Louis Philippe, known as the Citizen King 1773-1850
King of the French

Born in Paris, he was the eldest son of the Duc d'Orl�ans, and was brought up by Madame de Genlis. He joined the National Guard, and, like his father, renounced his titles and assumed the surname '�galit�'. He fought in the wars of the republic, but deserted to the Austrians. For a time he lived in exile, mainly in Twickenham, London (1800-09). In 1809 he married Marie Am�lie, daughter of Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies and on the Restoration he recovered his estates. After the Revolution of 1830 he was appointed lieutenant-general, and then elected king. The country prospered under the rule of the 'citizen king', which saw victory of the upper bourgeoisie over the aristocracy, but their political corruption united all extremists in a cry for electoral reform. Louis Philippe took a middle course between the extreme right-wing Legitimists and socialists and republicans. Numerous rebellions and assassination attempts led him to more repressive actions like muzzling newspapers and tampering with trial by jury. Agricultural and industrial depression (1846) caused widespread discontent, and when the Paris mob rose (February 1848), he was forced to abdicate, and escaped to England as 'Mr Smith'. He died in Claremont, Surrey.