The last coronation of the ancien régime, it marked Louis XVI's formal accession before the French Revolution ended the monarchy.
Key Facts
- Date
- 11 June 1775 (Trinity Sunday)
- Venue
- Reims Cathedral
- Officiant
- Archbishop Charles Antoine de La Roche-Aymon
- Previous coronation
- 1722 (53 years prior)
- Predecessor's reign length
- 59 years (Louis XV)
- Next French coronation
- Charles X, during the Bourbon Restoration
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Louis XVI ascended to the French throne in 1774 following the death of his grandfather Louis XV, who had reigned for 59 years. This required a formal coronation, the first since 1722, to legitimize Louis XVI's kingship in the traditional manner of French monarchs at Reims.
On 11 June 1775, Louis XVI was crowned King of France and Navarre at Reims Cathedral by the Archbishop of Reims. Marie Antoinette, his wife since 1770, was not crowned, as was customary by the 18th century. Louis notably discarded his heavy coronation robes immediately after the ceremony, reflecting his preference for less ceremonial dress.
The coronation proved to be the last of the ancien régime; the French Revolution subsequently overthrew the monarchy, and Louis XVI was executed in 1793. It was also the penultimate coronation of a King of France, followed only by that of Charles X during the Bourbon Restoration.