Marie Antoinette Marrying Louis XVI

Marie Antoinette arrived in France in 1768 in order to marry Louis, who later became Louis XVI, King of France. Marie Antoinette was 14. She was young, innocent, naive and totally unprepared for the life she would have to lead in France.

To strengthen Austria's alliance with France, Maria Theresa arranged a marriage with Louis XV between her daughter, Marie Antoinette and Louis, the crown prince of France, the dauphin. At that time, France was then the most powerful nation of continental Europe, and the royal palace at Versailles was the most opulent.

The marriage between Marie Antoinette and Louis was supposed to be the most prestigious marriage of all Europe. Her magnificent marriage ceremony in 1770 was unmatched in royal pageantry. She was presented to the French king Louis XV and she became dauphine surrounded by all the comforts of the French court.

For a while, Marie Antoinette enjoyed fashion, entertainment, and luxury. Marie Antoinette 's enchanted life came to a stop when Louis XV died and her husband became King Louis XVI in 1774. Marie Antoinette was still a teenager when she became Queen of France.