LOUIS PHILIPPE, King of the French, b. at Paris, Oct. 6, 17'73, was the eldest son of Louis Philippe Joseph, duke of Orleans. He received at his birth the title of duke of Valois, and afterward that of duke of Chartres. His education WaS intrusted to the care of the celebrated 3/Ime. de Geniis. He entered the national guard, and became a member of the club of friends of the constitution, afterwards that of the Jacobins. Along with his father, he renounced his titles, and assumed the surname of Egalite. He showed both courage and capacity in the war; but his situation became very dangerous after the unstic. cessful battle of Neerwinden, in which he commanded the center. He was included in the order for arrest issued against Dumouriez, and on April 4, 1793, escaped along with him into the Austrian territory. He sought in Switzerland a place of security for his sister Adelaide, wandered about amongst the mountains for four months, and accepted a slim, tion as teacher of geography and mathematics in a school at Reichenau, near Chur, assum hag the name of Chabaud-Latour. He afterwards wandered for some time in the n. of Europe, and then went to North America. In 1800 he took up his abode at Twickenham, near London, with his two younger brothers, both of whom soon after died. In 1809 he married Marie Amelie, daughter of Ferdinand I. of the Two Sicilies. On the fall of Napo leon, he hastened to Paris, where he was received with distrust by Louis XVIII. After the second restoration, he recovered his,great. estates, which the imperial government had sequestrated. Disliked by the court, he was very popular in Paris. ' He kept aloof, however, from political intrigues; and the three bloody days of the revolution of 1830 were nearly over ere he was brought forward, the banker Laffitte proposing in the provisional committee his appointment as lieut.gen. of the kingdom, from which he
proceeded to the acceptance of a constitutional throne, Aug. 9, 1830. He defended his conduct towards the elder Bourbons by protesting that lie acted for the welfare of France. He cultivated peaceful relations with foreign powers, sought to strengthen his throne by gaining the support of the middle classes, and repressed all the extreme parties by what became known as the juste-milieu (q.v.) policy. The extreme democrats hated him, and frequent attempts were made on his life, by tnfernal ?wallies and other wise. The country prospered under his government, but a demand for reform in the electoral system became loud and general, and was unwisely opposed by the king and the Guizot (q.v.) ministry: whilst the conduct of, the former in the matter of the marriages of the queen of Spain and her sister, manifesting a disregard of every con sideration but the interests of his own family, excited a strong feeling of indiznation throughout Europe._ The French nation became much excited; " reform banquets" began to be held; the government attempted to prevent them by force; insurrectionary movements ensued in the streets of Paris on Feb. 22, 1848; and the " citizen king" saw with alarm that the national guard could not be expected to support him. On Feb. 24, he abdicated in favor of his grandson, the count de Paris; but the chamber of deputies refused to acknowledge the boy as king. Louis Philippe, deserted by his courtiers, fled to the coast of Normandy along with his queen, concealed himself for some days, and at length found opportunity of escaping in a British steamboat to New haven under the name of Mr. Smith. The brief remainder of his life was spent in England. He died at Claremont, Aug. 20, 1850.