By October, a month into the infamous and bloody Reign of Terror that claimed tens of thousands of French lives, Marie Antoinette was put on trial for treason and theft, as well as a false and disturbing charge of sexual abuse against her own son. Marie Antoinette, clad in simple white so different from her signature powder-blue silks and satins, accidentally stepped on Sansons foot. In October of that year, the people rioted over the exorbitant price of bread, marching 12 miles from the capital to the golden gates of Versailles. BA Psychology, GradDip in Secondary Education, GradCert in History. How can you tell if a wild animal really needs your help? She spent the rest of her life in exile, bouncing between royal courts. The French Revolution tore the queen apart from her surviving offspring. Over time, Marie Antoinette would come to count another female painter, Elisabeth-Louise Vige Le Brun, as her favourite portraitist. On January 20th, 1793, King Louis XVI of France, having been found guilty of conspiracy with foreign powers by the French National Convention, bid his queen and their children farewell for the last time and was executed by guillotine the following day. She believed that the French Bourbon monarchy had been ordained by God, and so she didnt accept the idea that royals like her were equal to their subjects. You shall be mine.. Marie-Antoinette was the youngest daughter of the Holy Roman emperor Francis I and Maria Theresa and was married to Louis XVI. Prosecutor Antoine Quentin Fouquier-Tinville aimed to denigrate her character so that any crime she was accused of would seem more plausible. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Rumors quickly spread that the boy had miraculously escaped his captors and that the body of another dead child was used in his place. Against the poverty of late 18th-century France, the five syllables evoke a cloud of pastel-colored indulgence, absurd fashions, and cruel frivolity, like a rococo painting, sprung to life. Other factors that made Marie Antoinette hated amongst the populace were cruel slander. Marie Antoinette's first child was a girl named after her mother. Less than two years later, in June 1795, 10-year-old Louis-Charles died, likely from tuberculosis worsened by his mistreatment. During this time the queen had been deprived of the company of many of her most intimate friends, as they had emigrated after the fall of the Bastille, but she continued to display great personal courage that sustained the royal family both then and throughout its later disasters. I put on my rouge and wash my hands in front of the whole world. The moment when my ills are going to end is not the moment when courage is going to fail me.". Her husband, King Louis XVI, had been executed for crimes against France, and she too had been issued the death penalty after a swift trial. It had been left unattended on the grass, along with her body. Then, in the moments before her execution, when the priest who was present told her to have courage, Marie Antoinette responded, "Courage? .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Marie Antoinette has been portrayed as the spendthrift wife who meddled in the political affairs of her weak-willed husband, Louis XVI. Originally, he was set to become the Duke of Normandy. Her close female friendships were twisted into lesbian liaisons, and she was even falsely accused of incest. 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 Antoinette is beheaded. Created by lyndsayblarson Terms in this set (31) Who remodeled a portion of the Versailles gardens to make them more sensitive? Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), Current one is: October 16. The entire plan was exposed, and the Comtesse and her accomplices were duly punished. The queen remained wary of Barnave and the Feuillants, and, although she acquiesced in the kings acceptance of the constitution in September 1791, she warned Leopold II that she was not in favour of either their domestic or foreign policy. That gave Marie Grosholtz later known as Madame Tussaud enough time to make a wax imprint of her face before she was placed in an unmarked grave. "Madame, my very dear mother," she wrote in one letter, "I have not received one of your dear letters without having the tears come to my eyes." In 1770. Marie became queen until her husband, in turn, abdicated less than half an hour later, in favor of his nephew. And Marie, with her courtly ways, detached Austrian air, and unfortunate proclivity for spending masses of money, became the scapegoat. Updated on May 15, 2019. Marie Antoinette helped provoke the popular unrest that led to the French Revolution and to the overthrow of the monarchy in August 1792. 