I believe that all French speakers know (especially those who have been tortured by French history [tears]) that the evolution of France from monarchy to republic can be said to be very, very tortuous.
The French Revolution of 1789 marked the complete collapse of the French Crown, more than two hundred years away. Although royalists still exist in France, their claim that "the king sits but does not govern the country" is very different from the pre-Revolution monarchy.
When we think of the French Revolution, we think of Louis XVI, of the Declaration of the Rights of Man, and of a woman, Marie Antoinette.
01 Background
Who is Marie Antoinette?
She was the "deficit queen" of French history, spending her days looking for fun, buying jewelry, lingering in the dance of dogs and horses and spending thousands of dollars on cards, squandering the treasury of a powerful dynasty.
Many writers portray Marie Antoinette as an icon of a delicate, doomed social system, a "Rococo". Her fashion and luxury are seen as symbols of the aristocratic world of the eighteenth century that was "gorgeous, mannerist and frivolous and absurd".
Marie Antoinette
On January 21, 1793, King Louis XVI of France took to the guillotine. Soon after, Queen Marie Antoinette also took to the guillotine and became a martyr of a dynasty.
Zweig describes the death of Mary Antoinette in The Severed Queen:
Cannons were set up on the bridge to prevent prisoners from escaping, soldiers carried bayonets on their shoulders, and several cavalry teams walked down the street. Such a strong lineup is just for dealing with a woman.
Marie Antoinette did not object, and changed into a simple white robe— and it did not matter what she was wearing at this time. But in order to maintain her dignity, she still carefully combed it: stretched her white robe flat, wrapped a scarf around her neck, put on the best shoes, and wore a hat on her white hair.
Mary Antoinette, without asking for help, walked up the steps calmly, with a "more indifferent expression than when she left prison."
Dressed in high heels, she walked briskly up the guillotine, as if she had ascended the marble steps of versailles in previous days, and no one knew what she was thinking.
The last moment came, and the executioner grabbed her by the back of her neck, pushed her to her knees, and placed her head under the knife. Then the executioner pulled on the rope, and a beam of knife light flashed. The executioner then grabbed the bloody head and held it high for those presented to the scene.
Tens of thousands of people shouted at this moment: "Long live the Republic!" ”
Marie Antoinette was escorted to the execution ground
02 Character Introduction
▍ Mother Maria Teresa
First, a brief overview of her family: Marie Antoinette (also known as Maria Antonia), wife of King Louis XVI of France, born in Vienna, was the fifteenth child and youngest daughter of The Holy Roman Emperor Francis I and Empress Maria Theresia, Archduke of Austria, Bohemia and Hungary.
Her mother, Maria Teresa, Austria's first grand duke, had sixteen children with her husband, Franz I.
▲ Mother Maria Theresia
Among these brothers and sisters, with the addition of Marie Antoinette, there are eleven girls, namely: Maria Elizabeth, Maria Anna, Maria Carolina ... Eleven girls all bear the name maria in honor of the Virgin Mary.
▲Family photo
▍ Sister Maria
Maria Elisabeth's oldest child, who died of illness in childhood.
Maria Elisabeth (1737-1740)
Maria Anna's second child, the eldest surviving daughter. Poor physical health, unmarried. Later became abbot of the Prague Monastery.
Maria Anna (1738-1789)
3. Maria Karolina's third child, who died in childhood. （1740-1741）
4. Maria Christina's fifth child, Maria Teresa's favorite child, is called Mimi by her family. Married prince Albert. Grand Duchess of Austria, Duchess of Tayschen.
Maria Cristina (1742-1798)
5. Maria Elisabeth's sixth child, disfigured by smallpox, is unmarried. Became Abbot of Sbruck.
Maria Elisabeth (1743-1808)
6. Maria Amalia's eighth child, married Ferdinand I, Duke of Parma, and became Duchess of Parma.
Maria Amalia (1746-1804)
7. Maria Karolina's tenth child, died on the day of birth.
Maria Johanna's eleventh child, the fiancée of King Ferdinando I of Naples, died of smallpox at the age of twelve.
Maria Johanna (1750-1762)
9. Maria Josepha's twelfth child, the fiancée of King Ferdinando I of Naples, died of smallpox at the age of sixteen.
Maria Josepha (1751-1767)
10. Maria Karolina's thirteenth child, succeeding her sister Maria Josepha, became Ferdinando's first wife.
Maria Carolina (1752-1814)
There is also a clip about the family in the documentary "Bad History", everyone is called Maria, what should we call when we get together? (Interested partners can go to Kang Kang Oh ~ [Treacherous laugh])
Finally, I would like to ask you: What was the name of the queen of Louis XVI?
A. Maria Karolina
B. Maria Elizabeth
C. Marie Antoinette
D. Maria Cristina
(Answer C) This is not you at the time of the exam
Image source Wikipedia
Reference Material Sources:
https://fr-m.jinzhao.wiki/wiki/Marie-Th%C3%A9r%C3%A8se_d%27Autriche_(1717-1780)
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1vk4y1q7Zf?from=search&seid=4580321292827100121&spm_id_from=333.337.0.
CHEN Weiren. Queen Mary: The Sin of Whoever Cuts Off Her Head with a Red Face. Foreign Literature Studies, 2015(3)(In Chinese)
Don Quixote French, French Culture