The Lavish Life Of Marie Antoinette | Scapegoat Queen | Real Royalty

on november the 2nd 1755 in her hofburg palace bedchamber at vienna empress maria teresa of austria gave birth to her 15th child her majesty has been very happily delivered over small but completely healthy arch duchess as the court champion put it the father emperor francis the first was undoubtedly happy as he announced the birth to courtiers waiting nearby the habsburg dynasty was already secure through his four sons and this new arrival would join her seven surviving sisters in establishing marriage links with leading european royal houses church bells rang throughout the city when the baby was christened maria antonia josepha joanna growing up in a country in court where french was in daily use and with a father of french royal blood who would speak nothing else the child became antoine to her family and later marie antoinette to france and the world [Music] bye [Music] a large and rambling building the hofburg palace had evolved out of a medieval castle around which vienna had developed antoine's actual birthplace in its leopoldine wing now being part of the austrian president's suite this democratic connection seems appropriate since the habsburgs were literally close to the people spending much time in or near the capital when the child was baptized in its church of augustine priors they would have journeyed there through city streets filled with an acclaiming populace antoine had arrived during winter when the royal family spent much time in the hofburg but in summer her birth would probably have been at nearby schonbrunn easily accessible from vienna by a good road vienna and its palaces did much to mold the growing child's character schonbrunn only five miles from the hofburg was an ideal summer retreat when its parkland botanical garden and menagerie filled with exotic plants and animals were joyous places that were often open to ordinary citizens the childhood passed quickly and there began an association with france that would shape both antoine and european history under louis xiv its son king france had become richer and more powerful threatening the very existence of australian pressure [Music] now the sun king was long dead his successor louis xv ruling a country plunging ever deeper into debt after the disastrous seven years war between 1756 and 63 europe had split into two power groups when britain allied with pressure had confronted and defeated the french russian and austrian coalition frederick the great of prussia had smashed the french army at horsebach while britain had fought for and seized french colonies in canada and india throughout france a mood of general discontent and radicalism was abroad made worse by a taxation system under which peasantry and middle classes suffered but nobility and clergy were spared protestant uprisings had not improved matters while prussia seemed to pose a continuing threat even though the first alliance had resulted in disaster a new franco-austrian relationship was being sought in which antoine later marie antoinette would have a major role to play austria regarded itself as different from france more stable more serious and above all more aware of the need of its people the court in which antoine grew up certainly had its moments of high formality and ritual but the royal family itself seems in general to have been close-knit and loving unusual for his day and age francis had no official mistress but preferred alliances of a more informal nature he was happy to have artists portray his family in remarkably casual dressing situation it was the empress maria teresa who ran austria and even though she professed the importance of feminine submission and obedience the example she provided her daughters was one of womanly influence and control the young antoine whose strong and determined mother was true ruler of the state would develop a strength of character together with an understanding of how women could have a political role in society by the time she entered puberty she would have understood that even a queen chosen for her beauty and feminine skills could influence perhaps control affairs of state soon antoine was developing into a beautiful young woman still slight but with a grace of feature complexion and posture that turned heads during her childhood antoine had not been well educated in her traditional sense but she was able to grasp concepts quickly and had spent a happy and contented time surrounded by family servants and a people who respected and loved her antoine now more usually antoinette was fortunate enough to remain unaffected by smallpox that could destroy feminine beauty and with it any prospects of a worthwhile marriage as had happened to one of her vain elder sisters as the child blossomed into womanhood she acquired the necessary feminine attributes becoming accomplished in needlework and music and a lover of opera in concert in 1765 antoinette's father the emperor francis the first died of a stroke at innsbruck causing the whole family much grief the empress wore morning black from that time until her death as antoinette's 13th birthday neared in 1768 the newly widowed maria theresa realized that here was an ideal wife for the duffer of france in spite of some french voices of opposition against such close relations with austria it was generally welcomed at 14 years of age louis xv's bourbon grandson and heir the daufhan we august was considered ready for betrothal and what better way could there be of encouraging