Louis XVI was a locksmith by hobby and a king by accident of birth. He was shy, indecisive, and more comfortable taking apart mechanical devices than governing the most powerful kingdom in Europe. When the revolution came, his inability to commit to a course of action — reform or repression — guaranteed that he would lose both his crown and his head.

This episode traces Louis from his awkward childhood through his marriage to Marie Antoinette, the financial crisis that triggered the revolution, and the trial that ended the French monarchy.

• He was an avid locksmith who spent hours in his private workshop making locks and keys
• His attempt to flee Paris in disguise was foiled at Varennes, destroying any remaining public trust
• He was guillotined on January 21, 1793, before a crowd in what is now the Place de la Concorde
• He inherited a kingdom in severe financial crisis after France’s costly support of the American Revolution