Unhappy in her marriage, which remained unconsummated for seven years, she surrounded herself with a dissolute clique, led by Yolande de Polignac and Marie Th鲨se de Lamballe, and threw herself into a life of pleasure and careless extravagance. Her notorious reputation led to scandals such as the Affair of the Diamond Necklace and to rumors concerning her relations with officers of the guard and with Hans Axel Fersen. The famous solution to the bread famine, Let them eat cake, is unjustly attributed to the queen, but it is certain that Marie Antoinette lacked understanding of economic problems. With the birth of her first son, her life became more sedate.
Although she had contributed to the downfall of A. R. J. Turgot in 1776 and was hostile to Jacques Necker, her influence on the king's decisions during the first two years of the French Revolution (178991) has been exaggerated. She was brought with the king from Versailles to Paris (Oct., 1789) and was seized at Varennes when the royal family attempted to escape (1791). Despite her hatred of the Revolution, the apathy of the king forced her to conduct negotiations first with the comte de Mirabeau, then with Antoine Barnave. Simultaneously, however, she secretly urged Austrian intervention; after war was declared, she fully identified the cause of the Bourbon dynasty with that of France.
After the storming of the Tuileries palace (Aug., 1792), she and her husband were removed to the Temple and accused of treason. The king was executed in Jan., 1793. Marie Antoinette's son was taken from her (see Louis XVII), and she was transferred to the Conciergerie. Known derisively as the Widow Capet, she was tried before the Revolutionary Tribunal (Oct. 1415, 1793), found guilty, and guillotined (Oct. 16). In her last misfortunes she displayed steadfastness, courage, serenity, and dignity. Her portraits, notably by ɬisabeth Vig饭Lebrun, are well known.
Among Marie Antoinette's published correspondence see Lettres de Marie Antoinette (2 vol., 189596) and Olivier Bernier ed., Secrets of Marie Antoinette: A Collection of Letters (1986). See also biographies by S. Zweig (tr. 1933), A. Castelot (tr., 1957), D. M. Mayer (1969), P. Huisman (tr. 1971), J. Haslip (1987), A. Fraser (2001), and C. Weber (2006).
The Columbia Encyclopedia. Copyright © 2001-10 Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
- Marie Caroline
Marie Caroline, 1752–1814, queen of Naples, consort of Ferdinand IV (later Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies), daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Francis I and Maria Theresa, and sister of Queen Mar...
- Hérault de Séchelles, Marie Jean
Hérault de Séchelles, Marie Jean, 1759–94, French revolutionary. A lawyer, he became a favorite of Queen Marie Antoinette, but nevertheless joined the revolutionary cause in 1789. A member of ...
- Barnave, Antoine Pierre Joseph Marie
Barnave, Antoine Pierre Joseph Marie, 1761–93, French revolutionary. A member of the States-General of 1789 from Grenoble, he was a brilliant speaker and leader of the Jacobins. After Louis XV...
- Angoulême, Marie Thérèse Charlotte, duchesse d'
Angoulême, Marie Thérèse Charlotte, duchesse d', 1778–1851, wife of Louis Antoine d'Angoulême; daughter of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. She was imprisoned (1792–95) during the French Revolu...
- Lamballe, Marie Thérèse Louise de Savoie-Carignan, princesse...
Lamballe, Marie Thérèse Louise de Savoie-Carignan, princesse de, 1749–92, devoted friend and favorite of Queen Marie Antoinette of France. Extremely unpopular, she was killed by a mob during t...
- Campan, Jeanne Louise Henriette
Campan, Jeanne Louise Henriette, 1752–1822, French educator and author. She served as a reader to Louis XV's daughters and as lady-in-waiting to Marie Antoinette. In 1792 she founded a school ...
- Louis XVI, king of France
Louis XVI, 1754–93, king of France (1774–92), third son of the dauphin (Louis) and Marie Josèphe of Saxony, grandson and successor of King Louis XV. In 1770 he married the Austrian archduchess...
- Polignac, Yolande Martine Gabrielle de Polastron, duchesse d...
Polignac, Yolande Martine Gabrielle de Polastron, duchesse de, c.1749–1793, favorite of Queen Marie Antoinette of France. Her husband, Jules, comte de Polignac, was created duke and acquired a...
- Viotti, Giovanni Battista
Viotti, Giovanni Battista, 1755–1824, Italian violinist, considered the greatest of his day. He made public appearances until 1783, and the next year he became court musician to Marie Antoinet...
- Vigée-Lebrun, Élisabeth
Vigée-Lebrun, Élisabeth, 1755–1842, French portrait painter; pupil of her father, the painter Louis Vigée. She was influenced by Greuze. Summoned to Versailles in 1779 to paint Marie Antoinett...
