation to follow his movements, the new government did nothing to arrest his escape. He took ship at Cherbourg for England on Aug. 16. For a time he returned to Holyrood palace at Edinburgh, which was again placed at his disposal. He died at Goritz, whither he had gone for his health, on Nov. 6, 1836.
The best that can be said of Charles X. is that, if he did not know how to rule, he knew how to cease to rule.