Marie Antoinette

Marie-Antoinette

Marie-Antoinette was born in Vienna on November 2, 1755; she was one of the daughters of Holy Roman Emperor Francis I and Empress Maria Therese. She later came to wed Louis XVI of France, at the age of 15, in 1770, because her mother wanted to solidify the new alliance with France. They had three children together a daughter and two sons by 1774. In the same year king Louis XV passed away and her husband had taken over the throne. She was not liked by the French public because she was a foreigner and even more so because she was devoted the interests of Austria. She led a very extravagant life, where she would join her friends in the nightlife of France, being that she was young she wasn't interested in the duties of queen. When France began to have financial problems the public blamed her because she was lived frivolously and didn't seem to care about the country's deficit. After the outbreak of the revolution in 1789, she sided with the court that opposed compromise with the revolutionaries. In 1791, Marie and Louis tried to escape Paris with their surviving son but were captured and brought back as prisoners. Their monarchy was over thrown in 1792, after the execution of King Louis XVI. Marie was separated from her son and sent to Concierge prison for about a year then was brought before the revolutionary tribunal. She too like her husband was sentenced to death for treason. She was beheaded in front of the public of France on October 16, 1793.

Works Cited

"Marie-Antoinette," MicrosoftÐ'® EncartaÐ'® Online Encyclopedia 2005

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