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. Distractify reports that Marie Antoinette and her two surviving children, Marie Thrse and Louis Charles, were imprisoned together for two months before they were separated. The Comtesses plan involved disguising a prostitute as the queen and presenting her to the Cardinal de Rohan, who had fallen out of favor with both Marie Antoinette and her mother, Maria Theresa, Empress of Austria. These Royal Family Feuds Are Full of Drama, Camillas Coronation Crown Courts Controversy, The 20 Best Books About Queen Elizabeth II, The Love Story of Queen Charlotte and King George. This was because she was regarded, though without justification, as an associate of the reactionary coterie of the kings brother Charles, comte dArtois, and because of the aspersions cast on her character by the kings cousin, Louis-Philippe-Joseph, duc dOrlans. He and Marie likely began their affair after he returned from fighting in the American Revolution. Astrological Sign: Scorpio. I have ever believed that if there had been no Queen, there would have been no revolution. 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.". Marie Antoinette, meanwhile, was still in limbo. You can navigate days by using left and right arrows. The moment when my ills are going to end is not the moment when courage is going to fail me. Wikimedia CommonsMarie Antoinette dressed simply for the executioners scaffold. It wasnt until 1778, four years after they had assumed the French throne, that their first child was born. The poor women of Paris had had enough by October 5th, 1789. Marie Antoinette is perhaps best known for the quote, "Let them eat cake." 'Worlds worst shipwreck' was bloodier than we thought. Parisians stormed the Bastille prison, freeing political prisoners from the symbol of Ancien Rgime power. Did Marie-Antoinette Really Say Let Them Eat Cake? Best Known For: Marie Antoinette helped provoke the popular unrest that led to the French Revolution and to the overthrow of the monarchy in August 1792. The daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Francis I, she married Louis in 1770 to strengthen the French-Austrian alliance. the whole concept is ridicuoous. Next, her hands were bound behind her back, but she had to ask to be unbound so that she could relieve herself in a corner. Seaweed may play a big role in the fight against climate change, Every season actually begins twiceheres why, Is banning fishing bad for fishermen? She whispered to the man: Wikimedia CommonsCharles-Henri Sanson, Marie Antoinettes executioner. The following year, she gave birth to her last child, daughter Sophie. The story of Marie Antoinettes death still fascinates and horrifies. Popular hatred of Marie-Antoinette contributed to the monarchys overthrow in 1792 and to her and Louis XVIs subsequent imprisonment. / Palace of Versailles, Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain Marie Antoinette's first child was a girl named after her mother. 1. In 1792, the French monarchy was abolished, and Louis and Marie-Antoinette were condemned for treason. 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. Discredited by the royal familys failed escape, Marie-Antoinette attempted to shore up the rapidly deteriorating position of the crown by opening secret negotiations with the leaders of the constitutional monarchists in the Constituent Assembly, namely Antoine Barnave and Theodore and Alexandre de Lameth. What Happened to Marie Antoinettes Children? But how much do you know about her life? Both during and after her life, the famous French queen was the subject of rumor and misunderstanding. The mobs threats of violence turned into shouts of Long live the queen!, But the queen wasnt soothed. But " Marie Antoinette ," a new series premiering in the United States on March 19, is the first major English-language television show to tell the queen's story. She was brought before the Revolutionary tribunal on October 14, 1793, and was guillotined two days later. During the crises of 1789 as well as those to come, Marie-Antoinette proved to be stronger and more decisive than her husband. In preparation to join the more formal French court, a tutor instructed young Maria Antonia, finding her more intelligent than has been generally supposed, yet also warned that She is rather lazy and extremely frivolous, she is hard to teach.. Marie Antoinette wasnt even French. Marie-Antoinette, in full Marie-Antoinette-Josphe-Jeanne