A decade earlier, farmers had already risen in the so-called Flour War, a series of riots following a surge in bread prices. Her idealized show of “the simple life” was a response to the fashion of returning to nature, but there was growing discontent among the actual farmers in the French countryside who were losing their lands. She was thought to be spending her money on trifles and seemed to selfishly abandon her responsibilities as a mother, wife, and queen. The Milkmaid by Jean-Baptiste Huet, 18th century, via Paris Museums CollectionsĪs the queen broke from court etiquette and continued to expand her fantasy world, public opinion was rapidly turning against her. ![]() She swapped her elaborate royal gowns for a simple white muslin dress and straw hat and played the role of shepherdesses in the plays she’d perform at the Trianon. She expanded on the original design by adding stocked ponds, streams, and a rural village with an idyllic display of milkmaids, cheesemakers, and shepherds. The pinnacle of her escapism was satisfied when Louis gifted her Le Petit Trianon in 1774. Her father, who’d died when she was nine, occupied a mere ceremonial position at court and enjoyed spending time with his family in a carefree environment where all formalities were dropped.īut formalities were always present at the highly regimented French court and Marie Antoinette felt a desire to escape. While Marie Antoinette was certainly raised to obey, the rules at Versailles occasionally proved to be too rigid for the fun-loving queen. Lavish Escapism, Costly Politics, and a Starving Population Marie Antoinette, Queen of France by Marie Louise Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, 1778, via Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna It wouldn’t take long for the king’s indecisiveness and the queen’s extravagance to lead to trouble. Louis never denied his wife anything, and somewhat enabled her pleasures much as she did his. Louis loved to read and busy himself with metalworks, while Marie Antoinette was outgoing and indulged in gambling and partying, and reveled in extravagant clothing, hairdos, and jewels. Stylish Hairdo, The Art of Women’s Hairdressing, 1767, via the National Library of FranceĪntoinette was very different from her reserved husband. It took seven years for the couple to finally consummate their marriage, but once they had, Antoinette would give birth to four children, of which only one, Marie Thérèse, would reach adulthood. While it was essential for the couple to produce a legitimate heir, the act of sexual intercourse seemed to make the king uncomfortable. The dauphin was indecisive, quiet and shy, and initially showed little interest in his beautiful new bride. The new dauphine married Louis on May 16th, 1770, and they would be crowned as the new King and Queen of France and Navarra a mere four years later. ![]() Louis XVI, King of France by Francois Dumont, 1785, via Louvre Collections, Paris Sadly, Antoinette was never able to fulfill her mother’s wishes. ![]() Maria Theresa wished her daughter good luck, pleading with her to be good to the French people as if an angel was sent to them. In a bid to pacify France, then an enemy of Austria, 14-year-old Antoinette was sent to marry France’s heir to the throne, the future Louis XVI. These qualities would serve her well in the diplomatic game aristocratic girls were expected to play when securing a tight-knit web of alliances within Europe. The iron-willed Maria Theresa, always more of a state leader than a mother, saw little Antoinette as a light-hearted and affectionate girl, but not necessarily a remarkable one.Īrchduchess Maria Antonia of Austria, by Martin van Meytens the Younger, 1767, via the Smithsonian InstituteĪs Marie Antoinette entered her teenage years, she certainly didn’t become less frivolous, but her unparalleled charm and grace made her stand out. A sweet and endearing child, Antoinette enjoyed music, dancing, and riding, but was never all that interested in pursuing academic topics. As the youngest girl among a large number of children, Marie Antoinette enjoyed a life of privilege and wealth. Marie Antoinette, born Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna, grew up at the Habsburg court in Vienna as the 15th child of Empress Maria Theresa. From Marie Antoinette’s Privileged Childhood to Illustrious Versailles Archduchess Marie Antoinette, Future Queen of France by Jean-Etienne Liotard, 1762, via Musée d’art et d’histoire de Genève
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