(1755-1793) queen of France, 1774-1793

Marie Antoinette [ma rE' an'tweh net'] was born in Vienna, on November 2, 1755. She was the youngest daughter of Emperor Francis I and Maria Theresa, rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, who raised her with the expectation that she would someday become Queen of France. Her parents dreams came true after she married the French Crown Prince in 1770, and he became King Louis XVI in 1774.

Despite her upbringing, the young queen was bored by the stiff formalities of court life. She amused herself with such pleasures as fancy balls, theatricals, horse races, and gambling. To give her an escape from the court, Louis gave her the château called the Petit Trianon (also known as Versailles), where the queen and her friends amused themselves.

The French people all but hated Marie, primarily because she was Austrian. Her husband was known for being a less-than-able administrator, leading many in France to believe that Marie was the one in actual control of things. Although it was Louis's loan to the American colonies to help their revolutionary efforts that actually created France's financial problems, the French people found it easier to blame the crisis on Marie's lifestyle. She was even accused of having numerous affairs, including at least one with a woman.

While Marie did indeed have a somewhat extravagant lifestyle, there is little to suggest that she was as careless with the French treasury as popular history would have us believe. In fact, she actually reduced the royal household staff, and eliminated positions traditionally filled by friends and relatives. She tried to change her image amongst the French people by wearing simple gowns and posing for portraits with her children. But none of her efforts had much effect on the public. Since public criticism of the king could often be dangerous, it was far safer to blame all of France's problems on the foreign queen.

Tragedy struck Marie twice in 1789. Her eldest son died, and the French Revolution started. Louis gradually lost control of France, but Marie faced danger courageously. She tried to stiffen the king's will, but only made people angry by her stubborn opposition to the revolutionary changes. It was on Marie's advice that the king assembled troops around Versailles twice in 1789. Both times violence followed. The second time, in early October, 1789, a Parisian mob marched to Versailles, and forced the royal family to move to the Tuileries palace in Paris. From then on, Louis and Marie were virtual prisoners in Paris

On the night of June 20, 1791, the royal family set out in disguise by carriage for the eastern frontier of France. But an alert patriot recognized the king from his picture of French paper money. The king and queen were stopped at Varennes, and returned under guard to Paris.

In 1792, France went to war with Austria. Not surprisingly, Marie was almost immediately accused of passing military secrets to the enemy, and on August 10, Marie and Louis were thrown into prison. Louis was tried and convicted of treason in December, and guillotined on January 21, 1793. In October 1793, Marie was tried and, like her husband, convicted of treason. On October 16 she was taken to the guillotine through the streets of Paris in an open cart. She maintained her dignity to the end, and even apologized to the executioner for accidentally stepping on his foot.

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