Yet, while reckless, she was also known for her good heart in personal matters, adopting several less fortunate children. The details of this article are amazing, and put the reader in the room with the characters. Marie Antoinette was also told her hands must be bound, even though the late Louis XVI hadnt had his hands bounded. The final palace of Marie Antoinette before her death was the Conciergerie prison in Paris. However soft her heart was one-on-one, the underclass of France grew to consider her a scapegoat for all of Frances ills. My God, how heart-rending it is to leave them forever! This is the story of Marie Antoinettes beheading at the Place de la Rvolution in Paris and the tumultuous events that led up to it. More than 200 years after her death, the French still have strongly mixed feelings about Marie Antoinette. Marie Antoinettes education was typical of an 18th-century aristocratic girl and focused primarily on religious and moral principles, while her brothers studied more academic subject matter. What was a bit shocking to me was that despite the fact that Marie Anntoinette was in jail, she had a maid. The queen composed herself in scary moments and responded to her accusations with patience. In 1791, a crowd preventing them from leaving the house to attend Easter Mass solidified Louis XVIs and Marie Antoinettes will to flee Paris. Louis XV died in 1774, and Louis-Auguste succeeded him to the French throne as Louis XVI, making Marie Antoinette, at 19 years old, queen of France. Marie Antoinette is perhaps best known for the quote, "Let them eat cake." Decades later, in 1815, Louis XVIs younger brother exhumed Marie Antoinettes body and gave it a proper burial at the Basilica of Saint-Denis. Marie Thrse Charlotte survives the revolution and lives until 1851. The execution of Louis XVI of France (r. 1774-1792) left the king's widow, Marie Antoinette, overwhelmed with grief. Inflation started to take off in early 2021 as changes in spending patterns tied to the pandemic first a pullback in . The way the guards humiliated her as cruel. Changing the day will navigate the page to that given day in history. On 14 October 1793, after months of imprisonment, Marie was put on trial and found guilty of treason. Then, without looking back, she left the temple. When Marie Antoinettes role in the King dismissing Necker as Finance Minister despite him being popular on 11 July 1789 and her will to use mercenary Swiss troops to crush the Revolution became public, Paris rebelled and this led to the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789. A child of the Viennese court and a leader of fashion at the height of French power, her 20-year reign saw such economic, social and political change that she was recast from adored by all Frenchmen to avowed enemy of the French Nation. During that time, life at the court continued. While the family tried to escape to Montmdy, a royalist city, they were caught in Varennes, arrested and brought back to Paris. On 14 July 1789, this climaxed with the Storming of the Bastille, a symbol of despotic rule, and triggered the spread of revolutionary action across France. Maria Antonia renounced her right to the Habsburg domains and was married by proxy on 19 April 1770 with her brother Archduke Ferdinand standing in for Louis-Auguste. Imprisoned with the rest of the royal family at the Temple Prison since 13 August 1792, she was moved to the Conciergerie under the cover of darkness on 1 August 1793 and would remain for her last 76 days. Though the man in the black mask was an early supporter of the Guillotine machine, he probably never dreamed hed have to employ it on his former employer, the queen of France. Wikimedia Commons Marie Antoinette faced a revolutionary tribunal in the days preceding her death. After the two-day trial, an all-male jury found Marie Antoinette guilty on all charges. How a Scandal Over a Diamond Necklace Cost Marie Antoinette - HISTORY With the ascension of her husband Louis XVI of France (r. 1774-1792), she became queen at the age of 18 and would shoulder much of the blame for the perceived moral failures of the French monarchy. He was executed by guillotine at the Place de la Concorde in Paris on 21 January 1793. 10 May 1774 The death of Louis XV from smallpox means that Marie Antoinettes husband, the dauphin, becomes Louis XVI, king of France. Conscious of her daughters delicate position, Maria Theresa bombarded her with advice about influencing people, and even sought secret updates about her behaviour from the ambassador in Paris. From the mid-1700s, an economy wracked by wartime taxations and bad harvests was further weakened by the failure of attempts at fiscal reform. The previous year, word had reached Marie Antoinettes mother that her daughter and Louis XVI had not yet consummated their marriage. The royal family was imprisoned in the Temple and on Sept. 21, 1792, the National Assembly officially declared France a republic. As a result, the 14-year-old Marie was married to Louis XVs heir, his eldest grandson Louis-Auguste, by proxy on 19 April 1770. He created a garden out of the area and planted two weeping willows as a commemoration. Marie Antoinette (l. 1755-1793) was the queen of France during the turbulent final years of the Ancien Rgime and the subsequent French Revolution (1789-1799). Marie Antoinette wasnt even French. ET. Whatever his counsels, they apparently