History of one of the late Queens of France began in 1755 in Vienna, Austria, when the fifteenth child of Holy Roman Emperor Frances I and Hapsburg empress Maria Theresa was born—she was dubbed Marie Antoinette. To ensure her usefulness as a princess, the pre-teenager was promised to the future king of France, Louis-Auguste (the future Louis XVI), to guarantee the alliance between the French and Hapsburg royalty. At fifteen and sixteen, the two “lovers” were married (by proxy) in Marie Antoinette’s homeland. Shortly after, on May 16, 1770, a truly royal wedding occurred between the two in a Versailles chapel, marking the beginning of a public life for the rebellious princess.
As if on cue, problems surfaced almost immediately after the royal
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Marie Antoinette, however, was a fierce extrovert; social and bold, she quite enjoyed the joys of life. And thus, Marie adjusted poorly to the marriage to the dauphin of France, the numerous letters to her family shedding light on her loneliness. In a letter to her mother, Marie wrote, “Madame, my very dear mother, I have not received one of your dear letters without having the tears come to my eyes.” Four years after the marriage took place, Louis XV passed away, leaving his grandson and heir, now officially named Louis XVI, to rule in his place. At nineteen years of age, Marie Antoinette was now the Queen of France.
While the new King seemed bored with government, the Queen socialized, gambled, danced, and attended operas and parties all through the night; she earned her nickname “Madame Deficit” around this time. The young lovers seemed destined for their harsh reputation among the French people, a dilemma that began when Marie Antoinette’s main job was neglected: the production of an heir to
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Luckily for them, Marie Antoinette’s motherly instincts drove her to shelter her family and escape the palace, but the Swiss guards weren’t nearly as lucky. Unable to escape, the guards were easily overpowered by the force of the fierce French people. According to an educational article, “The King and his family remained unscathed, but no longer had any authority. The crowd swept through Paris destroying all images of and references to the monarchy, and the Assembly suspended the monarchy’s powers.” From then on, France became a republic, and the royal family became prisoners. Marie Antoinette and her family were humbled and humiliated at the hands of the French people, their troubles only just
In 1765, Holy Roman Emperor Francis I, her father, died of a stroke. He left Maria Theresa his position, and gave their eldest son, Emperor Joseph II, the throne. Because of this political, it became a requirement for Marie Antoinette to marry Louis Auguste. Her mother sent her to France and agreed on this marriage. It was hard to adjus...
The French Revolution, beginning in 1789, was a lengthy process in which the people of France took over the government and instituted a Republic (Chambers). The overarching goal of the Revolution was to place the power of government in the hands of the people. For two years, whilst France was facing internal disorganization and external wartime threats, the government was run by a war dictatorship under Maximilien Robespierre, the head of the Committee of Public Safety (“Reign of Terror”). Amid much internal suspicion and fear, the Reign of Terror began. Much of France was politically divided, and Robespierre’s method for keeping the government stable in a time of crisis involved severe penalties for any suspected of plotting against the new government (Chambers). Soon the accusations began to fly and a handful of people convicted and killed for treason became thousands. Many of the cases turned into the accuser’s word versus the accused, and a government preoccupied with bigger issues often did not care to look into these cases, simply convicting the accused, supposedly to promote a sense of unity and control to the citizens of France, and to forewarn anyone who did attempt treasonous deeds (Chambers). Eventually, Marie Antoinette, guilty of no crime other than marrying the former king, was executed on the grounds of treason (“French Revolution: The Reign of Terror”). Many thought this was taking a step too far. The former Queen was well-respec...
Before the French Revolution, an inexperienced king, and an irresponsible queen ruled over the citizens of France. Food cost was high due to the poor crop season, and Antoinette gambled away what would be billions today.
In the book, Marie Antoinette: The Last Queen of France , the author, Evelyne Lever, paints a beautiful portrayal of the life of Marie Antoinette; from an Austrian princess to Queen of France to her untimely death at the end of a guillotine. Marie Antoinette was the fifteenth child born to the Empress Maria Theresa and Francis I, the Holy Roman Emperor. She lived a carefree childhood until she was strategically married and sent to France when she was fourteen years old. The marriage between Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI, the future King of France, was meant to bring Austria and France closer together politically. Unfortunately, that did not happen; instead the monarchy collapsed with Marie Antoinette managing to alienate and offend a vast
King Louis XVI was next in line for the throne in 1774 and gladly inherited it from Louis XIV to become the ruler over France. He drastically changed the whole country and put its people through ghastly conditions. There was not a soul left unharmed. In Paris, nearly half of its population in 1788 was unemployed. They produced no crops due to them not growing and had extremely high prices on food. With the whole nation already furious with his doings, he decided to marry Marie Antoinette who was foreign. They decided to blame her for their problems of their economy because they figured that King Louis was letting her make major decisions and control them. Together, Antoinette and Louis had a total of four children. Their oldest child lived to be seventy-three.
