The Perilous Crown: Ruling France 1814-1848
By Munro Price
Macmillan £20, 480 pages
FT bookshop price: £16

The years from 1814 to 1848 in France form a vast subject. Munro Price, professor of modern european history at the university of Bradford, is the first to admit this. His book begins with the restoration of the monarchy following the (first) downfall of Napoleon. It then traverses the reigns of Louis XVIII – interrupted by the 100 days of Napoleon’s return – and of Charles X. The revolution of 1830, which brought their cousin Louis-Philippe to the throne, comes next. It culminates in the further revolution of 1848, which ended France’s last monarchy.

Surprisingly, little is known on this side of the Channel about this turbulent period. Louis-Philippe, the “citizen-king”, is remembered principally as a droll little figure who sported a rolled-up umbrella like an English gentleman. In The Perilous Crown, a phrase coined by the statesman and historian Adolphe Thiers to describe the French experience of monarchy, Price sets out to correct this picture. He succeeds admirably. In particular, he helps to restore Louis-Philippe to his rightful place in history.

The previously unused writings of Louis-Philippe’s sister, Adelaide, aid Price in this endeavour. A remarkable woman, she stood alongside her brother in exile. She was also instrumental in helping him come to power and was his confidante during the years of his reign. The king was happily married: his wife Marie-Amelie was both devoted and fecund. His sister seems to have played the role of a mistress, but without the sex or the jealousy. Adelaide never married, and she adored – and was adored by – her nephews and nieces, as well as by her brother. There was not any trace of resentment from Marie-Amelie either.

Price is particularly gripping when portraying scenes of upheaval and revolution. His account of Louis-Philippe’s seizure of power is a real page-turner. The events of the earlier revolution, that of 1789, are also concisely summarised, but Price knows when to interject a note of humour. Despite Louis-Philippe’s love of England, he was not blind to the prejudices of its inhabitants. Price quotes Victor Hugo, who was himself recalling an anecdote told by Louis-Philippe. The king was reminiscing about his years of exile in Twickenham. “‘When I was in London,’ he recalled, ’I used to go for walks, giving my arm to my wife and my sister, and we would chat, not very loudly, you know, we’re well brought up people, and all the passers-by would turn around, middle-class as well as common folk, and we would hear them grumbling behind us: – French people! French people!’”

Behind many of the events described in The Perilous Crown lurks the great survivor, Prince Talleyrand-Perigord – the bishop-turned-prime minister who, until his death in 1838 at the age of 84, played a major role in every change of regime from the revolution to the July monarchy. Price shows him watching the comings and goings from his window in the rue de Rivoli, and occasionally stepping down to move a piece on the chessboard.

Virginia Rounding is author of ‘Catherine the Great: Love, Sex and Power’ (Hutchinson)