The King's Quarry: How Louis XVI Went from Hunter to Hunted
Marie Antoinette on the hunt ( Public domain ) One of the most famous diary entries of all time consists of a single word: rien, which is French for “nothing.” It’s what King Louis XVI recorded on July 14, 1789, the day the Bastille was stormed. This entry (or lack thereof) is often cited as evidence of the king’s disinterest in the brewing revolution. The standard narrative about Louis is that he was simply not up to the task of dealing with the forces that threatened his throne. As a second