Marie Antoinette, a privileged daughter of the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa and of Francis I, HOly Roman Emperor, expected a royal marriage and a life of privilege. Her spending, and her ties to Austria, did not endear her to the French people after her marriage to Louis XVI, and contributed to the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789.
Related articles:
- About This Picture
- Marie Antoinette
- Marie Antoinette Image Gallery
- Let Them Eat Cake; er, Brioche. Oh, Nevermind...
- Queens and Empresses of the 18th Century
- Powerful Women Rulers Everyone Should Know
- Around About: Pictures of the Week
Portrait: Getty Images
Comments
But did she say “Let them eat cake?” I somehow doubt it, and also think that had her husband and the other French nobles been less completely out of touch with the world around him they’d have headed off the revolution.
Kyle, I have to agree with much of your comment. The hierarchy had become so insulated from the people, with layers and layers of servants and officials between the king and the common people, that everything the king was told was censored, limited and spun in a way that Louis, who was not a statesman, simply did not understand the reality outside the grounds of Versailles.
One of the demands during the Revolution was that the king and court return to the Tuileries in Paris, where they would have to see something of what was going on in Paris, where they would see the poor and starving in the streets, where they would be confronted with the rising anger of the citizens, and no longer insulated in their lovely, large jewel box of Versailles.
Of course, there is much speculation on how much of a hand the Duc d’Orleans may have had in fomenting the Revolution, in hopes of obtaining the throne. It may be that the Revolution came about as a kind of perfect storm: a weak, ineffectual king, insulated from reality; officials interested only in continuing their positions; plotters within and without the court; etc.
I guess I should have been clearer about the headline — there’s a good debunking here: http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/dubiousquotes/a/antoinette.htm
As for the role of Marie Antoinette, it’s pretty clear that her image didn’t help Louis, and she may have contributed to his isolation by holding out hope they could get her brother to intervene.