Facing mounting pressure from his nobles, on 8 May Louis XVI ordered the first meeting in years of the Estates General — the general assembly of the representatives of the clergy first estate ; the nobility second estate , and the common people third estate.
Louis hoped that this would allow the representatives of France the opportunity to discuss ways to overcome the increasing state debt. When Marie Antoinette arrived in France, the road ahead did not point irrevocably to revolution, but bad political choices, unfortunate climate conditions and ideological shifts at all levels of society conspired to ultimately undermine the monarchy.
From the mids, an economy wracked by wartime taxations and bad harvests was further weakened by the failure of attempts at fiscal reform. The effects of mounting debts and disasters were felt in rocketing food prices and growing poverty, and inspired no confidence in those in power — the royal tendency for flagrant extravagance did not help.
The existing feudal hierarchy was increasingly questioned, and the vacillating and unsure stance taken by the King did nothing to restore faith. As mistrust of elites and outsiders mounted, the wave of popular feeling increased. The growing print culture — political tracts, bawdy ballads, popular prints — ensured that the message was heard far and wide, and was a key uniting factor for the revolutionary cause.
The increasingly personal attacks on the royals, particularly Marie Antoinette, chipped away at the national consciousness, and in demystifying the monarchy, also facilitated its downfall. On 14 July , this climaxed with the Storming of the Bastille, a symbol of despotic rule, and triggered the spread of revolutionary action across France.
On 14 July , public opposition to the royal family reached its height, and the Bastille — a state prison in Paris — was stormed by an angry, armed mob. Several weeks later, thousands of people surrounded the Palace of Versailles, demanding political reforms and changes to the way in which the monarchy governed. The royal family was then imprisoned within the walls of Tuileries Palace in Paris by the revolutionary forces that opposed the monarchy. As more people joined the revolutionary cause in Paris, and public opinion of the monarchy deteriorated further, in Marie planned to flee France with her family and find sanctuary in Austria.
However, the family was captured while attempting to escape and was taken back to Paris. They faced hostile crowds of people in the streets upon their return. Amid mounting pressure from his political opponents, in September Louis XVI agreed to instigate a constitutional monarchy, and promised to share his political power with the French Assembly. This failed to quell the rebellion, however: less than a year later, on 10 August , a gang of revolutionaries broke into Tuileries Palace, where the royal family was being kept under surveillance, and took Louis XVI and Marie prisoner.
Its exact origins are unclear, but the story existed long before Marie Antoinette became queen and was first attached to her 50 years after her death. The Republican government was determined to eradicate anyone who opposed the French Revolution. After a two-day show trial, an all-male jury found the former queen guilty on all charges and unanimously condemned her to death.
Following the execution of Marie Antoinette, her body was placed in a coffin and dumped into a common grave behind the Church of the Madeline. When a group of American Revolution veterans founded the first permanent settlement of the Northwest Territory in at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers, they wanted to honor France, which had been instrumental in assisting the patriots against the British. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us!
Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. Great Characters. She arrived at the French Court aged only fifteen. From the time of her marriage to the Dauphin Louis, heir to the throne, she found it difficult to adapt to French customs and when she became Queen, she committed more and more blunders, often unwittingly, which gradually alienated public opinion, helping to tarnish her image in a most disastrous way. A highlight of the lavish festivities to mark the royal wedding was the inauguration of the Royal Opera.
The young Dauphine became the first lady at Court. The ageing King had in fact become very unpopular and his death on 10 May was looked on with relief throughout the kingdom. Marie Antoinette became Queen when she was not yet twenty years old.
Marie Antoinette enjoyed entertainment and was influential in choosing shows to be put on at Court. She encouraged artists and she loved court balls. As was required by her position, she also entertained her circle in her apartments, where she was a keen player of billiards and cards, often playing to excess, both losing and winning large sums, to such an extent that the King became worried and banned some of the more risky games that were swallowing up entire fortunes.
Marie Antoinette was a musician, playing the harp and the harpsichord. And in some ways, Marie Antoinette is still misunderstood. Here are five facts about the famous queen. Scholars have noted that since Louis XVI had no mistresses, Marie Antoinette was subject to an extra level of disparagement. But without a mistress to ridicule, political pornographers targeted the queen. Painting her as an immoral woman who slept with her brother-in-law—as some of the pornography alleged—was one way for revolutionaries to argue the monarchy was corrupt.
Versailles, for all its decadence, was a very dirty place, filled with animals and excrement. Instead of cleaning their shoes, the royals and aristocrats would throw them out every few days.
This culture of waste and excess was something Marie Antoinette stepped into when she arrived in France. Thomas Jefferson supposedly said that if not for Marie Antoinette, there might have been no French Revolution. As stated before, Marie Antoinette adopted, rather than invented, the lavish lifestyle of Versailles.
In addition, France was already broke before she arrived. She was just an easy scapegoat. All rights reserved.
0コメント