Louis Philippe I (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850) was
King of the French from 1830 to 1848 as the leader of the
Orléanist party. His father
Philippe Egalité had supported the
Revolution of 1789 but was nevertheless guillotined during the
Reign of Terror. Louis Philippe fled France and spent 21 years in exile. He was proclaimed king in 1830 after
Charles X, of the senior Bourbon line, was forced to abdicate. His reign, known as the
July Monarchy, was dominated by wealthy elite and numerous former Napoleonic officials. He followed conservative policies especially under the influence of
François Guizot in 1840–48. He promoted friendship with Britain and sponsored colonial expansion, notably the conquest of Algeria. His popularity faded and he was
forced to abdicate in 1848; he lived out his life in exile in Great Britain.