Marie Antoinette Biography

As an 18th century aristocratic girl, she received training in dance and music. She was taught Italian, French, and German, the languages spoken by the imperial family. She was also tutored in music and could play the harpsichord, spinet, and clavichord. She was a skilled dancer in her youth and was admired for her poise.

‘The Seven Years’ War,’ which involved most of the great powers of Europe, ended in 1763, and the relations between Austria and France were fragile at the time. The Austrian Empress Maria Theresa proposed a matrimonial alliance between her daughter Marie Antoinette and Louis Auguste, the heir to the French throne, in order to improve the relations between the two nations.

Marie Antoinette got married to Auguste in a lavish wedding ceremony on May 16, 1770, in the presence of more than 5,000 guests. Both the bride and the groom were just teenagers at the time of their wedding. Though it was customary for the royal couples to consummate their marriage on the wedding night, the couple did not consummate their wedding for the next seven years.

King Louis XV passed away in 1774, and Louis Auguste succeeded him to the French throne as Louis XVI. The king and the queen had a difficult relationship as they had many differences. In order to distract herself from her troublesome marriage, the queen indulged in partying and gambling.

An incident in 1785, tarnished her image further. A thief disguised as the queen obtained an expensive diamond necklace and smuggled it to London. Although the queen was innocent, the public was convinced that she had committed the theft.

The French monarchy was abolished by the ‘National Convention’ in 1792, and the royal couple was arrested. Louis was tried by the ‘Convention’ which found him guilty and sentenced him to death. He was executed at the guillotine on January 21, 1793.

Marie Antoinette was also tried for several charges, including theft and treason. She was also wrongly accused of sexually abusing her own son. She too was sentenced to death and executed at the guillotine on October 16, 1793.

She married Louis Auguste, the heir to the French throne, in 1770 when she was just 14 years old. The marriage was reportedly strained, and rumors circulated that she had extra-marital affairs due to her dissatisfaction. She had four children, though there was speculation about their parentage. 

After the fall of the monarchy in France, she was tried on multiple charges, found guilty, and sentenced to death. Marie Antoinette was beheaded on October 16, 1793, at the age of 37.