Bessie smith brief biography of marie antoinette

Charlotte was three years older, but the two were as close as twins. They shared a governess and all their experiences, even infections; when one was sick the other invariably was too. As they grew older and therefore of a marriageable age they were 12 and 15 years oldtheir mother became appalled at their wild and childish behaviour and saw fit to separate the two.

Their education, such as it was, was designed to make them into princesses ready for magnificent marriages. However, an archduchess was merely a pawn in the dynastic map of Europe, and the perfect match was not made of love, it was made in the face of political alliances.

Bessie smith brief biography of marie antoinette: Born on April 15, in Chattanooga,

Charlotte was also considered as a potential bride of Louis Auguste, the new Dauphin heir to the throne of France. We can enter into the realm of historical speculation to imagine what may have happened if the more vivacious and intelligent Charlotte had become Queen of France instead of her sister. Perhaps Louis XVI, with a more determined wife by his side, may have developed more confidence in his ability to rule and to stand up to the revolutionary forces at play.

It is something we shall never know. As it was, there had to be an Austrian-French royal marriage. The Treaty of Versailles, signed inless than a year after the birth of Marie-Antoinette, was a defensive pact between Austria and France in the event of an attack from Prussia or England. Shifting alliances in Europe and the rise of Prussia meant that both France and Austria had to put aside their former hostilities.

However, in the eyes of the people, especially the French, theirs was not a natural alliance, and this would affect Marie-Antoinette in disastrous ways in the future. But upon inspection of her general knowledge and readiness to take on a significant role as a future queen of France, it was soon realised that the education of the young Antoine had been rather haphazard.

She spoke using a mishmash of colloquial French, German and Italian, was very easily distracted, and most importantly, had never been taught properly to read and write. A tutor was dispatched from France to build upon her knowledge of French history and geography, but it was soon clear that she lacked any sort of intellectual rigour or curiosity.

French style, however, was another thing altogether. Along with the hairdresser came French artist Joseph Ducreux, who painted the portrait of the future Dauphine to be sent to Versailles before the wedding. The fascinating story of the life of Marie-Antoinette continues in the next article — Part Two. Much of the information on this article has been taken from the book by Antonia Fraser, Marie Antoinette: the journeyprinted in This is one of my absolute favourite books ever.

There is an amazing degree tour here, courtesy of Google Arts and Culture. Leave me a comment in the box below! InLouis, dauphin de France also known as Louis Ferdinanddied. In Mayshe set out for France to be married, escorted by 57 carriages, footmen, and horses. Marie Antoinette and Louis-Auguste were married on May 16, He was introverted, shy, and indecisive, a lover of solitary pleasures such as reading and metalwork; she was vivacious, outgoing, and bold, a social butterfly who loved gambling, partying and extravagant fashions.

When she woke up just before noon, he had been at work for hours. Whatever his counsel, it apparently worked. Next came a son and heir, Louis-Joseph, infollowed by two more children, Louis-Charles born in and Sophie born in Marie Antoinette was a devoted mother, though royal protocol prevented her from handling their day-to-day care.

Tragedy struck the family when Sophie died less than a year after her birth and Louis-Joseph died in at age 7, just weeks before the storming of the Bastille that would ignite the French Revolution.

Bessie smith brief biography of marie antoinette: On the Precocious Early Years

During the s, countless pamphlets accused Marie Antoinette of ignorance, extravagance, and adultery. A thief posing as Marie Antoinette had obtained a diamond necklace and smuggled it to London to be sold off in pieces. Although Marie Antoinette was innocent of any involvement, she was, nevertheless, guilty in the eyes of the people.

Refusing to let public criticism alter her behavior, inMarie Antoinette began building the Hameau de la Reine, an extravagant retreat near the Petit Trianon at Versailles. However, there is no evidence that Marie Antoinette actually uttered these words, and historians generally agree that such a heartless comment would have been highly uncharacteristic of the French queen.

In October, she was convicted of treason and sent to the guillotine. She was 37 years old. The story of revolution and resistance in 18th-century France is a complicated one, and no two historians tell the story the same way. She and the people around her seemed to represent everything that was wrong with the monarchy and the Second Estate: They appeared to be tone-deaf, out of touch, disloyal along with her allegedly treasonous behavior, writers and pamphleteers frequently accused the queen of adultery and self-interested.

What Marie Antoinette was actually like was beside the point; the image of the queen was far more influential than the woman herself. You can opt out at any time.

Bessie smith brief biography of marie antoinette: Marie Antoinette was born

You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States. Your Profile. Email Updates. This led to the formation of the National Assembly — placing power in the hands of the French people and expressing high ideals of liberty, egalite and fraternity. It was a shock for the whole of Europe. The privilege of centuries was being swept away.

Rightly or wrongly, Marie came to symbolise the decadence of aristocratic privilege. This attempted flight from France made many fear that the Royal family were no longer loyal to the French government; it lost the Royal family even more popular support; some feared that Marie was seeking an alliance with the Austrian army. The French army was defeated and Marie became a convenient scapegoat.

The family were imprisoned at the Temple Prison from September In Julyher son was taken away, and in October, she was convicted of treason and executed by the guillotine. On the eve of her execution, Marie Antoinette displayed a courage and steadfastness which belied her popular image. She wrote to her sister-in-law, encouraging her to forgive young Louis for his accusations in court and to ask him not to seek revenge.

She replied. The moment when my ills are going to end is not the moment when courage is going to fail me. Marie Antoinette was 37 years old when she was executed. Amongst the propaganda and pamphlets, it becomes hard to separate her public image from her actual beliefs and behaviour. Like many aristocratic nobles, she enjoyed tremendous privilege and her life at Versailles was decadent, especially when compared to the dire poverty of most people.

But, she became a pawn in a propaganda war and her public image became subject to all kinds of projection and libel. The true Marie Antoinette is always difficult to decipher — not least because writers can rarely agree. There is no evidence she actually said this. It is likely that she was attributed to this statement out of libel and desire to make her a scapegoat.