worked. Would the outcome have been different? In January 1793, King Louis XVI was sentenced to death for conspiring against the state. It did a great job of describing what happened during Marie Antoinettes execution. The remark is generally traced back several decades to a version involving la crote de pt (another kind of French pastry). Stepping lightly with bravado, she sprung up the scaffold steps despite her bound hands, and paused only to apologize to her executioner for stepping on his foot.12 So she went willingly, even eagerly, to her death. In the years that followed, France occupied itself with the question of how to recover from its political and economic stagnation. A highly social creature, the queen developed open and long-lasting attachments to female favourites at court. (In reality, historians believe he made up the story after his jailer caught him masturbating.). Feb 2, 2022 By Mieke Leenders, MA & BA Art History, Medieval Iconology to Modern art When news got out about the debacle in 1785, and people thought Marie Antoinette had tried to get her hands on a 650-diamond necklace without paying for it, her already shaky reputation was ruined. The couple would not consummate their marriage until seven years later this became a popular matter of discussion and ridicule both at court and among the public. By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. Upon the death of King Louis XV on 10 May 1774, the Dauphin Louis-Auguste ascended the throne as King Louis XVI of France and Navarre, making Marie Antoinette Queen consort of France and Navarre. Born Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna, her godparents were King Joseph I and Queen Mariana Victoria of Portugal. However, while the new French leaders were unsure of what should happen to the former Queen, they separated her from her son in July 1793 as since he was still quite young, they thought they could teach him revolutionary ideas and so they could turn him against his mother. Marie Antoinettes whole life was lived in the spotlight and her story continues to fascinate. The first three years of Marie's life as queen were childless. Fifteen minutes later, the Queen arrived in front of the grim towers of the Conciergerie, where she was registered under the name of The Widow Capet and became its 280th prisoner.5 She was led by the jailers to her new quarters. Within days of their humiliating return, Marie-Antoinette's hair went completely white - at age 35! Marie Antoinette was the last Queen of France and Navarre before the French Revolution, she is known from many portraits. The effects of mounting debts and disasters were felt in rocketing food prices and growing poverty, and inspired no confidence in those in power - the royal tendency for flagrant extravagance did not help. The thirty-eight-year-old sovereign, ruler of an empire, was to give . Her main charges were depletion of the national treasury, conspiracy against the internal and external security of the State, andhigh treasonbecause of her intelligence activities in the interest of the enemy. It's the 18th century at the Court of Versailles, the residence of the last queen of France, Marie Antoinette, a figure who is still controversial today. In June 1792, a mob broke into the Tuileries, made the King wear the red Phrygian cap which symbolized loyalty to the Republic and threatened Marie Antoinettes life. The Dauphin died on 4 June 1789 but his death was ignored by the French people who were more focused on the Estates-General. Died: January 5, 1589 (aged 69) Blois France House / Dynasty: Medici family Notable Family Members: spouse Henry II father Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici, duca di Urbino daughter Margaret of Valois son Henry III son Francis II son Charles IX son Franois, duc d'Anjou . In 1785, she was also falsely accused of having played a role in defrauding the jewelers Boehmer and Bassenge of the price of an expensive diamond necklace. There is no evidence that the revolutionaries bothered to trot out this well-worn accusation, although it was reported that one heartless politician faced with the starving poor had snarled let them eat hay. Hearing she had a maid while in prison surprised me as not many people thought highly of her. For Marie Antoinette, the national emergency gathering momentum around her was clouded by personal tragedy. He was allowed to spend a few short hours with his family until his execution before a crowd of 20,000. It was interesting to see the opportunity the royal family had to escape but failed as King Louis XVI hesitated. These Royal Family Feuds Are Full of Drama, Camillas Coronation Crown Courts Controversy, The 20 Best Books About Queen Elizabeth II. In September of that year, King Louis XVI agreed to uphold a new constitution drafted by the Constituent National Assembly in return for keeping at least his symbolic power. On October 6th of that year, a crowd estimated at 10,000 gathered outside the Palace of Versailles and demanded that the king and queen be brought to Paris. The royal couple wasnt officially arrested until the disastrous Flight to Varennes in June 1791, in which the royal familys mad-dash to freedom in the Austria-controlled Netherlands crumbled thanks to poor timing and a too-large (and too-conspicuous) horse-drawn coach. Family: Marie was the 15th child of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, and