Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette, Queen of France & Navarre

Marie Antoinette, an 18^th century Queen of France, is one of the famous women in history. She is supposed to have asked why people were rioting, and when told they were starving and didn’t even have bread, she is supposed to have said ‘Let them eat cake’. It is not known if this is accurate, but it is for this comment that she is known today.

Marie Antoinette ©[2008] Jupiterimages Corporation

She was born Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna von Habsburg-Lothringen on 2 November 1755 in Vienna, Austria. She was the 15^th child of Francis 1, the Holy Roman Emperor, and the Empress Maria Theresa.

Royal women of the 18^th century were seen as tools to be used in making international agreements and deals. They did not marry for their own choice, but as part of deals made by their fathers or grandfathers, and Marie Antoinette was no different. Her father made a partnership with King Louis 15^th of France, and as part of that agreement, she was promised in marriage to Louis’ grandson, Louis-Auguste. In 1770, when she was fifteen, she left Austria forever, moved to France and was married to sixteen year old Louis-Auguste. He was the Dauphin (say dough-fan), which was the title given to the French heir to the throne, and her title became Dauphine (say dough-feen). Four years later, his grandfather died and he became Louis 16^th, King of France and Navarre.

Her young husband was very quiet and withdrawn, spending a great deal of time tinkering in his hobby workshop, so Marie Antoinette’s bright, frivolous nature was at first welcomed by the French. However, she was very extravagant and this made her unpopular, both in the royal court and in the country generally. People were also suspicious of having a foreigner as their queen.

Life in the palace was difficult for Marie Antoinette. As queen, she was supposed to carry certain daily duties , including ‘levees’. A levee was a reception held in the morning for people to watch a royal person get out of bed, and be dressed. She was also expected to hold audiences, enjoy public meals, and several other regular duties. She soon got bored with these and began to enjoy a life of pleasure and fun instead, with a small group of friends she gathered around her. She became known for her expensive activities, such as balls, hunting parties, gambling, sleigh races, parties and fetes. She encouraged her husband to dismiss any ministers who tried to stop her spending so much money. People began to see her as a bad influence in the court and as someone wasting France’s money.

Of course, a queen's first responsibility was to provide heirs to the throne. Because in those days many children died, it was expected that a queen should start having babies soon after marrying. However, it was not until 1778 that she had her first child, a daughter, and sons in 1781 and 1785.

Marie Antoinette ©[2008] Jupiterimages Corporation

French politics were unstable, and the people were poor and becoming very angry with the lavish lifestyle of the royal court and the aristocrats. Many politicians wanted changes made to the monarchy that would reduce royal power. Marie Antoinette was determined that the new reforms should be fought, although the king was agreeable to them. He was a weak character and could not stand up to her. This made her a hated figure in France.

The anger of the people grew, and they wanted to change how France was governed. Instead of a king who had all the power, they wanted a republic where people were citizens whose rights were respected. To bring about this huge change, they started a revolution in 1789, which became known as The French Revolution.

Part of the palace at Versailles ©[2008] Jupiterimages Corporation

That October, rioting mobs of people outside the Palace at Versailles forced the royal family to flee from Versailles to a palace in Paris where they remained for the next two years. They were like prisoners because it was too dangerous for them to leave. The country was in upheaval, and Marie Antoinette tried secretly to contact kings of other countries to save Louis. Her brother was now the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold 2, and she arranged in June 1791 for her family to escape. They left Paris secretly and travelled to the east of France, intending to slip into Austria and go to the safety of Leopold’s court. However, they were caught and arrested at Varennes and sent back to Paris.

In August 1792, there was a huge riot by mobs in Paris, who declared that there was no longer to be a monarchy in France. The royal family was arrested and imprisoned. In September, France was declared a republic, and King Louis 16th was put on trial and convicted of treason. On January 21, 1793 he was executed.

Marie Antoinette and her three children remained imprisoned until August of 1793, when she was moved to another place, together with her youngest son, the Dauphin. Her living conditions were terrible and she became quite ill and her hair turned white. Her trial started on October 14. The final day of her trial lasted twenty hours straight and her jury convened for only one hour before declaring her guilty.

On 16 October 1793, Marie Antoinette was executed. She was 37 years old.

For more information, go to:
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/rulerspre20th/p/marieantoinette.htm
http://www.geocities.com/bourbonstreet/delta/6569/

If you use any of this information in your own work, acknowledge this source in your bibliography like this:

Sydenham, S. & Thomas, R. Marie Antoinette [Online] www.kidcyber.com.au (2008)