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Marie Antoinette |
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Marie Antoinette (ăntwənĕt`, äNtwänĕt`), 1755–93, queen of France, wife of King Louis XVI 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 Marie Antoinette. ..... Click the link for more information. and daughter of Austrian Archduchess Maria Theresa Maria Theresa , 1717–80, Austrian archduchess, queen of Bohemia and Hungary (1740–80), consort of Holy Roman Emperor Francis I and dowager empress after the accession (1765) of her son, Joseph II. ..... Click the link for more information. and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I Francis I, 1708–65, Holy Roman emperor (1745–65), duke of Lorraine (1729–37) as Francis Stephen, grand duke of Tuscany (1737–65), husband of Archduchess Maria Theresa. ..... Click the link for more information. . She was married in 1770 to the dauphin, who became king in 1774. Her marriage had been made to strengthen France's alliance with its long-time enemy, Austria. The union, however, was not altogether popular, and Marie Antoinette's actions only increased hostility toward her. She constantly sought the advice of the Austrian ambassador and attempted to influence French foreign policy in favor of Austria. Unhappy in her marriage, which remained unconsummated for seven years, she surrounded herself with a dissolute clique, led by Yolande de Polignac 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 huge fortune through her favor with the queen. Although she had contributed to the downfall of A. R. J. Turgot Turgot, Anne Robert Jacques , 1727–81, French economist, comptroller general of finances (1774–76). The son of a rich merchant, he showed precocious ability at school and at the Sorbonne. 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 Louis XVII (Louis Charles), 1785–1795?, titular king of France (1793–95), known in popular legend as the "lost dauphin." The second son of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette, he became dauphin at the death (1789) of his elder brother. BibliographyAmong Marie Antoinette's published correspondence see Lettres de Marie Antoinette (2 vol., 1895–96) 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). Marie Antoinette 1755--93, queen of France (1774--93) by marriage to Louis XVI of France. Her opposition to reform during the Revolution contributed to the overthrow of the monarchy; guillotined Marie Antoinette (1755–1793) beautiful queen consort of King Louis XVI of France. [Fr. Hist.: EB, VI: 620] See : Beauty, Feminine Marie Antoinette Born Nov. 2, 1755, in Vienna; died Oct. 16, 1793, in Paris. French queen; wife of the French king Louis XVI (from 1770); daughter of the Austrian emperor Francis I and the empress Maria Theresa. Before the Great French Revolution, Marie Antoinette spent enormous sums on amusements (she was nicknamed Madame Deficit) and repeatedly sought the dismissal of ministers (such as A. Turgot and J. Necker) who attempted to carry out financial reforms and reduce the expenditures of the court. From the beginning of the revolution, she was an instigator of counterrevolutionary plots and foreign interventions. After the overthrow of the monarchy on Aug. 10, 1792, she was arrested and, by sentence of the court, guillotined. REFERENCESArnaud-Bouteloup, J. Le Role politique de Marie-Antoinette. Orleans, 1924.Maze, J. Louis XVI et Marie-Antoinette, vols. 1-2. Paris, 1949-52. Castelot, A. Marie-Antoinette, 4th ed. Paris, 1956. Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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