Question 1

True or false: Louis XVI ordered the arrest of the revolutionary leader Maximilien Robespierre in 1792.

Accepted Answer

False. Robespierre was never arrested by Louis XVI; the king was deposed before Robespierre's rise to power.

Question 2

True or false: Louis XVI was an enthusiastic locksmith and spent hours working on locks in his private workshop.

Accepted Answer

True. He loved tinkering with locks and even had a personal forge, surprising for a king.

Question 3

True or false: Louis XVI was an accomplished astronomer who discovered a comet in 1781.

Accepted Answer

False. Louis XVI was not an astronomer; he was known for his interest in locksmithing and geography.

Question 4

True or false: Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette had four children.

Accepted Answer

True. They had four children: Marie-Thérèse, Louis Joseph, Louis Charles, and Sophie. Only Marie-Thérèse survived to adulthood.

Question 5

True or false: Louis XVI was an obese, gluttonous king who ate massive meals daily.

Accepted Answer

False. He was actually tall and strong, with a healthy appetite but not obese; this myth stemmed from revolutionary propaganda.

Question 6

True or false: Louis XVI was executed on January 21, 1793, by guillotine.

Accepted Answer

True. He was executed by guillotine at the Place de la Révolution in Paris on that date.

Question 7

True or false: Louis XVI fled to Varennes in 1791 disguised as a valet to escape the Revolution.

Accepted Answer

True. During the Flight to Varennes, Louis XVI posed as a valet for a fictitious Russian baroness. He was recognized and captured in Varennes.

Question 8

True or false: Louis XVI was executed by guillotine on January 21, 1793.

Accepted Answer

True. Louis XVI was publicly beheaded for high treason during the French Revolution. The event is well-documented in historical records.

Louis XVI Trivia Questions