Louis XVIII vs Zewditu

Louis XVIII granted the Charter of 1814, a constitution that preserved many Napoleonic legal and administrative reforms while restoring the monarchy. It established a hereditary monarchy, a bicameral legislature, and guaranteed civil liberties such as freedom of religion and press.

After Napoleon's abdication, Louis XVIII was installed as King of France by the Allied powers. He issued the Charter of 1814, establishing a constitutional monarchy with a bicameral parliament. This restored the Bourbon dynasty but under limited sovereignty.

Napoleon escaped from Elba and returned to power, forcing Louis XVIII to flee to Ghent. After Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, Louis returned to the throne in July 1815. The second restoration was marked by the White Terror, a wave of reprisals against Bonapartists and republicans.

Louis XVIII's representatives participated in the Congress of Vienna, which redrew European borders after Napoleon's defeat. France was reduced to its 1792 borders and required to pay an indemnity. The congress aimed to restore the balance of power and legitimize the Bourbon monarchy.

Louis XVIII died on September 16, 1824, after a reign of nearly ten years. He was succeeded by his brother, Charles X, whose ultra-royalist policies would lead to the July Revolution of 1830. Louis XVIII's reign was marked by relative stability and constitutional governance.

Zewditu was crowned Empress of Ethiopia, becoming the first female head of state in modern Africa. Her reign was marked by a power-sharing arrangement with Regent Ras Tafari Makonnen (later Haile Selassie), who managed most government affairs.

Forces loyal to Empress Zewditu, led by her husband Ras Gugsa Welle, were defeated by the army of Regent Ras Tafari at the Battle of Anchem. The defeat ended the rebellion against Tafari's modernization policies and consolidated his power.

Empress Zewditu died shortly after the Battle of Anchem, under circumstances that remain disputed. Some accounts suggest she died of shock or illness upon hearing of her husband's defeat, while others imply possible poisoning. Her death paved the way for Haile Selassie's coronation.