The survival of Louis XVII from the horrible Temple prison after the murder of his father Louis XVI and his mother Marie Antoinette is a fascinating story left out of all official French history. No wonder they did not want to hand him over to the Spanish king or the Vendee province, both of which demanded his release. I exist because he survived! If he did not survive who am I then? No one can give an answer to that, because no other answer exists.
The book tells his life story and it intertwines with mine. I also left the country of my birth after the Second World War to try my luck elsewhere. I left my parents behind as a young man of 18. I did not suffer as he did but there are many parallels. And in the end our stories come together as I try to find a final answer to the quest of getting my name accepted in my country France.
Outline
-Chapter 1
Early Memories, born in Holland with family to Dutch Indies. War and father against the Germans, underground. War over I leave for Canada to bring mother over. Parents divorced.
-Chapter 2
Louis XVI and the revolution, first Dauphin is born, second son is Charles Louis. Fairly long description on what led to the revolution. Family life.
-Chapter 3
The revolution intensifies the struggles to maintain order. The opposition helped by the Orleans branch of the family. Attack on the Bastille, paid for by the Orleans group.
-Chapter 4-Chapter 5
The Royal family is jailed in the Temple. Father Louis XVI is sentenced to death and beheaded. Mother Marie-Antoinette accused of sexcrimes with son is also beheaded. Charles Louis becomes Louis XVII at 8 years old. Alone in prison with his sister. Escapes and is substituted by a sick older boy.
-Chapter 6
Louis XVII escapes from jail, his early travels in and out of the clutches of various groups. He ends up in Germany and works with watches, a trade his father started with him when he was very small.
-Chapter 7-Chapter 8
The substitute Louis XVII dies in the Temple on week before he must be handed to the one province in France that is not in the revolution (Vendee). Spain also wants Louis XVII free. Conveniently this is all too late. The burial at St Marquerite cemetery where the caretaker digs up the body out of a mass grave and buries it near the church wall.
-Chapter 9
False Dauphins are popping up all over France and even one in North America. All get found out except one. He does not show up until the uncle is declared king of France (Louis XVIII). He has lived for many years in Germany.
-Chapter 10-Chapter 11
Louis XVII as Karl Wilhelm Naundorff in Germany. His enemies pursue him, false accusations, jail terms. He gets married, has children.
-Chapter 12
His Crossen memoirs in his own writing he tells his own story.
-Chapter 13
He is again going to beattacked so he decides to return to Paris to reclaim his name. He meets with 50 old members of the court. Almost all recognize him and he gets ready to take hid case to court. The Orleans family is on the throne and not impressed that there are survivors of the real Kings.
-Chapter 14
Days before the court case he is picked up, put in jail and exiled. His papers are all impounded and disappear. He is sent to England (?) and after some years invents the "Bourbon grenade" the horrible grenade that will end all wars it is a heavy grenade that explodes on impact and does a lot more damage than the balls from before. He sells it to the Dutch King and government. They make him Director of the Ammunitions factory but he soon dies and lies buried in Delft.
-Chapter 15
His son takes over and the family continues in Holland till the present day.
-Chapter 16
My trips to Florida are over, the real estate market starts up again. I am asked to start a new Re/Max franchise, which is very successful, but in between I am trying to get the grave in Delft opened so we can do a DNA test to finally prove that he is Louis XVII. Two DNA tests are inconclusive. One is done on hair that is too contaminated to get a reading. The other is on a heart that may have been the one of the substitute but the Spanish branch of the de Bourbons is trying to cancel our claims. The heart they come up with has some semblance to the DNA of a family member of Marie Antoinette but not of her directly. The researcher says: "This heart belongs to the Austrian branch of the family but this does not mean it is the heart of Louis XVII." We are awaiting results of our exhumation. After three years we finally havepermissions. The Spanish branch is going to rebury the heart with a very large publicity campaign. Many Royals will be invited. It will be a farce. This chapter to be written.