Marie Antoinette

**Marie Antoinette** (2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last Queen of France, as the wife of King Louis XVI, before the monarchy was ended in the French Revolution. She was born as **Maria Antonia** **Josepha Johanna (Marie Antoinette Joseph Jeanne)** as an Archduchess of Austria.

She married Louis in 1770, when she was 14 years old and four years before he became the king. They were not close at first, and at first it was difficult for them to have children. After seven years of marriage, she gave birth to a daughter, and later to three more children. She was the mother of Louis XVII of France, who never actually became king.

Although she was not unpopular at first, many people in France did not want the country to have an Austrian queen. France's alliance with Austria was unpopular; the two countries had been enemies until 1756, and their alliance had led to France's defeat in the Seven Years' War. It was not until during the French Revolution that she became an unpopular symbol of the old French monarchy (*Ancien Régime*). There were rumours that she spent too much money, had lovers and supported France's enemies. There was a rumour that when she learned that peasants were starving, she said "Let them eat cake," but there is no evidence she said this. Many of these rumours were started by other people at the court, where Marie Antoinette had few friends. It is not clear what caused the French Revolution, The Empress quickly became well again after giving birth, and was reported to have looked happy and healthy. Marie's full name at her time of birth was Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna. But when she moved to France, she was called by the French version of her name, Marie Antoinette. Marie Antoinette was taken care of by Constance Weber, a wet-nurse of the royal family. When Marie Antoinette was a child, she often gave gifts to Constance Weber and her son, Joseph. According to Joseph, Marie Antoinette once said to Constance, "Good Weber, have a care for your son."

Joseph Weber added that the Archdukes and Archduchesses were allowed to make friends with "ordinary" (common) children. Except on  celebrations, people who did not have a very high birth or title were still liked and allowed into the court. Marie Antoinette was known as "Antoine" when she was young. The Austrian court young Madame Antoine grew up in was already beginning to become much less formal. Antoine was taught by Countess Brandeis, who loved Marie Antoinette and treated her very kindly. Antoine's first recorded letter, written when she was 11 or 12, was to "dearest Brandeis" from "your faithful pupil (student) who loves you dearly, Antoine". However, though the countess taught Antoine about morality and religion, she did not educate her on many other subjects, and Antoine did not like to concentrate. Later, one of her friends said that when she talked, her words were not connected, "like a grasshopper". In fact, when Antoine was 12 she could not write or even speak French and German properly, though she spoke Italian well. She greatly loved music, though. In 1759, shortly before she became four years old, Antoine sang a French song at a party for her father, while her brothers and sisters sang Italian songs. She listened to and met Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart who was playing "marvellously" She was much less skilled at reading.

Still, she loved her childhood home in Vienna and later missed it very much. She once said about her mother, "I love the Empress but I'm frightened (afraid) of her, even at a distance; when I'm writing to her, I never feel completely at ease (comfortable)." She disliked her sister, the Archduchess Marie "Mimi" Christine, who her mother seemed to love most. Charlotte was more forceful, and Antoine was usually thought to be prettier. The Empress wanted Josepha, who was gentle and pretty, to marry Charles III of Spain.

But a bride was still needed for King Ferdinand of Naples. Maria Teresa quickly wrote a letter explaining what had happened to Charles III of Spain a month after Josepha died. "I grant  of my daughters to make good the loss," she wrote. "I do currently (right now) have two who could fit, one is the Archduchess Amalia who is said to have a pretty face and whose health should  other is the Archduchess Charlotte who is also very healthy and a year and seven months younger than the King of Naples." Soon, the King of Naples married Charlotte and Amalia was married to Louis XV's grandson, Don Ferdinand of Parma. Amalia was not happy with her mother's decision.

The only daughter left was now Marie Antoinette. Empress Maria Theresa decided to use Antonia to make Austria become friendly with France. After long discussions, Antonia was engaged to Louis-Auguste, Dauphin of France. The duc de Choiseul from France and the Prince of Starhemberg from Austria helped arrange the wedding.

They immediately began preparing Marie Antoinette for her marriage. Her teeth were , but a French dentist came to fix it. Her thick "mountain of curls" were dressed by Larsenneur, a famous hairdresser who powdered and softened her hair. though she had a long, graceful neck. She could not read or write properly in French or German, but a year after Vermond had arrived, she could speak it well enough. By the time she left Austria, she was speaking French easily and well, even if it had a small German accent. The Abbe also found that Marie Antoinette did not know much about French history, which they studied carefully together. In the end, Marie received a fairly good education.

### Death 
Marie Antoinette was publicly executed by guillotine for treason in Paris, France, on 16 October 1793, months after the death of her husband. Her youngest son Louis-Charles, later died of tuberculosis and malnutrition during the revolution. She was buried in the Saint Denis Basilica. Her eldest daughter, Marie Therese, was the only one of their family to survive the revolution.
## Children
## Titles from birth to death
* 2 November 1755 – 19 April 1770: *Her Royal Highness* Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria
* 19 April 1770 – 10 May 1774: *Her Royal Highness* The Dauphine of France
* 10 May 1774 – 1 October 1791: *Her Most Christian Majesty* The Queen of France and Navarre
* 1 October 1791 – 21 September 1792: *Her Most Christian Majesty* The Queen of the French
* 21 September 1792 – 21 January 1793: Madame Capet
* 21 January 1793 – 16 October 1793: La Veuve ("the widow") Capet

## Images 

Image:Marie Antoinette Young2.jpg|Maria Antonia of Austria, Archduchess, aged 12
Image:Marie Antoinette and her Children by Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun.jpg|Marie-Antoinette and her children, oil on canvas, by Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun, 1787
Image:Marie Antoinette being taken to her Execution, 1794.jpg|Marie-Antoinette is taken to execution, 1793, 
Image:Exécution de Marie Antoinette le 16 octobre 1793.jpg|Execution of Marie-Antoionette, 16th October 1793
Image:Marie Antoinette Adult13.jpg|The last drawing of the queen, by Louis David

## Related pages
*Affair of the Diamond Necklace

## Notes 
## References 
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## Other websites 
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