Marie Antoinette embodied the negative aspects of the French monarchy because from the start of her reign she was a traitor. She had Austria’s interests at heart by putting the country she ruled last and putting others first even if it coincided with the those of France, the country she supposedly ruled.
She was born princess of Austria, Maria Antonia Josepha Joanna to her mother, Maria Theresa, empress of Austria, and father, Holy Roman Emperor Francis I, both head of the Hapsburg dynasty. In 1770 at the young age of 15, she married a French prince who would soon come to be King Louis XVI of France, in order to help build a stronger alliance between Austria and France, making her the Queen of France in 1774 as a teenager.
Marie Antoinette gradually failed to fulfill her duty to the people as Queen of France, the most important duty of the Queen was to provide the nation with an heir to the throne, but she could not fulfill that right away due to the stress of the people of her country and how they accused her of everything. King Louis’s shyness also contributed to this because he would barely even touch her after they got married which made it harder for them to conceive an heir. The king had a condition known as phimosis in which the foreskin of the penis is tighter than normal which made sex for him really painful which explains why the king would not touch his bride. The French People began to think if he couldn’t perform in the bedroom then he certainly couldn’t
Still, the negative aspects of France’s rule under King Louis XIV far outweigh the positive ones. His reign can best be described by the statement “L’état, c’est moi,” (I am the state) that is attributed to him. King Louis XIV spent state money to pay for his own luxuries and monuments that glorified his image. It was also customary for the artists King Louis XIV sponsored to include direct or indirect allusions to him in their productions thus creating a god-like image of him. The Palace of Versailles alone used 5% of France’s income. This liberal
Since she had no child to take care, she had to find some entertainments for herself. She spent lot of money on her banquets, parties, fashion clothing, jewelry, gambling, and other entertainments. All of these spending causes a lot of disadvantages to the country, and these money were from the government; the taxes from the citizens. She kept wasting a lot of money that were not actually her money. In this case, we can know that she did not played her role well as the queen of the France. She spent time and money on her entertainment instead of doing her duties.
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.
One of the most important factors to consider during this time period is the reign of Louis XIV. His idea of the monarchy was one of the reasons why the French government had failed and created turmoil for the citizens of France. Louis XIV enjoyed the royal life very much and very fervently. He spent more of his reign enjoying himself and his life rather than ruling the country.
In conclusion,It was a struggle to get to the government we have today. Thanks to the french revolution that helped carve the way for that. Just to clarify one thing. Marie Antoinette never said “let them eat cake”. The French Revolution was a drastic change,the shaped the western
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).
Furthermore, the queen of the France, Marie Antoinette, overspends the money on herself. This is a quote from a letter that she wrote to her mom, “On Tuesday I had a fete which I shall never forget all my life (Doc.B)”. In this quote, she is telling her mother about the party that she had, and this shows how ignorance she is. She doesn’t pay attention to the issues that the citizens are going through, and because of the overspent, France goes through a difficult time. Marie Antoinette helped the French Revolution to grow larger and more dangerous.
King Louis XVI became king at a very young age. At age 15, he had little to no interest in politics and definitely was not prepared to be the leader of a country. Marie Antoinette wasn’t very interested in politics either and would much rather spend her day at the poker table than helping run the country. The members of the 3rd estate were very impacted by her gambling and huge spending. It caused the 3rd estate’s taxes to be raised exponentially and they already couldn’t afford food.
After the death of King Lois and Marie Antoinette, there was a 10-month period of violence and rage; this was labeled the “Reign of Terror”. The French people became so lost in their rage that they forgot what they were fighting for. The Revolution became more about revenge than an improved resolution to the monarchy. We would see later that this eventually led them back into a monarchy with the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte as he conquered France and its surroundings.
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
Born the fifteenth and final daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor, Francis I, she entered the world an enemy of the French people. Despite being very insignificant as a princess of the Holy Roman Empire, there was a fierce rivalry between
Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna was born on November 2, 1755 in Vienna, Austria to the Holy Roman emperor Francis 1 and empress Maria Theresa. She had fourteen other siblings with whom she shared the Hapsburg Empire (Encyclopedia.com Marie Antoinette facts, information, pictures). Marie Antoinette was married into French nobility as part of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle,
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.
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
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.