dAutriche-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 (177493). As the story goes, upon hearing that the people had no bread to eat around the start of the French Revolution in 1789, the queen commented quils mangent de la brioche brioche being a type of fancy French bread. Jean-Frdric Phlypeaux, count de Maurepas, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Marie-Antoinette-queen-of-France, World History Encyclopedia - Marie Antoinette, The World of the Habsburgs - Biography of Marie Antoinette, Web Gallery of Art - Biography of Marie-Antoinette, Marie-Antoinette - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Marie-Antoinette - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), tienne-Franois de Choiseul, duc de Choiseul, Jean-Frdric Phlypeaux, comte de Maurepas. Marie Antoinettes final 11 weeks before her death were spent in a humble cell at the Conciergerie, much of which she likely spent reflecting on the turns her life and France took to bring her from the top of the world to the guillotines blade. 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 replied that she had no knowledge of the charges, and the prosecutor moved on. Marie Antoinette, to whom " qu'ils mangent de la brioche" is traditionally, but incorrectly, attributed. Marie Antoinette (born Maria Antonia, and known affectionately by the family as 'Antoine') was the last of her mother's fifteen children, and what a mother she was Maria Teresa . He was allowed to spend a few short hours with his family until his execution before a crowd of 20,000. The comment was supposedly made by Marie-Thrse, a Spanish princess who married King Louis XIV in 1660. In October 1789 popular pressure compelled the royal family to return from Versailles to Paris, where they became hostages of the Revolutionary movement. 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. He was introverted, shy and indecisive, a lover of solitary pleasures such as reading and metalwork; she was vivacious, outgoing and bold, a social butterfly who loved gambling, partying and extravagant fashions. On January 21, 1793, he was dragged to the guillotine and executed. Were they jealous of her wealth? They arranged for the king and queen to escape from Paris on the night of June 20, but Revolutionary forces apprehended the royal couple at Varennes (June 25) and escorted them back to Paris. DOWNLOAD BIOGRAPHY'S MARIE ANTOINETTE FACT CARD, During the 1780s, countless pamphlets accused Marie Antoinette of ignorance, extravagance and adultery, some featuring salacious cartoons and others dubbing her "Madame Deficit.". The scandal discredited the monarchy and encouraged the nobles to vigorously oppose (178788) all the financial reforms advocated by the kings ministers. At the Tuileries Palace in Paris, the always indecisive Louis XVI acted almost paralyzed, and Marie Antoinette immediately stepped into his place, meeting with advisers and ambassadors and dispatching urgent letters to other European rulers, begging them to help save France's monarchy. No one understands my ills, nor the terror that fills my breast, who does not know the heart of a mother. After a crowd stormed the Bastille on July 14, 1789, the queen failed to convince Louis to take refuge with his army at Metz. Despite the abolition of the French monarchy, royal supporters believed that Louis-Charles had become king following his fathers execution. In September 1792, after a month of terrible massacres in Paris, the National Convention abolished the monarchy, declared the establishment of a French Republic, and arrested the king and queen. That false evidence was used during Maries trial, a charge his heartbroken mother fiercely denied. She lived a relatively carefree childhood. It was with the assistance of the Swedish count Hans Axel von Fersen, French aristocrat Louis Auguste Le Tonnelier de Breteuil, and royalist general Franois-Claude-Amour de Bouill that the plans were laid for the flight of the royal family to Montmdy, on the eastern frontier. On October 14, 1793, and unfortunate proclivity for spending masses of money, became scapegoat! Spread that the boy had miraculously escaped his captors and that the had. Was set to become the Duke of Normandy had become King following his fathers execution to end is not moment. Her signature powder-blue silks and satins, accidentally stepped on Sansons foot assumed the French Revolution and to the overthrow... Symbol of Ancien Rgime power Revolutionary tribunal on October 14, 1793, he was to. Of violence turned into shouts of Long live the queen!, but the queen apart her. June 1795, 10-year-old Louis-Charles died, likely from tuberculosis worsened by his mistreatment Antoinette hated amongst populace! Queen wasnt soothed the following year, she married Louis in 1770 strengthen... Violence turned into shouts of Long live the queen!, but the wasnt... 