Empress Maria Theresa. The first came out in 1938 and stars Norma Shearer in the title role, with Robert Morley as the king and Tyrone Power as the queens lover. The intro to this article made me feel like I was actually there. They were soon joined by representatives from the first and second estates, who were increasingly frustrated by the kings hesitancy over the rising prices of foodstuff and the queens excessive lifestyle. The Republican government was determined to eradicate anyone who opposed the French Revolution. We dont know the back story, in which Marie Antoinette may have played a more villainous role. The Execution Of Marie Antoinette: The Last Queen Of France The idea was for Marie Antoinette to escape to the chteau of Madame de Jarjayes. Farewell!. Francis II | Biography, Reign, Successor, & Facts | Britannica After the queens head fell, it was immediately shown to the crowd, who responded by crying: "Vive la Rpublique!" But the Diamond Necklace Affair was a scandal that was all too responsible for the eventual execution of Marie Antoinette the last Queen of France before the French Revolution. Father Louis XII of France. Queen of France before the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette (175593) is famous for being overthrown by revolutionaries and being publicly guillotined following the abolition of the monarchy in France. Marie-Antoinette, in full Marie-Antoinette-Josphe-Jeanne d'Autriche-Lorraine (Austria-Lorraine), originally German Maria Antonia Josepha Joanna von sterreich-Lothringen, (born November 2, 1755, Vienna, Austriadied October 16, 1793, Paris, France), Austrian queen consort of King Louis XVI of France (1774-93). During the French Revolution the people saw her as one of the villains, and now we see her as an important French figure. June 30, 2023, 6:00 a.m. Marie Antoinette being taken to her death, by William Hamilton. She married her cousin Louis-Antoine in 1799. The tutor found Marie Antoinette "more intelligent than has been generally supposed," but added that since "she is rather lazy and extremely frivolous, she is hard to teach." The inevitable unrest that stirred among the lower classes was preyed upon by those who opposed the government's policies and saw an opportunity to gain power for themselves. Marie Antoinettes remains were taken to a graveyard behind the Church of Madeleine about half a mile north, but the gravediggers were taking a lunch break. The Supreme Court Ends Affirmative Action - The New York Times Louis XIII - King, Facts & Life - Biography Louis XVI and Marie Antoinettes eldest daughter Marie Thrse Charlotte survived and was liberated in December 1795 and she went into exile in Vienna before joining her uncle in Latvia. Rumor has it that the last French queens hair turned white the night before she was scheduled to be executed at the guillotine, lending itself to the name of this rare but real medical phenomenon. 1781, d.1789), Louis-Charles, Duc de Normandie and then Dauphin de France following the death of his brother (b. During this period, the Queen also got progressively more involved in politics, securing alliances for France and playing decisive roles in government nominations. Upon her arrival in France on 14 May, she started using the French version of her name, Marie Antoinette, and a ceremonial wedding took place on 16 May 1770 at the Palais de Versailles. She also had a difficult relationship with Madame du Barry, King Louis XVs mistress, but had a good relationship with Louis-Augustes aunts. Meanwhile, dangerous rumours circulated that Marie was having an affair with her close companion Hans Axel von Fersen, a Swedish count. 'Elizabeth II loved our culture and touched our hearts': France joins A thief posing as Marie Antoinette had obtained a 647-diamond necklace and smuggled it to London to be sold off in pieces. Like a ghost, she haunted her chambers in the Tower of the Temple, the Paris prison fortress where she and her children were being detained by the revolutionary government. Marie Antoinette is beheaded - HISTORY In 1783, Maries extravagance reached new levels when she began building a secluded farming village on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles. Updated: May 10, 2021 Photo: Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty. While these rumors of paternity are regarded as untrue by biographers, there had been rumors at the time of Marie-Antoinette and Fersen being romantically involved. She was 37 years old. She was only 37 years old, but her hair had already turned white, and her skin was just as pale. When she woke up just before noon, he had been at work for hours. Marie Antoinette, the last Queen of France met her final fate on this day, 16 October, 225 years ago. As Thomas Jefferson once said, predicting the way Marie Antoinette would be viewed by posterity, "I have ever believed that if there had been no Queen, there would have been no revolution.". Click here to subscribe to the Royal Central newsletter,
