Historians have long argued about the true intent of Louis XVI regarding the French Revolution. Was the king prepared to accept a limited monarchy or did he intend to restore the old regime? Price, a specialist on 18th-century France, has unearthed a treasure trove of vital material-memoirs, diaries, official documents and correspondence-connected with the diplomatic representatives of the king, in particular the Baron de Breteuil, the king's prime minister in July 1789, when a Parisian mob stormed the Bastille.

With the royal family in prison, Breteuil secretly traveled all over Europe with two goals: to help the royal family escape from Paris and to restore the absolute monarchy. Price takes us inside the world of 18th-century diplomacy, showing Breteuil's attempts to win financial and military backing from Austria, Sweden, Russia and other European monarchies.

In June 1792, the royal family attempted its famous failed escape to Varennes. Breteuil eventually gained military support from Marie Antoinette's native Austria. Both Austria and Prussia invaded France in 1792, but were surprisingly defeated at the Battle of Valmy. The king was tried and executed in January 1793, Marie Antoinette shortly thereafter. What Price proves beyond doubt is that Louis had numerous chances to compromise with the revolution. He refused, choosing instead an ill-fated agenda of restoring absolute monarchy. This exhaustively researched study should be the definitive diplomatic history of the fall of Louis XVI.