King Louis XVI (1754-1793) and Marie Antoinette of Austria (1755-1793)

[EmpressRouge]

Marie Antoinette had her faults but ultimately was the wrong person at the wrong place at the wrong time. Interestingly, the Empress Josephine (Napoleon's first wife) was far more extravagent M-A. Josephine's clothes, jewels and expenses would have made M-A seem like a farmer's wife, but Josephine managed to stay popular w/ the people throughout her life.

[semisquare]

its alright queenanne, i love to debate.
i dont have any author's names infront of me right now but give me a couple of days to come up with some name. but in the mean time i really like reading about women in power. from the time i saw an episode of fantasy island, one actress wanted to be a queen. in the end she found out that she was marie antoinette. at that point in my life i had never heard of her. so i begain to read about her life and i havent stop sense, 20+ yrs later.
i say that her life could have ended up differently because of how the times she receivedwarnings even from her older brother. who visited her and her country many years before the revolution. infact, he was the one that help her and her husband with the problem they hand in regards to having children.
there is a book with a collections of letters from maria to her mother and letters that were written from the austrian ambassador to maria's mother.
maria teresa knew was type of situation her daughter was in, so she had the austrian ambassador keep an eye on her daughter and report all of the goings on. while, she warn her daughter of her behavior and her duty as a queen.
also, i think if i was place in the same situation i would behavor better. i only say that because i am older and a firm beliver that history always repeats itself and we should learn from other peoples mistakes

[Alicky]

Originally Posted by semisquare

there is a book with a collections of letters from maria to her mother and letters that were written from the austrian ambassador to maria's mother.

I know what you mean, I've read a lot of the letters where they talk disparagingly of Marie between them. I think I may have read letters from Maria Theresa to Marie with contents in a similar vein.

[RussianHistoryBuff]

Did Marie really shout, "let them eat cake"? I heard that that was just a historic bit of trickery. So, I am confused. Someone please tell me.

[silverstar]

quote
I agree. If you read a book on Madame Deficit (lol!), from the beginning to the end it was almost like two different people. My favorite book on her was written by Evelyn Lever (a great biographer!), the title escapes me but it was something along the lines of "Marie Antoinette."
end quote

hmm that figures,
could it be...Marie Antoinette: The Last Queen Of France by Evelyn Lever

[silverstar]

There seems to have been some strange lethargy that
came over the ruling powers in France.. and more particularly Paris.
Was this lethargy there long before Marie arrived ? Louis 15ths reign had been long and he was unpopular, the finances of France were in a bad way... the aristocracy were decadent and out of touch.

There seemed to be no strong authority ruling that vast city... militarily I mean.
A violent mob stormed a Paris arsenal and seized 1000s of weapons.... but they had no gunpowder.
That was why they made there way to the Bastille because it was known to house and store a vast amount of gunpowder.

A similar mob in London would soon have been sorted out by By Britains strong and well organized military, but in Paris, there was no willpower to stand down the mob.
The mob had their way, the Bastille was stormed ... and the rest is history !

[Alicky]

Does anyone remember the smallpox episode with one of Maria Antonia's older sisters, before Maria was married? I might be mixing things up, let me see if I can find something online really quick.

[Mapple]

Originally Posted by Alicky

Does anyone remember the smallpox episode with one of Maria Antonia's older sisters, before Maria was married? I might be mixing things up, let me see if I can find something online really quick.

Do you mean Maria Theresa sending her daughter to pray among the corpses of Habsburgs?

[Alicky]

Yes! That's it exactly.

[Alicky]

Was Maria Josepha the daughter? And also the name of Joseph's wife that had died?

[Mapple]

Originally Posted by Alicky

Was Maria Josepha the daughter? And also the name of Joseph's wife that had died?

Yes, that's true. Maria Josepha of Bavaria was Crown Prince Joseph's wife, who died of smallpox. Maria Theresa sent her daughter of the same name, who was set to go to the Kingdom of Two Sicilies (Maria Josepha was engaged to King Ferdinand), to pray in the Imperial Vault before leaving Vienna. And Habsburgs had a macabre penchant for burying their family members in open coffins then...

[Alicky]

I guess they were trying to economize lol.

[Mapple]

Maria Carolina (the third sister to be betrothed to King Ferdinand) flatly refused to go to the Imperial Vault, and the Empress, having criticised the lack of piety in the young generation, went there to pray herself... As it was usual for Maria Theresa.

[Alicky]

Did she have smallpox before resulting in a physiological resistance to it? Or was she just plain lucky?

[Mapple]

Originally Posted by Alicky

Did she have smallpox before resulting in a physiological resistance to it? Or was she just plain lucky?

She already had had smallpox, if I remember correctly.

[tiaraprin]

Marie Antoinette



http://womenshistory.about.com/libra...antoinette.htm

[Harry's polo shirt]

What is this I can't read it http://home-3.worldonline.nl/~cniest...ntoinette1.jpg

[tiaraprin]

Originally Posted by Harry's polo shirt

What is this I can't read it http://home-3.worldonline.nl/~cniest...ntoinette1.jpg

Although this is Danish and not German, and I don't know German too well, it seems some of Marie Antoinette's jewelry was stolen on the night of June 13 in West London.

[Harry's polo shirt]

Originally Posted by tiaraprin

Although this is Danish and not German, and I don't know German too well, it seems some of Marie Antoinette's jewelry was stolen on the night of June 13 in West London.

thanks, I only know english:o

Here is something else I found.
You have to scroll down a bit--past her background.
http://www.soupsong.com/zjul04.html --VERMICELLI SOUP: The Last Meal of Queen Marie Antoinette Before Her Execution. I looked for other sites to make sure that it is accurate and they sent me back to this one. So I guess it is.

[semisquare]

care for her hemorrhages.

what are the hemorrhages spoked of in the article? i have read that that her hair change from blond to white and that she age so much that she look like a women in her 60's not in her 30's.
does anyone believe she was misunderstood or that she just didnt care about her subjects and her duties?