Biography of Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette (1755-1793), an Austrian born French queen, was executed during the French Revolution.

Marie Antoinette was born in Austria and married King Louis XVI of France at a young age. She symbolized the privileges and power of the French monarchy, and by the time of the French Revolution, she had become a symbol of hatred for those who wanted to overthrow the privileges of the French aristocracy. In 1793, she was sent to the guillotine and executed by the revolutionary authorities.

Early life

Marie Antoinette was born in Vienna, Austria in 1755. Her father was Holy Roman Emperor Franz I. Her mother was Maria Theresa, the ruler of the Habsburg Empire. They jointly formed the Habsburg Lorraine dynasty.
Mary’s early life was relatively happy. The court life in Vienna was relatively relaxed; She interacts with many children, including civilians. Her formal education is limited, mainly learning the basic knowledge of palace life, such as clothing, appearance, and the correct behavior of a lady. Many people praise young Mary for her elegant behavior and graceful demeanor.

Marriage to Louis XVI

In order to strengthen the alliance between the Habsburg family and France, her family arranged for the marriage of Marie Antoinette to the future King of France, Louis XVI. Mary got married at the age of 15 and has never met her future husband. This grand wedding was held in Versailles, attended by over 5000 guests. Many people are deeply impressed by Mary’s appearance and behavior; She has captivated many people.

But for Mary, this transformation was very difficult. At the age of only 15, she was pushed into the French court with few friends and little knowledge of French life. Her relationship with Louis XVI was tense; The two often separate. Louis seems uninterested in sleeping with his wife; He prefers outdoor activities and metalworking, which is considered somewhat immature. Marie Antoinette had an additional challenge – she was Austrian; Many people in the French court were skeptical about her due to her foreign bloodline. Among her many names is’ Otterchena ‘, which means’ Austrian woman’. This made palace gossipers less sympathetic, and soon after, unfriendly and malicious rumors began to spread in the palace and Parisian society.

Life in Versailles

Marie Antoinette had almost no official position and socialized every day in the palace like environment of Versailles. She gradually developed a taste for luxury and indulgence. As the Queen of France, people expect her to lead fashion and spend the most. But besides formal attire, she is also spending more and more on gambling. Once, she gambled with her friends for three consecutive days until her 21st birthday. Her behavior was reported to her mother Maria Theresa, who wrote a stern warning letter to her daughter, urging her to reform herself.

When Mary enjoyed a life of pleasure and indulgence in the court, French society began to bear the pressure of debt and economic stagnation. French society is extremely unequal, with many struggling to afford enough food. The stark contrast between the privileges of monarchs and the livelihoods of farmers has led to greater political reform pressure. She is known as the ‘deficit lady’ due to her extravagant spending. She spent a lot of money renovating the Palace of Versailles, including the Petit Trianon Castle inside the Palace of Versailles. Although this fantasy castle was built for the former king’s mistress, it ultimately became associated with Mary – and the disconnect between the royal family and reality.

In order to alleviate this social division, Louis XVI proposed reforms to end the most severe privilege excesses and implement a more progressive tax system. However, his reforms were obstructed by nobles and clergy, who rejected proposals to increase taxes on the wealthy. The French media is looking for a scapegoat, accusing the “veto lady”. It is still uncertain whether Marie Antoinette actually vetoed these proposals, as she is likely to support her husband and usually does not participate much in political affairs. If she rejects these proposals, she will also be one of the many nobles who defend their privileges.
However, the foreign Mary made her an easy target. Her marriage is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain, which also does not help her. She spent very little time with her husband, but during the carnival, rumors began to spread that she was having an affair with a court aristocrat. Among many titles, she is referred to as the ‘Austrian prostitute’, which may be unfair. Despite her extravagant lifestyle, she is not promiscuous; It is widely believed that she actually had only one lover – Count Axel Felson, a Swedish military attach é, which may have been tacitly approved by Louis XVI. Louis had been unwilling to have sexual relations with his wife for many years, which made him very worried about the lack of an heir to the throne.

Children and heirs

In 1778, Mary finally became pregnant and got married. She gave birth to a daughter after a difficult childbirth. Three years later, in 1781, she gave birth to Louis Joseph Xavier Francois, who was crowned as the Crown Prince of France. This is a great moment of comfort for both the king and queen.

In 1785, she gave birth to her second son, Louis Charles. But despite giving birth to two male heirs, her popularity continued to decline. Someone privately commented that her second son was an illegitimate child – his birth coincided with a suspected lover’s visit nine months ago. In addition, her purchase of St. Croix Castle was widely criticized for its cost – France was heavily indebted and impoverished at that time.

French Revolution

The deterioration of the economic situation has triggered a popular uprising. In October 1789, a mob stormed into the Palace of Versailles, and members of the royal family were imprisoned in the Palace of Tuileries. This led to the establishment of the National Assembly, which handed over power to the French people and expressed the noble ideals of freedom, equality, and fraternity. This is a shock to the entire Europe. Centuries of privilege are being eroded. Regardless of right or wrong, Mary symbolizes the decadence of aristocratic privilege.

In June 1791, they attempted to escape – Louis XVI and Mary went to the Austrian border. The attempt to escape France this time has caused many people to worry that the royal family is no longer loyal to the French government; It has lost more popular support from the royal family; Some people are concerned that Mary is seeking an alliance with the Austrian army. In 1792, in order to test the loyalty of the royal family, France declared war on Austria. The French army was defeated, and Mary became a convenient scapegoat. The family has been imprisoned in Temple Prison since September 1792. In July 1793, her son was taken away, and in October she was convicted of treason and executed by guillotine.

On the eve of her execution, Marie Antoinette displayed courage and determination that went against her public image. She wrote a letter to her sister-in-law, encouraging her to forgive the young Louis’ accusations in court and asking him not to seek revenge. She said she was’ as calm as a person with a clear conscience ‘. On the morning of the execution, a priest advised her to be brave while preparing for the execution. She answered.

“Courage? The moment when my ills are going to end is not the moment when courage is going to fail me.”

Marie Antoinette was 37 years old when she was executed. It is difficult to distinguish her public image from her true beliefs and actions between promotion and brochures. Like many aristocrats, she enjoyed great privileges and her life at Versailles was extremely decadent, especially compared to the extreme poverty of most people. But she became a pawn in the propaganda war, and her public image became the object of various projections and slanders. The true Marie Antoinette is always difficult to interpret – especially because writers rarely reach a consensus.

Let them eat cake

A fabricated story during the French Revolution was attributed to Marie Antoinette.

I heard there’s no bread, so she said, ‘Let them eat cake.’

There is no evidence to suggest that she actually said this. In Jean Jacques Rousseau’s Confessions (1766), he did write about a foolish noblewoman who said such words. It is likely that she was blamed for this sentence, with the intention of slander and using her as a scapegoat.

A turbulent life

When Marie Antoinette was still a teenager, she was pushed to one of the most important positions in European society. She enjoys the social storms and privileges in life. She showed little sympathy for democratic ideals or social change. But she is not the only aristocrat who enjoys economic privileges. Her luxurious lifestyle is considered an ideal target for cartoonists who hope to strengthen public opinion against monarchy.

Thomas Jefferson even said that if Marie Antoinette had been imprisoned in a monastery, the French Revolution would not have happened. Some people also believe that she is mostly a frivolous person who is pushed into the spotlight, but has little impact on political life. The truth may lie somewhere in between.