Marie Antoinette (born November 2, 1755 - died October 16, 1793) - Queen of France. The wife of the French king Louis XVI since 1770. During the French Revolution, she was executed by guillotine.
The victims of senseless human cruelty in history remain in the memory of people for a long time, as if tirelessly reminding us of our own folly and imperfection. Of course, in the behavior of Marie Antoinette one can find blunders that supposedly could lead her to the guillotine, but they seem completely insignificant in the face of the fateful circumstances of the history of France, a country where a young Austrian princess had to take the crown.
Origin. Childhood
Marie Antoinette, youngest daughter of Empress Marie Theresa and Franz I, rulers of the Holy Roman Empire. When the girl was 10 years old, her father passed away, leaving his wife an empire and eight children. Maria Theresia turned out to be a rather businesslike woman, she not only ruled the state perfectly, but was also able to arrange a successful future for her offspring. The Austrian empress prepared the most brilliant game for her youngest daughter. Marie Antoinette was engaged to the heir to France, Louis.
The girl was raised as a future queen. She knew no refusal, learned to command, and felt confident among the thousands of eyes directed at her. At the same time, by nature, she grew up as a carefree, cheerful giggle, was not very attractive, but very easy to communicate, with a lively bright temperament. Because the girl was the youngest, she was, of course, pampered. When Marie Antoinette set out to travel to France, she, 15, had a constant belief that, through her charm, she would always get what she wanted.
Bride. Arrival in France
Promotional video:
Dressed in satin clothes, adorned with jewelry, the bride left her father's house never to return there. Saying goodbye, the mother gave the girl a small gold watch, which will forever remain the talisman of Marie Antoinette. At the border, the bride was met by a magnificent wedding train led by the prince's grandfather, the living king - Louis XV. The latter, considered a great connoisseur of the weaker sex, was pleased with his choice for his grandson.
The princess was the very charm, and she, no doubt, will come to the French court. However, the groom Louis somewhat disappointed Marie-Antoinette. A clumsy little, stupid young man who was most interested in good food, but now he cannot give up the French crown, especially since the groom was in awe of the princess. Years will pass, but Louis will admire his wife as much as on that first day of their acquaintance.
Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI
Wedding
1770, May 16 - the wedding took place. A decorated cortege followed the Parisian streets, an ecstatic crowd of townspeople shouted toasts to the happy bride. Every girl would like to be in her place. However, the grandiose fireworks ended sadly: a real pandemonium began - the people rushed to the free treats, many died in the stampede. As the dead bodies were taken away for identification, ominous rumors spread throughout the capital that the bloody omen would not bring happiness to the young.
At the French court. Ascension to the throne
However, despite the tragedy, the first years of Marie-Antoinette's life in the Palace of Versailles differed little from the happy holiday of childhood. Louis did not want to participate in social life, sweating and blushing at the sight of his beloved wife. The princess, not particularly sad about this, gathered a circle of young people suitable for herself, who loved to spend the night long in entertainment. They played cards, danced, ridiculed the heir. Jokers in particular liked to translate the clock hands in the palace, thereby creating confusion.
1774 Louis XV dies of smallpox. The couple received all the power, but this did little to change their way of life. The new king, as before, ate a lot, fell asleep in an armchair in the evenings and wrote in his diary: “Today nothing happened,” and Marie Antoinette never ceased to amaze the Parisians with her extravagant behavior. She changed her image and from a decorated lady turned into a rustic simpleton.
Portrait of Marie Antoinette with children
Queen of France
The new look of the French queen was in good harmony with a small country-type palace - the Petit Trianon, where the royal couple lived. Women went crazy with the new fashion that Marie-Antoinette introduced, giving excellent earnings to hairdressers and tailors. Few people understood that the empress's straw hat was more expensive than the whole house of an ordinary citizen.
At 23, Marie Antoinette became a mother for the first time, and over the next six years she gave birth to four more children, of which only two survived: Marie Theresa and Dauphin Ludovic. The queen adored her little ones, but due to government affairs and entertainment, she had little time for children. However, the affairs of state themselves constituted preparation for entertainment. The Empress lived for pleasure and did not hide it. She spent the royal treasury on friends, outfits, outings and balls. Louis XVI, a meek and patient man, put up with all the whims of his wife, and when the advisers began to insist on cutting the queen's "pocket money", Marie Antoinette got them fired.
