Speaker: Thierry Rechniewski, président de l’ Association Franco-Ecossaise

The talk will be delivered in French

Audience: Members and *Non-members are welcome

La causerie évoquera ses deux séjours à Holyrood House d’abord le premier de 1796 à 1803 en tant que Comte d’Artois exilé à cause de la Révolution, et ensuite le second de 1830-1832, après la perte de sa couronne par la révolution de 1830 et son abdication en faveur de son petit-fils.

The talk focuses on Charles X’s connection with Scotland and the two periods when in exile he stayed in Holyrood House, Edinburgh.

In the turbulent aftermath of the French Revolution (1789), the Comte d’Artois (Louis XVI’s younger brother and future King Charles X of France) fled the country and lived in exile.

At the invitation of George III, he was granted a generous allowance and lived in Edinburgh and London.

Charles’ official residence in Scotland was the palace of Holyrood, where he lived between the years 1796 and 1803.

After the restoration of the monarchy in France, 1814 and on the death of his brother Louis XVIII in 1824, Charles was crowned king of France.

Six years into his rule, his reactionary policies, led to him being forced to abdicate after the 1830 Revolution, in favour of his grandson, Henri V.

However, the French throne passed to Louis Philippe from the Orléans, cadet branch of the Bourbon family, and in 1848, following the revolution in that year, he too was forced into exile.

Charles X ‘s second stay in Holyrood was from 1830 to 1832, a brief period before he was offered protection by Francis I of Austria.

Both Charles and Louis Philippe lived the remainder of their lives in exile, Charles dying in Slovenia in 1836 and Louis Philippe in Britain in 1850.

Charles X also had the distinction of being the only French king to be buried outside France.

Many members of the FSSS who have participated in the Biennial Exchange Visits with our sister branch in France already know and appreciate Thierry RECHNIEWSKI and know about his enthusiasm and knowledge of architecture and history.

As a member, and President of the Association Franco-Ecossaise (AFE) since 2018, Thierry, together with the committee members of the French Branch, was instrumental in preparing the extremely enjoyable and informative visits to several regions in France.

As an architect and General Secretary of the French Branch of the Association for Late Antiquity, Thierry’s professionalism and broad knowledge make his talks a unique experience.

In February 2018 he was invited as the FSSS guest speaker from France to give a talk to four of the FSS Branches in Scotland on “Le Pays Bigouden” his native Brittany.

His latest talks and articles on French and Scottish topics are published in the Society’s Bulletin:

Un tour d’Ecosse en 1832 (A Grand Tour of Scotland by Charles X’s grandson, le Duc de Bordeaux) (See Bulletin de l’AFE janvier 2022 nos 89-90).

Les meurtres de West Port ou l’anatomie à Edimbourg en 1828 The Burke & Hare murders) (See Bulletin de l’AFE janvier 2023 nos 92-93).

This year’s talk and research on another link between France and Scotland during a turbulent time in France’s history, promises to be once again highly revealing and informative.