(born Oct. 6, 1773, Paris, France—died Aug. 26, 1850, Claremont, Surrey, Eng.) King of the French (1830–48). Eldest son of the duke d'Orléans, he supported the new government at the outbreak of the French Revolution and joined the Revolutionary army in 1792 but deserted during the war with Austria (1793) and lived in exile in Switzerland, the U.S., and England.
He returned to France on the restoration of Louis XVIII and joined the liberal opposition. Following the July Revolution (1830) and Charles X's abdication, he was proclaimed the “Citizen King” by Adolphe Thiers and elected by the legislature. During the subsequent July Monarchy, he consolidated his power by steering a middle course between the right-wing monarchists and the socialists and other republicans but resorted to repressive measures because of numerous rebellions and attempts on his life. He strengthened France's position in Europe and cooperated with the British in forcing the Dutch to recognize Belgian independence. Mounting middle-class opposition to his arbritrary rule and his inability to win allegiance from the new industrial classes caused his abdication during the February Revolution of 1848.
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