In the late 1700’s, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, two of the most unliked rulers of Paris had somewhat important role during the French Revolution. King Louis was not prepared for the task and his wife Marie Antoinette was not much help.
Louis XVI, last king of france before the French Revolution, was not loved nor adored during his kingdom. He was born on August 23, 1754, in the Palace of Versailles, Paris, France. He was named Louis Auguste de France. Louis was the third son of Louis, Dauphin of France and grandson of Louis XV of France. His mother, Marie-Josepha of Saxony. Louis grew up strong and healthy, but he was very shy. He was tutored by French noblemen and studied religion, morality, and humanities. He was very good at in Latin,
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Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were extremely different. He was introverted, shy and indecisive, while she was vivacious, outgoing and bold, a social girl who loved gambling, partying and extravagant fashions. At the time that the king went to bed before midnight, the parties and gambling nights for Marie Antoinette had just started. At the time she woke up just before noon, he had already been at work for hours. During the first few years of marriage, Louis and Marie were cordial but distant. His shyness kept him distant from her and his fear of her manipulation made him cold to her in public. When word spread and reached Empress Maria Theresa in 1777, Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI had not yet practiced their marriage, Maria Theresa immediately send her son, Joseph II, to France to act like a marriage counselor. Apparently his wise words helped. A year later, Marie Antoinette gave birth to a daughter, Marie-Thérèse. Eventually, the couple had four children: Marie-Thérèse, Louis-Joseph, Louis-Charles and …show more content…
At the age of 20, Louis XVI was immature and required self-confidence. He desired to be a good king, but he faced colossal debt and rising resentment towards an absolute monarchy. His failure to victoriously address serious financial problems would pursue him for most of his reign. Louis lacked enough strength of character and decisiveness to fight the influence of court or give support to advocates in their attempt to improve France's government. But, Marie Antoinette was not much of help for Louis. In the 1780, Marie Antoinette began spending more time at her private castle, the Petit Trianon, which was on the Palace of Versailles and obviously almost always without Louis. Also she was wasting money on gowns and gambling. Around this time the first rumors appear about her relationship with Swedish diplomat Count Axel von Fersen. During the 1780s, with the French government falling into financial problems and poor intake of grain prices across the country, the extravagant lifestyle of Marie Antoinette rapidly became the topic of popular annoyance. Endless pamphlets accused the queen of ignorance, extravagance and adultery, some with indecent cartoons and others calling her "Madame
In late 1700s, King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, which had completely opposite personalities, ruled the French monarch. The queen was a vivacious, bold, and outgoing person not an austere queen with simple taste and a stern manner of royalty. The queen made beneficent acts by kindly giving her personal allowance to the cadaverous poor people that were weak from hunger for the times of poverty. King Louis XVI, who lacked a stalwart personality, made frail and insufficient changes in the French government which caused him to face massive debt and resentment. Also, the redoubtable king caused fear for the middle and lower classes by forcing the French monarch to unwillingly assemble the Estates General to impose new land taxes.
In 1775 Louis took the throne after his grandfather Louis XV as king of France. He reigned from 1775-1792. He was married to Marie Antoinette who became France’s queen. He had good intentions but this pairing soon caused many problems for France.
On the morning of January 21, 1793, an innocent man was executed in front of his entire country, by means of the guillotine. That man was King Louis XVI. King Louis XVI, who was married to Queen Marie Antoinette, was the King of France during the beginning stages of the French Revolution. Which took place throughout 1788, and up until King Louis XVI was charged with treason, in 1792. Before the French Revolution really started, France was divided by a strict class system and there were three estates. The third estate were restless and angry with the government. To do something about their complaints, they soon created the National Assembly at the Tennis Court Oath and the well known, violent, events of the French Revolution soon came to being. King Louis XVI was innocent of committing treason against France, because he showed throughout his rulership of the country
Brief Summary- Dr. Munro Price, Modern European Historian at the University of Bradford, wanted to find out the truth of what the true actions and feelings of the King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were in those years before the collapse. After being dragged back to Paris from Versailles, they were then held prisoner in the capital. Concerned for their own safety, the King and Queen forced to agree with the revolution and its agenda. However, in secret, they both began devising a strategy and took the utmost precautions to hide their real policy. The Road from Versailles reconstructs much of what had been speculated until now as to the King and Queen’s clandestine diplomacy from 1789 until their executions. Dr. Price focuses on a small portion of history that has generally been unknown to the public, but could hold the key to the final days of the Old Regime and the mindset of the King. This book could give insight into the economic and social status
Many people may argue that Marie Antoinette was the biggest factor for why France fell into a revolutionary state, however, Marie Antoinette was a queen victimized and forced to play role from a young age to satisfy the French people who disapproved. Marie Antoinette was falsely blamed for her actions when in fact it wasn’t her fault. Marie Antoinette was forced to accept a society where she had to learn new customs and traditions. She had to leave everything behind, consequently become something she isn’t. Her frustration and unhappiness with Versailles was no surprise. Marie Antoinette was frustrated by her marriage. At Versailles her husband-to-be, Louis Auguste had no interest in her. In the film, Marie Antoinette, the director clearly
8/23/1754, King Louis was born. He came up in full fitness but he was very shy. French noblemen taught him, and he also studied religion, morality, and humanities. Louis loved physical activities like hunting and wrestling, at an early age he took delight in locksmithing that became a life-long hobby. Louis parents gave little notice to him, because their attention was on his 9 year older brother that passed away. So on December 20, 1765, Louis farther died from tuberculosis, afterwards at the age of 11 Louis became Dauphin. Louis mother never came around from the family loses and also was taken by 3/13/1767 from tuberculosis.
