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Ghent government in exile
Louis XVIII's government-in-exile in Ghent during the Hundred Days. / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Ghent government was Louis XVIII's government-in-exile during the Hundred Days. As Napoleon I rallied his forces and headed for Paris, the sovereign made some clumsy decisions. He deprived himself of national and international support, believing himself capable of restoring the situation. Louis XVIII finally reached an impasse by calling for the defense of the charter, refusing the intervention of foreign armies, and demanding loyalty from his army, which was largely loyal to Napoleonic memory. The king left Paris on March 19, 1815, and crossed the French borders on March 23, 1815, to settle in Ghent.
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The government was made up of ministers who had followed him into exile, including Blacas, Beugnot, and Jaucourt. Others who remained loyal to the sovereign held ministerial posts, such as Chateaubriand, whom the sovereign disliked. In practice, this government had no real power, as it was located outside France's borders and closely watched by the Allied powers, who doubted the Bourbons would return. Despite this, Louis XVIII still believed in his destiny as king: he created a newspaper to rival the Moniteur universel and encouraged the Chouannerie to destabilize Napoleon's power. During its few months of existence, the Ghent government was the seat of rivalries within the sovereign's entourage. The ultraroyalist fringe hardened its positions, while constitutionalists like Guizot tried to influence the sovereign.
Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo on June 18, 1815, allowed Louis XVIII to consider a return to power. The foreign powers, convinced by Talleyrand, spoke out in his favor. In France, Fouché persuaded the chambers of the King's legitimacy to negotiate a peace treaty in a monarchical Europe. Louis XVIII returned to France on June 25, 1815, finally arriving in Paris on July 8, 1815. This return, marred by the excesses of the ultra-royalists, saw the start of the Second Restoration and the return of the Bourbons to the French throne until 1830.