Overview: Why Was Marie Antoinette So Fascinating?
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Marie Antoinette was one of history’s most compelling figures, and this blog is intended to explore exactly why we all find her so fascinating.
Was it because she lived and partied like a rock star? Was it because she was thrust into queendom at such a young age and with such an odd husband? Or perhaps it was because we still haven’t decided yet which light to see her in more; the Austrian-born queen that bankrupted France, or the victimized, simple, country girl who was thrust into a situation that none of us would easily handle… And then be beheaded for her way of coping with it.
Whatever it was, we find it a great story, regardless. So let’s begin at the beginning.
Marie Antoinette was born November 2, 1755 in Vienna, Austria, a daughter to the Emperor and Empress of the Holy Roman Empire.
Born into a life of luxury, she preferred the country life as a child and was never prepared for a life of politics or responsibility. Her sudden marriage to Louis XVI was deemed the most spectacular Europe had ever seen. Yet, her story was a tragic one. Within a few years, Marie Antoinette went from the most well known queen of France to the woman who was largely blamed for the French revolution.
Marie Antoinette was the fifteenth child of Francis Stephen I and Maria Theresa, Emperor and Empress of the Holy Roman Empire, which was seated in Austria at the time. Her beauty and appearance may have been overstated, as was her personality and behavior. One thing is clear, however, there were many rumors spread by Marie Antoinette’s enemies.
In future chapters of this Biography category of the blog here, we’ll tell the story of Marie Antoinette from her birth to her dreaded execution. We’ll try to focus on many important people in Marie Antoinette ’s life such as her mother, the Empress Maria Theresa, whom many people pin blame on for Marie Antoinette’s tragedy.
Had Maria Theresa prepared Marie Antoinette more of a how to run a country, things might have turned out quite differently for Marie Antoinette. (Although not as interestingly.)
We discuss Maria Theresa in quite a bit of a detail here on this blog since she had great influence on Marie Antoinette’s life. The treaty of Versailles which Maria Theresa signed also came into play, and will be discussed. The treaty of Versailles marked the event that would changed Marie Antoinette’s life forever.
We will even touch on the subject of the French revolution itself, and a few characters involved such as Madame DuBarry and Axel von Fersen, whom many think had an affair with Marie Antoinette.
So we hope you enjoy our biography on Marie Antoinette; feel free to drop us a line with any questions or corrections as we create it. You can reach us from the about us page anytime.