This simple apology shows her noble temperament and calmness that does not surprise her. However, how did the queen's former glory and wealth go to that bleak scene? How did all the wealth, power, and love she once had leave her? Why did a princess from the royal family suffer such a tragic fate in the end? What mistake had she committed to bear such misfortune?
The origin of Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette was born into the Viennese royal family in 1755. She was the youngest daughter of Franz I and Empress Maria Theresa of the Austrian Roman Empire and was much pampered from an early age. The rules of the royal family are strict, but for Mary, the love of her parents seems to have allowed her to escape the harsh education.
Growing up at the court, Mary lived a carefree and innocent life. There is an anecdote that after Mozart gave a concert for the royal family, Queen Maria was very happy and asked him what reward he wanted. Mozart joked that he wished he could kiss Mary at her wedding. Hearing this, the little princess Mary was amused.
Mary's personality is lively and active, and she often has mischievous behavior. She is always perverse in class, skipping class to play, and has little interest in learning. The teacher said helplessly, this young lady likes to have fun, not to think. Although Maria loved her little daughter, she never relaxed her education, especially in terms of manners and etiquette.
When Marie was 11 years old, Austria and France concluded an alliance and decided to marry politically in order to strengthen their relations. At a young age, Mary was betrothed to Louis XVI, Dauphin of France. At the age of 14, Marie traveled to a strange France and married Louis XVI.
The groom's flaws and suspicions
When Marie got married, her husband, Louis XVI, was 15 years old, younger than her. As a monarch, Louis XVI was introverted, wooden, lacking in leadership, and indulged in small crafts all day long, and was nicknamed the "blacksmith king". Louis XVI did not help to create the image of an ideal husband, and it was difficult for Marie to find a spiritual fit in her married life.
For several years after her marriage, Mary was unable to have children, causing criticism from the outside world. At that time, it was widely believed that fertility problems were with women. Mary suffers from the accusations and rebukes of her subjects, which puts her in trouble. Despite the fact that fertility problems most likely stem from Louis XVI's physical defects.
Louis XVI felt deeply guilty and most often chose to indulge and defend Marie. But Mary's extravagant life caused discontent and disgust among the people. Balls, fashions, and jewellery were all Mary's love, and she was like an arrogant princess rather than a dignified queen. There was a widely slandered quote at the time: "If there is no bread, why not eat cake?"
In fact, this is undoubtedly an exaggerated slander against Mary. Although Mary lived a luxurious life, she would never say such an offensive word. It's just that the people at that time were already strongly dissatisfied with the royal family and focused on Mary as an outlet for anger. Instead of blaming the monarch, it is better to point the finger directly at the queen.
Although Marie did not run out of the treasury, the populace stubbornly believed that France's fiscal deficit was due to her profligacy, giving her the nickname "Madame of Deficit". In the eyes of her subjects, Mary became a bad queen who was arrogant and lascivious, and was strongly abused and attacked by public opinion.
The necklace incident and public revulsion deepened
In 1778, Louis XVI wanted to give Mary a diamond-encrusted necklace worth 1.6 million livres as a gift. But because the necklace had been made by Louis XV for his mistress Du Barry, Marie refused to accept it out of pride. A few years later, the necklace was used by a crook named Jeanne, which further deteriorated Marie's image in the eyes of the population.
Jeanne is a liar who fabricates letters in order to hook up with Cardinal Rohan, impersonating an identity that Marie is familiar with. He even hired Nicole, a prostitute who resembled Mary, to meet Rohan in the guise of the queen, convincing the cardinal that the queen was in love with him.
In 1784, Jeanne and Rohan colluded with each other to defraud a large amount of money. The jewellers also came to sell the necklace, and they took the opportunity to forge a letter that Mary had allowed to buy, and soon absconded after obtaining the necklace. After the incident came to light, Jeanne and others were arrested and imprisoned.
Although the ensuing trial confirmed Mary's innocence, the populace had become ingrained in the belief that it was just a trick by the upper nobility to cover up each other. In their eyes, Mary was a bad queen who was lascivious and misbehaved. The necklace incident undoubtedly made matters worse, further deepening the people's dissatisfaction and disgust with Mary.
In the eyes of the French people, Marie became the spokesperson for all social contradictions and injustices. She was dressed up as an ugly and shameful figure, paraded in public and subjected to personal attacks and abuse. Soon, Mary became the notorious "Lady of Deficit" and her reputation plummeted.
The French Revolution broke out and the royal power was on the verge of collapse
On July 14, 1789, the leakage of an anonymous letter about Marie's affair with her Austrian brother led to a peak of popular anger against the royal family, which led to the French Revolution that shocked all of Europe. The people of Paris captured the Bastille and formed the National Guard.
The tide of revolution spread rapidly, and the royal power began to be in jeopardy. In October of the same year, an angry crowd stormed the Palace of Versailles and forcibly took Louis XVI and his family to Paris. Mary had previously tried to negotiate with the Austrian crown to send troops to suppress the revolution, but was refused. This undoubtedly intensified the hatred of the revolutionaries against her.
In 1792, the revolutionary government was overthrown, and the monarchy never existed. The following year, Louis XVI was executed, and Marie was tried and imprisoned by the Revolutionary Tribunal. Although she stubbornly defended the absolute monarchy and refused to recognize the legitimacy of the revolutionary regime, she was powerless to reverse the fall of the monarchy when the tide had turned.
Prussia and other countries tried to intervene in the revolution, but failed. As a result, Mary completely lost her last chance of life, and her situation was even worse, and she was in a desperate situation. After several difficult months in prison, on October 16, 1793, Mary was sentenced by the Revolutionary Court to be hanged.
In the face of the baptism of the revolutionary wave, Mary was not spared in the end. As the spokesperson of the pharaoh's authority, she was destined to pay for the autocratic rule. Although he was not at fault personally, he had to suffer the impact of the torrent of the times and become a victim of the revolution.
The calmness and dignity of the queen before the guillotine
On October 16, 1793, Mary was guillotined. This once glorious and wealthy queen from the Viennese royal family can only meet the last moments of her life as a prisoner.
Before the execution, the jailer stripped Mary of all her clothes, which was an unprecedented shame for a queen. Although Mary has lost the honor of the past, she still shows a noble temperament in this special situation. According to eyewitness recollections, she whispered: "I am willing to take off my clothes myself, don't be so savage."
On the way to the guillotine, Mary accidentally stepped on the executioner's foot and subconsciously said "I'm sorry". This scene left a deep impression on those present. Even in desperate situations, Mary maintained a polite demeanor, showing the innate reserve and elegance of a royal nobleman.
Despite having long since lost her power and status, Mary never gave up her proud self-esteem. On her deathbed, she again protested against the illegality of the revolutionary government and refused to accept the priest's consolation. Until the last moment, the stubborn queen did not succumb to the scythe of autocracy.
At 9 a.m. on October 16, 1793, Mary was guillotined by her executioners in an uproar, and was soon killed by the merciless guillotine. The former queen of glory and wealth finally suffered a tragic end, becoming one of the many victims of the French Revolution.
On the day of her execution, Robespierre, a revolutionary with whom she had many grievances, commented: "She did not show any fear or weakness just now, but like a pure and noble soul, she walked forward with her chest and faced death." This heartfelt praise is undoubtedly the highest praise for the quality of this queen.