King Louis XVIII was the King of France from 1814 to 1824, barring a small period in 1815. He came to the throne at a time when France was going through a period of transition. The country had just witnessed the beheading of King Louis XVI by the revolutionary government; it had also witnessed the rise and fall of an empire under Napoleon I. Weary of war, the people wanted a stable government that would also allow their voices to be heard. Even before he came to power, King Louis XVIII had realized that the days of absolute monarchy had gone. He therefore, tried to take a more liberal attitude and made efforts to accommodate every section of the society in his rule. Consequently, he has been hailed as an intelligent and liberal king by scholars. However, many more consider him as skeptical and narrow minded monarch whose only object was to hold on to his throne. Nonetheless, he was probably the most well-read ruler that sat on the throne of France. On the other side, he persistently suffered from obesity (due to overeating) and gout. Consequently, he often had to depend upon his ultra-royal brother, Count of Artois, which caused problems in many spheres.