While the royal family quietly existed in its cozy little world, catastrophic events were brewing in the power. Historians see many reasons that led to social upheaval. We will not describe the poverty of ordinary Frenchmen or the philosophical motives of free-thinkers, we will not condemn the frivolity of the ruling classes. Let's just say that the king refused to even listen to the proposals when asked to reduce taxes, calling them "insane." Naturally, the anger of the people fell upon “this foreigner,” everything, the former admiration of the people, seemed to melt into hatred. Now, instead of the admiring whispers of girls on the streets, one could hear rude jokes about the empress: as if once the queen had been informed that ordinary Frenchmen had nothing to eat - no bread. To which she replied: "So let them eat cakes and pastries."
Arrest of Louis XVI and his family during an escape attempt
The French Revolution
The Queen believed that she had a natural right not to pay attention to the discontent of her fellow citizens. She kept a frivolous calm, confident that all this would pass. But the catastrophe still broke out. 1789, July 14 - the whole world shuddered from the bloody atrocities in Paris - the carefree "capital of the world." It is not known what was guided by Marie Antoinette - affection for her husband, duty, former self-confidence, but, having the opportunity to flee, she chose to stay with her husband, although all those close to them left the crowned captives. On October 5, the furious Parisian mob broke into Versailles, and the next day the royal couple were brought under arrest at the Tuileries Palace.
The king and his family spent almost 2 years in prison there. At first, they were treated loyally: the children lived with their parents and, in the end, the queen was able to spend most of the time with them. 1791, June 20 - the royal couple made a desperate attempt to flee, but it was unsuccessful, which prompted the revolutionaries to take up the fate of the arrested without delay.
Marie Antoinette before execution
The last days
They were transferred to a gloomy building in the center of the capital. The king still could not believe that his subjects could deprive him of the throne, and stubbornly refused to fulfill the demands of the revolutionaries. 1793, January - the trial began, which led Louis XVI into bewilderment: by the verdict he was deprived of not the throne - his life. Before his death, the monarch spent the last two hours with his family, receiving more love from his wife than he had ever seen before. Marie Antoinette spent the night awake, following her mother's golden watch as time pounded the last minutes of their reign. When the bells rang over Paris in the morning, the queen realized that her husband was no longer there.
After the execution, Marie Antoinette continued her former existence for some time, but one night three men came to her to take her son away. The queen rushed to the child, shouting that she would not give up Louis, let them kill her first, but the rapists were relentless. A few days later, Marie Antoinette was transferred to the Conciergerie prison. In a small, damp cell she was not left alone for a minute, even during morning and evening dressing, all her belongings were taken from her, including a small gold watch - her talisman. Somehow we managed to win back the scallop and powder.
And the last sad days in prison flowed on. The queen asked for a needle and thread to occupy herself with embroidery, but this was refused. Then she pulled on threads from the frayed curtains that hung in the cell, and weaved something like a net. But her spirit was not completely broken, the queen was able to correspond with the French emigrants, she tried to bribe the guards and escape from prison. The Convention and the Committee of Public Safety used the members of the royal family as a bargaining chip to eliminate the danger of intervention - after all, the queen was a foreigner. For some time, negotiations were underway, but under pressure from public opinion, on October 16, 1793, the court passed the death sentence to Marie Antoinette.
Execution of Marie Antoinette
On the day of the execution, the queen rose very early, there were no hours, so she could not keep track of the time. With the help of a maid, she put on a white dress. The guards watched her every step, and in the end the condemned woman exclaimed: "In the name of the Lord and decency, please, leave me at least for a minute!" The executioner Charles Henri Sanson, who entered the cell, cut the queen's luxurious hair: it was his trophy. Then the executioner put shackles on her hands, which were taken behind her back. The queen in a white piquet shirt, with a black ribbon on her wrists, with a white muslin scarf thrown over her shoulders, and wearing a cap on her head, wearing purple shoes, got into the executioner's cart. She was taken through the streets of Paris. The crowd menacingly and insultingly hooted after her …
The guillotine was located near the Tuileries Palace, on the Revolution Square. When Marie-Antoinette was brought to the block, she inadvertently stepped on the executioner's foot.
"Forgive me, monsieur, I didn't do it on purpose."
These were the last words of the Queen of France.
Despite all the frivolity and extravagance attributed to her, Marie Antoinette before her execution behaved with pride and complete self-control and did not lose her royal dignity. She herself ascended the scaffold and herself lay down under the knife of the guillotine. At 12 h. 15 min. the queen was beheaded in what is now Place de la Concorde.
I. Semashko
