When France restored the monarchy in 1814, it was suddenly very lucrative to be Louis XVII – and numerous knights of fortune claimed to be the missing prince.
After the French Revolution, the king’s seven-year-old son Loðvík was taken into custody.
When his father was executed in 1793, supporters of the monarchy abroad named the boy Loðvík 17. But two years later, the 10-year-old king died in prison.
However, many were convinced that Loðvík had managed to escape from prison and that he was still alive.
When the monarchy was restored in 1814, many people came forward and made a claim to the crown.
Up to one hundred people claimed to be Louis XVII, including a German watchmaker, an American ornithologist and a former French convict. He had the king’s name written on his tombstone when he died.
DNA research has later shown that Little Loðvík died in 1795.