King Louis attempted to escape, but was quickly captured, taken back to paris, and was tried and executed for crimes against the people. Louis XIV, executed in 1793, was the last Bourbon king of france. Nine months later, his wife was executed. His wife was Marie Antoinette, an Austrian. She married king louis XIV when she was only fifteen years old and had a tough time being queen ever since she got married. She Was blamed for the country going downhill, and she had to live under the supervision of the revolutionary once they took over. In 1793 her husband was executed, and nine month later, so was
Up until his death he was unwavering: while maintaining his innocence and love for his people. As new radical governments usually are, the Republic of France was incredibly bloody and horrific. It claimed thousands of French lives post Bastille Day, and unfortunately, Marie Antoinette’s as well. October 16th 1793 proved to be the Queen’s last day. But even in death she was a picture of grace and dignity. She was noted to have said “Courage? The moment when my ills are going to end is not the moment when courage is going to fail me.” Marie Antoinette was a dignified woman up until her last day, never allowing anyone to see how the circumstances were affecting her. Unfortunately, that may have been her downfall. Appearing unrelatable and emotionally desolate drew a wedge between her and her people
June 11th, 1775- Her husband, Dauphin Louis-Auguste, was crowned King Louis XVI. Marie Antoinette, however, was not crowned alongside him.
When Marie crossed the border at fifteen into Paris, everything about her previous identity was stripped down and carted away. She became a fine edition to the French court, and the current king, Louis XV wrote in his journal, approving of her being "full-figured and delightful.” She adjusted to a new life and language, and a few months later, at the coronation ceremony, her husband Louis XVI was crowned the next ruler of France, and her in turn, queen. In her early years, she was popular among the aristocracy and nobles (Morris), but as time passed with endless court rituals and strict etiquette, Marie became bored of her position and her failing husband. Louis XVI allowed for his wife to endure the reproachful mockery of the elite, as the pair was unable to produce an heir for nearly a decade, at the faulting awkwardness of the king (Marie Antoinette: Story of a Queen through Primary Sources).
During her stay in France, King Henry gave Mary precedence over his own daughters, since she was going to marry his son in the future. Later, in April 1558, she married Henry’s son, the Dauphin Francis, when she was 15 years old. Soon after, in July 1559, when King Henry died, Francis became King Francis II of France, thus making Mary the Queen of France also (Haws Early Life par 1-2). Since Fran...
Marie Antoinette, or officially known as Marie-Antoinette-Josephe-Jeanne d'Autriche-Lorraine, was born in 1755 to the life of luxury as the Princess of Austria. Her family was rather close despite being raised by a series of governesses. She also received the necessary education at that time. At age 14, her mother arranged Marie to be married
In the article, “Madame de Pompadour and the Theaters of Power,” author Thomas E. Kaiser examines how Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson rose to become Madame de Pompadour, a very influential mistress to the King of France. Her rise was seen in both positive and negative lights, with her acquisition of power being questioned from those within the royal family and the public1. The life of a mistress was never an easy one, but Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson rose to the daunting task and succeeded where most had failed. Thomas E. Kaiser goes on to explain how Madame de Pompadour was viewed in court and society, how she influenced the King, King Louis XV, and how she was able to succeed in her own right, advancing further than most thought possible for a woman during that time.
To find out Marie Antoinette’s influence on the French Revolution, we first need to list some of the speculated causes of the uprising of the French people. Many believed that the financial trouble of France had a big part in causing the French Revolution. France had spent many years fighting foreign wars, and helping in the American Revolution, which left the country near bankruptcy. Despite the knowledge of these wars, many believed Marie Antoinette had caused the bankruptcy with her generous amount of spending. In 1788-89, there were many food shortages because of crop failure (Schwartz). According to Britannica, the crop failures in 1788 lead to a economic difficulties, and left the population tumultuous. Rumors spread that Marie Antoinette was hoarding grain in the palace (Muller). The quote “Let them eat cake” was created during the crop failures to represent the Queen’s reply to the crop failures. The royal couple recognized the dislike the people had for them...
Marie Antoinette, Queen of France from 1770 to 1797 was despised by the people of France. Their hatred of her and the monarchy in general led to the French Revolution. Many issues led to the unpopularity of Queen Maria Antoinette, her vanity, her disregard for the people, but perhaps the most significant was the Affair of the Diamond Necklace.
Although she came from a large family of fifteen siblings, Marie Antoinette was an extraordinarily privileged child. From the start, Marie’s mother knew she would use her daughters to strengthen the relationships between Austria and the European countries. She understood that there should be a marriage in order for that to happen, and Marie was the chosen one for that role (Lotz and Carkene 17). On May 16, 1770, Louis Auguste de Bourbon and Marie Antoinette were married (Covington). Although Louis and Marie were married, she withheld from producing an heir and caused some dismay among the