Opulence. Indulgence. Excess. Words inextricably linked with Marie Antoinette, Queen, wife to Louis XVI of France, and symbol to many of the ever-growing economic disparity in 18th century France.
Born Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna von Österreich-Lothringen in Vienna in 1755, she was thrust into the political playing field, as so many royal children have been throughout the centuries, via marriage-cum-political alliance. Marie Antoinette was just 14 years old when she married Louis, then-dauphin of France, via proxy wedding ceremony. The two would meet in person a month later, and would become rulers of France in 1774 upon the death of Louis’ grandfather, Louis XV. Marie Antoinette was Queen at just 19 years old.
Coming from Austria, she was thrown headfirst into a world of French customs and etiquette at Versailles. While she was unaccustomed to this new life at court, Marie Antoinette soon blossomed into an eager participant and patron of the arts, fully enjoying all the splendor that court and culture had to offer. She became too comfortable in the role, however, and was the subject of much criticism for her wasteful and frivolous ways.
Her character contrasted strongly with that of the subdued and studious Louis XVI; it is almost no wonder Marie Antoinette sought so much entertainment to keep herself occupied. The couple did not produce children until seven years into their marriage--a fault most historians believe lies with Louis XVI’s lack of interest in (and/or knowledge of) sex. That is not to say that they did not get along; in fact there was much fondness and good will between them. But rather they sought happiness in different ways, at least on the surface. Moreover, Marie Antoinette’s choices of amusement were alarmingly high profile in comparison to her husband’s, and thus she incurred much of the public’s resentment, embodying all that was unfair about the current political system. The public saw her as an outsider, with outside loyalties, spending France’s money to her heart’s delight. (Even when it wasn't true; learn more about the Affair of the Diamond Necklace.) Obscene and satirical pamphlets dragged the Queen’s reputation through the mud for much of her reign.
By 1787, Marie Antoinette was so unpopular that she had been mockingly given the nickname "Madame Deficit." A painting of the queen by court painter Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun was intended to be hung at the Salon of the Royal Academy in August of that year, but out of fear of public outrage, the painting was not put on display. Instead, an empty frame remained, to which a jokester affixed a note: "Behold the Deficit!" Six years later, in the midst of revolution, Marie Antoinette was executed in Paris, nine months after her husband suffered the same fate.
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