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Biography **This is a detailed biography of Marie Antoinette’s life, her background, influences, career and the lead up to her death by execution. ** Press to Play: media type="file" key="Marie Antoinette Soundtrack - 04 - I Don't Like It Like This.mp3" width="239" height="19" align="center"

Family Background  Marie Antoinette was born on November 2, 1755 in Vienna (now Austria). Her original name was Maria Antonia Josepha Joanna which led to the nickname of her youth Antoni. She was the fifteenth child of sixteen and the youngest daughter. Marie Antoinette’s Father was the Holy Roman Emperor Francis I and Mother, Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria and Queen of Hungary and Bohemia. Marie Antoinette was part of the Hadsburg dynasty, the imperial house of Austria-Hungary, and identified with the Holy Roman Empire since the early 10th century. Formed from two branches—one Austrian and one Spanish—the Hadsburg dynasty intermarried its prince’s and princess’s with other European countries. The Holy Roman Empire consisted of small states in central Europe which formed an assemblage and reached the peak of its power before the end of the sixteenth century yet lasted until 1806. Empress Maria Theresa, Marie Antoinette’s mother ruled over the Holy Roman Empire after Francis I’s died of a heart attack in 1765. Maria Antoinette was ten years old when her father the Holy Roman Emperor Francis I died suddenly of a heart attack, aged 55. This mean Marie Antoinette’s mother, Empress Marie Theresa took over ruling the Holy Roman Empire. Maria Theresa was an ambitious, determined woman and a strong leader, who saw her role in life was to marry all her children strategically so to strengthen Austria’s alliances and ties. Marie Antoinette’s mother succeeded: the family tree shows three of the thirteen children who survived to adulthood, becoming a King or Queen and the rest highly married. Maria Theresa did not give much time to her youngest daughter, Marie Antoinette, until the proposal of her marriage to the Dauphin of France. She then gave more time to Marie Antoinette, though her education tutelage was largely due left to various teachers and professors. Occupation as Queen of France  On the 10th May, 1774, Louis XV died of smallpox, leaving his grandson, Louis, King. Louis was crowned on 11th of June, 1775 and Marie Antoinette became Queen of France. As Queen of France, Marie Antoinette’s main role was to produce an heir, preferably male. However, for seven years after her marriage, she showed no signs of pregnancy. This lead to vicious rumours about Louis’s incompetence and Marie Antoinette’s supposed lovers, including the Comte d’Artois and Count Axel von Fersen. In 1778, Marie Antoinette finally had a child, Marie Therese. However, this was not the desired son and the pressure continued, until 1781, when she had a son, Louis Joseph. Two more children would follow in 1785 and then again in 1786. Marie Antoinette was an affectionate mother who played a huge role in her children’s education and upbringing, differing in this instance from previous traditional French royal upbringing. While Marie Antoinette was initially popular in France, during her tenure as Queen, her popularity severly declined. There had always been a rivalry between the Austrian and French empires and, as such, she was a target for criticism. She was referred to as //l'Autrichienne// (The Austrian Women) or in a more derogatory manner as //l'Autruchienne,// (the Austrian dog). Her political power and influence was vastly over-stated by her opponents, to increasingly picture her as an enemy of France. Marie Antoinette was also depicted as wasteful by the French citizenry and was accused of wasting money. As a public figure, Marie Antoinette, who was already unpopular became an easy target for vicious rumours with illegal pamphlets circulated containing cartoons depicting her as immoral, ignorant, extravagant and adulterous. The so called ‘Diamond Necklace Affair’ damaged Marie Antoinette’s already bad reputation. Jewellers in Paris had made an expensive necklace for Madame du Barry (Louis XV’s mistress) and offered to sell it to Marie Antoinette, she declined this offer. At this time, the Cardinal de Rohan wanted to gain the regard of the queen. A con artist, Jeanne de la Mottle hired a prostitute to play Marie Antoinette and make Rohan believe she loved him. Rohan was persuaded by Jeanne to purchase the diamond necklace, supposedly on behalf of the queen. He did so and on making an agreement that the queen would pay him back, he gave the necklace to Jeanne who promptly disappeared. The jewellers demanded payment from Marie Antoinette who had never agreed to anything. An investigation was held and found Marie Antoinette to be innocent in the matter. However, the French public refused to be swayed and believed she had set the plan up for her amusement. French Revolution and Capture  The French Revolution of 1789- 1793 had several major causes. At this time, poverty was a major problem amongst the common class. However, while the lower classes starved, the noble population lived in luxury. This was in part due to the tax system and had been an ongoing problem for years. During this period, all people in France were put into groups called Estates. The Third Estate was made up of the common class whome bore the brunt of taxes. The First and Second Estates were made up of nobles and members of the clergy, this class had political power, wealth and payed less in taxes. In 1787, Louis attempted to change the taxation system to favour the poor but encountered heavy resistance from nobles at the Estates General. Tension also existed over the state of the budget, by 1787; France had a debt of 4,000 million livres due to extended involvement in wars, such as the Seven Years War. The relaxed attitude to finances adopted by French nobles only exacerbated the not only the debt, but the anger of the common class. In the years before, there had been drought and harsh winters which had resulted in severe famine. Greatly affecting the entire common class population more significantly then the nobles and clergy men who could afford the increase in food prices. ‘If they cannot eat bread, let them eat cake!’ is a famous quote falsely attributed to Marie Antoinette which was implicated onto her by Revolutionaries due to the severe famine and harsh winters. After the failure of the Estates General, the Third Estate broke away and formed a new group, the National Assembly. The National Assembly met and pledged to make a new constitution for France. The King initially tried to resist the National Assembly’s constitution, but due to overwhelming force, he was made to agree. In the light of rising tensions, Revolutionaries in Paris raced to gather arms. They stormed the Bastille, and till today, this remains one of the biggest moments of the French Revolution. In 1789, the Royal Family were taken to Paris and imprisoned in Tuileries Palace. The National Assembly gained power and pushed through their constitution, making France a constitutional monarchy, and effectively removing all power from Louis XVI, the King of France. On June 21, 1791, the royal family attempted to escape imprisonment in Paris, planning on heading to Montmedy, a royalist stronghold just outside the French borders. They disguised themselves as a Russian Baroness travelling with her family and servants. However, due to many mistakes, the plan failed. Marie Antoinette and her family were caught in the city of Varennes after Louis was recognised ny an ex-servant. They were taken back to Paris and imprisoned once more. In the aftermath, Louis’s chance at regaining his power was further reduced and he was viewed as a coward by the French people. Trial and Execution In 1792, Louis was charged and found guilty of treason against France. He was executed by the recently invented guillotine on 17th January 1793. After Louis was executed, Marie Antoinette’s son, Louis Charles the Dauphin of France, was taken from her to be ‘re-educated’. On August 2nd, Marie Antoinette was taken from her daughter and placed in the Conciergerie Prison to await trial. She was accused of treason and sexually abusing her son. It is widely accepted that the evidence from Louis Charles (her son) that was presented was forced from him by his gaolers and was a plot to further discredit the Queen. Marie Antoinette responded passionately to this charge and was regarded by many in the crowd to be innocent. She was, however found guilty of treason against France and sentenced to death. On 16th October 1793, she was transported through Paris like a common criminal and executed, also by guillotine.

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