His older brother, Louis Joseph, Dauphin of France , died in June , a little over a month before the start of the French Revolution. At his brother's death he became the new Dauphin heir apparent to the throne , a title he held until , when the new constitution accorded the heir apparent the title of Prince Royal. When his father was executed on 21 January , during the middle period of the French Revolution, he automatically succeeded as King of France , Louis XVII, in the eyes of the royalists.
France was by then a republic , and since Louis-Charles was imprisoned and died in captivity in June , he never actually ruled. His younger sister, Sophie , was born a little over a year later. He became the Dauphin on the death of his elder brother, Louis Joseph , on 4 June As customary in royal families, Louis-Charles was cared for by multiple people.
Queen Marie Antoinette appointed governesses to look after all three of her children. Additionally, the queen selected Agathe de Rambaud to be the official nurse of Louis-Charles. Alain Decaux wrote:.
During these seven years, she never left him, she cradled him, took care of him, dressed him, comforted him, and scolded him. Many times, more than Marie Antoinette, she was a true mother for him". Some have suggested that Axel von Fersen , who was romantically linked with Marie Antoinette, was the father of her son. The fact that Louis Charles was born exactly nine months after he returned to court was noted, but this theory was debunked by most scholars, who reject it, observing that the time of his conception corresponded to a time that Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette had spent a lot of time together.
The king wrote in his diary about the birth as "when my son was born". Marie Antoinette reportedly retained her charisma after her pregnancies, cutting an imposing figure in her court. She was said to have many admirers, but remained a faithful, strong-willed wife and a stern but ultimately loving mother.
