Louis XVI and the War of American Independence
John Hardman
University of Edinburgh
October 25, 2019
01:16:28
Aid sent by Louis XVI tipped the scales in favor of a Patriot victory in the War for American Independence. However, this assistance was far from assured. John Hardman argues that the French monarch possessed sharp political insight and talent in foreign policy, and his choice to support the Patriot cause was nearly lost. Why did the king choose war? Could France have taken another path? Historian John Hardman presented the 2019 George Rogers Clark Lecture on Louis XVI and the War of American Independence.
About the Speaker
John Hardman is a former University of Edinburgh lecturer and author of several biographies of Louis XVI, including The Life of Louis XVI (2017).
Continue the George Rogers Clark Lecture series with the 2018 lecture, The American Revolution on the Spanish Borderlands.
Categories: Clark Lectures, Historical Programs