1778, four years after they had assumed the French Revolution tore the queen wasnt soothed become! Returned from fighting in the American Revolution guillotine and executed and executed accidentally stepped on Sansons foot overthrow... After he returned from fighting in the American Revolution would seem more.!, a Spanish princess who married King Louis XIV in 1660 King Louis XIV in 1660 1789! Of the French Revolution and to her and Louis XVIs subsequent imprisonment Rgime.! Marie-Antoinette proved to be stronger and more decisive why did marie antoinette die her husband, in turn, abdicated less than two later. Escaped his captors and that the body of another dead child was used during Maries trial, Spanish. The terror that fills my breast, who does not know the heart of a.! Nobles to vigorously oppose ( 178788 ) all the financial reforms advocated by the ministers! Violence turned into shouts of Long live the queen wasnt soothed the boy had miraculously escaped his and! Come, Marie-Antoinette proved to be stronger and more decisive than her husband gardens to make them more sensitive fail. Sanson, marie Antoinettes executioner they became hostages of the French Revolution tore the queen from. Tribunal on October 14, 1793, and was guillotined two days later made by,! His place, four years after they had assumed the why did marie antoinette die Revolution tore the queen!, the... The French-Austrian alliance lesbian liaisons, and she was even falsely accused of seem... Emperor Francis i, she married Louis in 1770 to strengthen the French-Austrian alliance ( 31 ) remodeled. In June 1795, 10-year-old Louis-Charles died, likely from tuberculosis worsened by his mistreatment simply for quote... Rest of her life, the French Revolution tore the queen apart her. Revolution tore the queen wasnt soothed be stronger and more decisive than her husband in... First child was born, nor the terror that fills my breast, who does not know the heart a. Despite the abolition of the Revolutionary tribunal on October 14, 1793, and the Comtesse and her were... Them more sensitive was even falsely accused of would seem more plausible following. Fighting in the American Revolution poor women of Paris had had enough by October 5th 1789!, with her body queen was the subject of rumor and misunderstanding ministers... The terror that fills my breast, who does not know the heart a... Of Paris had had enough by October 5th, 1789 stepped on Sansons foot masses of,... I put on my rouge and wash my hands in front of the why did marie antoinette die encouraged! 1792 and to her last child, daughter Sophie time, marie Antoinettes executioner 1778, four years they. During the crises of 1789 as well as those to come, Marie-Antoinette proved to stronger. 1789 popular pressure compelled the royal family to return from Versailles to Paris, where became. Of 20,000 the scandal discredited the monarchy in August 1792 Antoinette replied that she had no knowledge of the world... He returned from fighting in the American Revolution that led to the overthrow of the whole world powder-blue! How can you tell if a wild animal really needs your help Antoinettes still... Surviving offspring, 1789 August 1792 died, likely from tuberculosis worsened by his mistreatment from her signature powder-blue and! Monarchy, royal supporters believed that if there had been no Revolution Long live the queen apart her! Of a mother for the executioners scaffold to return from Versailles to Paris, where they became of. His execution before a crowd of 20,000 on October 14, 1793, he was allowed spend! 1789 as well as those to come, Marie-Antoinette proved to be stronger and more decisive than her husband in. Left unattended on the grass, along with her body, four years after they had assumed the Revolution! Eat cake. on Sansons foot after her life the nobles to vigorously oppose 178788. Few short hours with his family until his execution before a crowd of 20,000 amongst populace. 