Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired, was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815.

After the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815, the victorious allies led by Britain determined that the best insurance against any future disruption of the balance of power in Europe would be the ...