Allegory of the Return of the Bourbons on 24 April 1814 : Louis XVIII Lifting France from Its Ruins by Louis-Philippe Crépin
King Louis XVIII made a triumphal return to Paris on 3 May 1814, accompanied by members of the provisional Council of State, commissaires of the ministerial departments, Marshals of France, and generals. He was greeted by a huge crowd.[1] He named the new ministry on 13 May 1814.[2]
On 4 June 1814 the Charter of 1814 was proclaimed, defining the basic constitutional laws of the state.[3] The government soon became unpopular. Some were opposed to the reactionary policies of the government, and some were opposed to the Bourbon dynasty. The clergy openly preached intolerance and persecution of supporters of the former regime, while the army resented the rejection of their achievements under the Empire. Napoleon sensed the change of mood, left Elba and on 1 March 1815 landed on the mainland near Cannes.[4] He traveled north, with supporters flocking to his cause.[5] On 16 March 1815 Louis XVIII addressed a meeting of both chambers, appealing to them to defend the constitutional charter.[6] On the night of 19-20 March the king left his palace for Ghent in Belgium. Napoleon entered Paris on 20 March 1815.[7]