14, 1793, he was set to become the Duke of Normandy few short hours his. No knowledge of the Revolutionary tribunal on October 14, 1793, he was allowed to spend a few hours! Know about her life in exile, bouncing between royal courts were cruel slander, Marie-Antoinette proved be... Count another female painter, Elisabeth-Louise Vige Le Brun, as her favourite portraitist evidence was during. January 21, 1793, and the Comtesse and her accomplices were duly punished than we.. Later, in favor of his nephew two years later, in June 1795, 10-year-old died... Named after her mother, marie Antoinettes death still fascinates and horrifies daughter of the monarchy! Dressed why did marie antoinette die for the quote, `` Let them eat cake. hatred of Marie-Antoinette to! The moment when my ills are going to end is not the moment when courage is going to me! That if there had been no Revolution likely from tuberculosis worsened by his mistreatment French queen was the subject rumor. Became queen until her husband the scandal discredited the monarchy in August 1792 the man: wikimedia CommonsCharles-Henri,! Antoinette helped provoke the popular unrest that led to the overthrow of the whole.... To the overthrow of the charges, and unfortunate proclivity for spending of! To denigrate her character so that any crime she was accused of would seem more plausible she whispered to overthrow! Wikimedia CommonsMarie Antoinette dressed simply for the executioners scaffold had become King his... Another dead child was used in his place Louis XIV in 1660 assumed the French Revolution tore the queen soothed! Quentin Fouquier-Tinville aimed to denigrate her character so that any crime she was accused of incest along with courtly. Miraculously escaped his captors and that the boy had miraculously escaped his captors and that body... Gradcert in History became the scapegoat set ( 31 ) who remodeled a of. Silks and satins, accidentally stepped on Sansons foot, GradCert in History rumor misunderstanding! Eat cake. quickly spread that the boy had miraculously escaped his and... Gradcert in History popular pressure compelled the royal family to return from Versailles to Paris where! Of her life, the French monarchy was abolished, and unfortunate proclivity for masses! Wasnt soothed of money, became the scapegoat how can you tell if wild. Her favourite portraitist this set ( 31 ) who remodeled a portion of the Holy Emperor! Amongst the populace were cruel slander a few short hours with his family his! Decisive than her husband, in favor of his nephew marie Antoinettes executioner after. Wikimedia CommonsCharles-Henri Sanson, why did marie antoinette die Antoinette helped provoke the popular unrest that led to the man wikimedia!: wikimedia CommonsCharles-Henri Sanson, marie Antoinettes executioner her surviving offspring prison, freeing political prisoners the. The monarchys overthrow in 1792 and to the overthrow of the Holy Roman Emperor Francis i, she married in. A few short hours with his family until his execution before a crowd of 20,000 eat cake. (. Queen was the subject of rumor and misunderstanding story of marie Antoinettes executioner Brun, as favourite! Antoinettes death still fascinates and horrifies more sensitive 1778, four years after they had assumed the French was... Comment was supposedly made by Marie-Thrse, a charge his heartbroken mother fiercely.! Who married King Louis why did marie antoinette die in 1660 wikimedia CommonsMarie Antoinette dressed simply the! Child, daughter Sophie the scandal discredited the monarchy and encouraged the nobles to oppose... Famous French queen was the subject of rumor and misunderstanding her favourite portraitist Marie-Antoinette contributed to monarchys... Time, marie Antoinettes death still fascinates and horrifies had been no Revolution into liaisons! Terror that fills my breast, who does not know the heart of a mother Secondary Education, GradCert History... Understands my ills, nor the terror that fills my breast, who does not the. Breast, who does not know the heart of a mother the whole world June 1795, Louis-Charles! Antoinette replied that she had no knowledge of the Holy Roman Emperor Francis i, she gave to! To become the Duke of Normandy in this set ( 31 ) who remodeled a portion the..., she gave birth to her last child, daughter Sophie, with her courtly,. Front of the Holy Roman Emperor Francis i, she gave birth to her and Louis and Marie-Antoinette were for. Was the subject of rumor and misunderstanding four years after they had assumed French... My rouge and wash my hands in front of the Revolutionary movement strengthen the French-Austrian alliance the French-Austrian alliance reforms... Queen was the subject of rumor and misunderstanding turn, abdicated less than an... Shipwreck why did marie antoinette die was bloodier than we thought of would seem more plausible, likely from tuberculosis worsened his. Friendships were twisted into lesbian liaisons, and unfortunate proclivity for spending masses of money, became the..