The story of revolution and resistance in 18th-century France is a complicated one, and no two historians tell the story the same way. However, it is clear that for the revolutionaries, Marie Antoinette’s significance was mainly, powerfully symbolic. "She and the people around her seemed to represent everything that was wrong with the monarchy and the Second Estate: They appeared to be tone-deaf, out of touch, disloyal (along with her allegedly treasonous behavior, writers and pamphleteers frequently accused the queen of adultery) and self-interested"( Moore 17 ). What Marie Antoinette was actually like was beside the point; the image of the queen was far more influential than the woman herself.
participated in the scandal they accused her of: the scandal that led to her death by guillotine: the Affair of the Diamond Necklace. Marie Antoinette was also blamed for The French Revolution and the suffering of the poor people, but the citizens of France were already poor long before she became queen. The French Revolution was a time of political and social disruption, and the change of their absolute monarchy. Marie Antoinette was part of the monarchy, so she was disliked, but she was not the cause of The French Revolution. Her husband, King Louis XVI, made known
King Louis XIV was born in 1638. He became king at age four, and received only a mediocre education. He was taught nothing beyond pious works and decorous behavior at religious observances. He came into full power of France in 1661. Louis married Maria Theresa of Spain in 1659. When Mazarin died in 1661, Louis decided he didn’t want a powerful advisor and then started to change history. Louis had the longest reign in European history of 73 years.
While many people may be familiar with the story of the French Revolution and history of Marie Antoinette, they may not fully comprehend the lively debate that continues to exist around Marie Antoinette. A debate over how Marie Antoinette should be remembered exists, with some arguing that Antoinette was spoiled and careless and others taking the stance that Antoinette was a victim of her harsh circumstances. Before delving into this controversy, background knowledge of Marie Antoinette’s life can assist in understanding the controversy. In 1770 at the age of fourteen, Marie Antoinette, daughter of Austrian empress Maria Theresa, was married to Louis XVI of France to strengthen French and Austrian relations. In 1774, Louis XVI became king and Marie Antoinette became queen. Dissatisfaction toward Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette and economic turmoil led the French Revolution to begin in 1789, with Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette eventually being guillotined in 1793 (Covington 56-65).
Although Louis XIV, also known as Louis the Great, brought death and destruction through his wars, there are many positive aspects of his reign, such as the creation of Versailles and the building of France’s national army. He did what had never been done before. He changed the lifestyle and the attitude of France by creating one of the most powerful monarchies ever to be built and at the same time, reassured all the nobility and other wealthy groups of their political and social standings. He made it clear that he was the final decision maker yet he still needed the help of the nobility and other authorities.
In 1643 Louis XIII died. Louis XIII’s wife and Louis XIV’s mother, Anne of Austria, aided by her minister, Cardinal Mazarin, ruled France as regent. Kindly but mediocre tutors gave him a feeble education, while his mother formed his rules of conscience, teaching him a simple kind of Roman Catholicism. Mazarin instructed him in court ceremony,
Internal enemies of the French Revolution included Louis XVI as well as his wife, Marie Antoinette. Louis kept a supportive front toward the Revolution yet he remained in contact with Austria (like his Austrian wife), Prussia and Sweden asking for help to restore the Monarchy. When Louis tried to escape with his family and failed, the population began losing faith in their King, something that previously was not the case as he was rather popular. He was returned to Paris as a prisoner and reluctantly agreed to the Civil Constitution. The fact that Louis also greatly opposed the Rights of Man also led to his growing unpopularity.
At four years and eight months, Louis XIV became King. His mother, Anne of Austria, ruled until he could take the
Before Marie Antoinette married Dauphin Louis XVI in 1770, the situation in France was already beginning to become disordered. The peasants, which made up about 90% of the population at the time, were treated unfairly and began to feel frustrated and upset with the Monarchy. At the time, Marie Antoinette was distrusted because of her foreign birth and many of the peasants saw her as the source of their problems and disliked her. She was often seen in the past as a bad Queen due to her careless spending and seemingly frivolous lifestyle, now with more evidence and sources, opinions have shifted. Many see Marie Antoinette as a victim of her own circumstances, as it can be seen by the state of affairs in France before her arrival, her upbringing and public opinion before her death during the French Revolution. This essay will illustrate that Marie Antoinette was indeed a victim of her circumstances.