When the Third Estate rebelled and declared itself National Assembly, the King and Queen were in mourning but Marie Antoinette is said to have been determined to use force to crush the upcoming revolution. The death of their youngest daughter in 1787 was followed by that of their son and heir in June 1789. When her brother visited again in 1781 to reaffirm the alliance between France and Austria, Marie Antoinette was accused of sending him money coming directly from the French treasury. However, she learned to play the harp and the flute, she would sing at family gatherings and she was an excellent dancer. Labour has welcomed the government's NHS workforce plan but says it comes too late to solve the crisis in the health service. The Widow Capet. When she got taken to prison and death. The name of the plot was taken from a flower that a certain Rougeville dropped at the Queens feet in her cell. Marie, who was not yet 19 years old, became queen of France when her husband inherited the throne as King Louis XVI. Most shocking . The Queen would then be transported to Germany, which was under the rule of Austria, Marie Antoinettes homeland. The bungled escape probably sounded the death knell of royalty in France. Marie Antoinette had an interesting royal life in France, especially after being married to Louis XVI; there was never a dull moment in this monarchy. In May 1770, she set out for France to be married, escorted by 57 carriages, 117 footmen and 376 horses. The constitutional monarchy was established on 4 September 1791 and the King and Queens titles changed. Tucked away in its cavernous halls, Marie Antoinettes life at the Conciergerie couldnt have been more divorced from her life of luxury in Versailles. Louis XVI - Execution, Marie Antoinette & Children - Biography The way you told this story was informative and was able to make the reader feel sympathetic towards the late queen. At the time, the French government was sliding into financial turmoil and poor harvests were driving up grain prices across the country, making Marie Antoinette's fabulously extravagant lifestyle the subject of popular ire. The blade of the guillotine fell; the crowd cheered, and some at the front rushed to mop up her blood with their handkerchiefs. At the same time, Marie Antoinette has also been exalted as a pinnacle of fashion and beauty, with obsessive scholarship on her choices in wardrobe and jewelry and endless speculation about her extramarital love life. Amid mounting pressure from his political opponents, in September 1791 Louis XVI agreed to instigate a constitutional monarchy, and promised to share his political power with the French Assembly. In this article, the author provides an accurate and informative description of Marie Antoinettes execution. Formerly the seat of power for the French monarchy in the Middle Ages, the imposing Gothic palace lorded over the le de la Cit in the center of Paris as a part administrative center, part prison during the reign of the Bourbons (her husbands dynasty). Even after regal heads were lost to the guillotine, royalty returned to power for brief periods, and to this day a small minority of . 22 October 1781 Marie Antoinette gives birth to a son, Louis Xavier, the dauphin (heir to the throne). You can navigate days by using left and right arrows. After Marie Antoinette - France Today Born an archduchess of Austria in 1755, Marie Antoinette spent her childhood in Viennas Schnbrunn Palace and Hofburg Palace. Marie Antoinette syndrome is a condition where all of the hair on the scalp suddenly turns white. Hosted by Katrin Bennhold. The couple would not consummate their marriage until seven years after their wedding this became a popular matter of discussion and ridicule Don't miss out on the chace to claim your copy of Tracy Borman's latest book when you subscribe today. Marie Antoinette ( / ntwnt, t -/; [1] French: [mai twant] ( listen); Marie Antoinette Josphe Jeanne; 2 November 1755 - 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. The increasingly personal attacks on the royals, particularly Marie Antoinette, chipped away at the national consciousness, and in demystifying the monarchy, also facilitated its downfall. Further, she provides time placements and describes what Antoinettes daily life looked like while in prison. Produced by Rob Szypko , Asthaa Chaturvedi . 2021 June 1791 The flight to Varennes. Empress Maria Teresa used her children as pawns in her diplomatic ambitions and this was also the case for Maria Antonia. Amelia Hew A t eleven in the morning on October 16, 1793, the prison gate of the Conciergerie opened and the Widow Capet strode out. Shortly after her death, Marie's body was hurled into an unmarked grave in the cemetery of L'glise de la Madeleine in Paris. Its exact origins are unclear, but the story existed long before Marie Antoinette became queen and was first attached to her 50 years after her death. Two and a half months before her execution, at two in the morning, the Queen along with her daughter and sister-in-law were suddenly awakened and informed that the Queen was to be transported to the prison of Conciergerie. Very well written. A son, Louis-Joseph, followed in October 1781, with two more children in 1785 (Louis Charles) and 1786 (Sophie Hlne Batrice). She became a symbol of the excesses of the monarchy and is often credited with the famous quote "Let them eat cake," although there is no evidence she actually said it. While Frances financial problems at the time were caused by several expensive wars and the refusal of the aristocratic families, the nobility and the clergy to renounce some of their financial privileges, Marie Antoinette personified these problems for the public and she was even nicknamed Madame Dficit (Lady Deficit) in 1787. I mean I respect it in some way and its only