Life and Legacy of Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne de Habsbourg-Lorraine was born in the mid-eighteenth century as an archduchess and princess, to Maria Teresa, the Austrian Empress, at the very apex of the European hierarchal pyramid. She was an essential part to the oldest royal European house, as it became known that her sole duty in life was to unite the two great powers and long-term enemies of Austria-Hungary and France by marriage. She was brutally overthrown by her own starving people and portrayed to the world as a villain and abuser of power, whereas sympathy for the young queen should be shown.

When Marie crossed the border at fifteen into Paris, everything about her previous identity was stripped down and carted away. She became a fine edition to the French court, and the current king, Louis XV wrote in his journal, approving of her being "full-figured and delightful.” She adjusted to a new life and language, and a few months later, at the coronation ceremony, her husband Louis XVI was crowned the next ruler of France, and her in turn, queen. In her early years, she was popular among the aristocracy and nobles (Morris), but as time passed with endless court rituals and strict etiquette, Marie became bored of her position and her failing husband. Louis XVI allowed for his wife to endure the reproachful mockery of the elite, as the pair was unable to produce an heir for nearly a decade, at the faulting awkwardness of the king (Marie Antoinette: Story of a Queen through Primary Sources).

As a teenager, Marie spent her time enjoying Versailles' and Paris' night life with a notorious clique and fondness of making fashion statements through extravagant couture and bold coiffures (“The Grand Dauphin”). ...

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... and I persist in that.” (Buzzi)

Marie Antoinette’s last words were thought to be polite as she braved her fate in a simple white dress, already having wished her children the best (“The Grand Dauphin”), “Pardon me Sir, I meant not to do it", to the executioner, whose foot she accidentally stepped on before she was executed. Her body was thrown into an unmarked cemetery, rue d'Anjou until exhumed in 1815 and properly reburied (Buzzi).

Marie Antoinette wrongfully suffered for many years under the pressures of court and the subjects under the crown. She redeemed herself from the immature spending and luxury of her earlier years by serving as a loving wife, mother and ruler later on. Despite her situation, she remained a fair, brave and respectable queen and should be remembered for her courageous acts in a time of revolutionary change.