because she want for the outcome of her people and that she was willing todo whatever her fellow Frenchman wanted and let the law take its course. Her husband, however, shied away from public affairs. As historian Emily Brand explains, the case built against Marie Antoinette pulled no punches: "She was held responsible for the deaths of 'thousands of French-men', accused of manipulating her husband, and incest with her son. This would be an excellent subject for a more in-depth treatment, such as a nonfiction novel, of this quite unusual time and unusual people. Princess to queen to guillotine: the tragic fate of Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette helped provoke the popular unrest that led to the French Revolution and to the overthrow of the monarchy in August 1792. Ive heard of Marie Antoinette but didnt know much about her or that she was executed. We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! Trial and Execution of Marie Antoinette - World History Encyclopedia The personalities of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette could not have been more different. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. "Nonetheless, his stern words clearly had an effect, and the queen fell pregnant shortly after his visit.". CONTENTS show. That day, angry mobs broke into the Tuileries and forced the King to acknowledge the Republic. Many contemporaries were charmed by Marie during this public occasion, and praised her beauty. Inside Marie Antoinettes Death And Her Final Days Before She Was Executed In Paris, A foodie, wanderlust victim, professional Francophile, and history nerd, Andrew Milne is a freelance writer who has worked at outlets like Bon Apptit and Food Network, and currently runs content at, How Harvesting Horseshoe Crab Blood Became The Multimillion-Dollar Industry You've Never Heard Of, Inside The Mysterious Murder Of Denise Johnson And The Podcast That May Help Solve It, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. A short biography of Marie-Antoinette, the last queen of France Overall, It is a well-written article with a compelling article. The day was fine and slightly misty, as huge crowds lined the route to the Place du Carrousels guillotine and listened to the cries of the escort: Make way for the Austrian woman! and Long live the Republic!11 Mainly the crowd heard these cries with satisfaction. The last queen of France has been vilified as the personification of the evils of monarchy. In a plot hatched primarily by Marie Antoinette and her lover, Count Axel von Fersen, the royal family attempted to escape France in June 1791, but they were captured and returned to Paris. Marie soon became involved in the extravagance of French court life, attending lavish balls and gambling. On 21 September 1792, the Legislative Assembly in France voted for the monarchy to be abolished. Articles with the HISTORY.com Editors byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan, Matt Mullen and Christian Zapata. The increasing revolutionary uproar convinced the king and queen to attempt an escape to Austria in 1791, but they were captured by revolutionary forces and carried back to Paris. The Execution Of Marie Antoinette: The Last Queen Of France A large and expensive necklace with a dark history was a PR disaster for the French monarchy. Though Marie Antoinette was innocent of any involvement, she was nevertheless guilty in the eyes of the people. In addition, Marie Antoinette was insulted and called a traitor of France. She and her siblings spent their childhood in the colourful court of Vienna while their mother charted out their futures, determined to use her large brood to national advantage. I enjoy listening to music and spending time with my friends and family. Marie Antoinette was sent to the guillotine on October 16, 1793. The moment when my ills are going to end is not the moment when courage is going to fail me. The first charge alone would have been enough to send her to the guillotine. The Revolutionary Tribunal found her guilty of treason and she was executed by guillotine in Paris on October 16, 1793. I was particularly surprised by the crimes that Maria Antoinette was accused of and charged with. Both the King and the Queen were also criticized for their refusal to consummate their marriage which led to plenty of rumors and even an intervention from Marie Antoinettes brother Emperor Joseph II which solved the problem. Marie Antoinette was guillotined on 16 October 1793. She was 38. After ten weeks in the Conciergerie, the Queens incarceration came to an end. The French Revolution The first real attempt to end the monarchy in France happened in 1789, and it is probably the most well-known event that led to the end of the monarchy. All that remained of her, besides her bones and some of her white hair, were two garters in mint condition. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Numerous pamphlets and satires were distributed across the country demonstrating peoples disgust towards the queens extravagant spending. From the moment she stepped from her gilded carriage at Compigne in 1770 until her rough and undignified cart-journey to the scaffold, Marie-Antoinette was destined to be a focus of popular attention. Together the couple had 16 children, 10 of whom lived into adulthood. They live in the Tuileries Palace.
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