the burgeoning association than by linking their two royal families through marriage in the days before photography personal appearance could only be assessed through portraiture soon messenger and ambassador shuttling between courts and countries bearing documents of negotiation were also carrying hastily completed miniatures and paintings arranging a dynastic marriage was not an easy task but by the 6th of june 1769 agreement was reached and arrangements put in train for the betrothal and wedding that would follow the expected public image of royalty was one of grandeur and magnificence particularly in france kings and their queens were expected to maintain a mystique assisted by ostentatious display that reflected their country's wealth and importance not only would antoinette's dowry be huge and the cost of her wedding apparel similarly enormous but everything about betrothal and wedding would consume incredible sums yet both countries had their reputation to consider and the bulk of french population although burdened under oppressive taxation expressed joy at the match after a wedding by proxy her brother the new emperor joseph acting as groom antoinette now officially marie antoinette the dauphine left vienna in a cavalcade of vast opulence and luxury even travelling was expensive apart from all else many thousands of relief horses had to be readied along the route one that required weeks of travelling to versailles on an island in the rhine at the border she was stripped of her austrian clothes and dressed in fashionable french cord clothes later she was presented to the french king louis xvi he pronounced her delightful if still a little childlike in her figure and looks the young dauphine was conducted in great state to versailles where on the 16th of may 1770 wearing a dress of white brocade and adorned with magnificent jewels the 15 year old bride was married amidst what appeared to be universal acclaim to the daupha of france louis gust louis auguste marie antoinette's new husband was short and square of stature his already corpulent appearance was straying from his premarital miniatures his features were considered unhandsome and somewhat coarse although he possessed a simple but good-natured disposition louise great passion was for hunting and he spent most of his time away from the court and his new queen during these early years louis failed to consummate the marriage with the young and beautiful marie antoinette this failure possibly from painful shyness and possibly due to an anatomical condition caused much salacious gossip at versailles and in paris for louis august there were no extramarital relationships quite unlike his grandfather louis xv still a handsome man in his 50s and notorious for his promiscuity his mistress madame dubari resided at versailles in this highly organized royal world the king's mistress was an important feature acting as an intermediary between courty and crowned head to be approached when favors were requested or blamed if none were forthcoming during the next four years marie antoinette was not a queen but a young and somewhat frivolous dauphine her austrian training and temperament made her contemptuous of elaborate even bizarre versailles ceremonial and already she was making enemies notably the mistress of the king madame jubari the young bride seeming extravagance was also remarked upon as was the fact that she meddled in politics particularly any in austria's favor having grown up predominantly in a female world the noodle fiend sought similar company and amusements while her husband was occupying himself at the chase marie antoinette would find refuge in friendship amongst the cuttery of attractive young women she was often in the company of louis sisters the madame adelaide victoire and sophie they formed a faction against the incredible power of madame jubari and watched over the dauphine involving her in their plots this along with her friendship with other young coaches coupled with knowledge of louise sexual disability further inspired the salacious gossip her one constant friend was marie the princess whose gentle and naive manners contrasted markedly with the scheming nature of other cold ladies she became marie antoinette's companion and confidante this close relationship led to further gossip about the nature of their friendship certainly the dauphine was extravagant and loved finery and ostentatious displays of jewelry but this was expected of her position in contrast her spurning of versailles ceremonial together with serious attempts to establish some fiscal order aroused resentment and made enemies yet seeds of revolution had already been sown even before marie antoinette arrived at versailles once mighty france was now facing economic and financial ruin but in royal palaces isolated from the real world an expensively flamboyant way of life continued this was not austria where common people could wander through the emperor's gardens but a divided society whose upper middle and lower classes generally detested each other no matter how appalling were conditions outside palace walls where peasants were taxed to starvation levels and even the middle classes suffered within was luxury beyond belief the developing rift between monarchy and populous was not helped by the fact that versailles was isolated in every way from the country's main city paris totally unlike royal residences such as those of vienna and london royal mystique was one thing but in most other capitals the king was considered to live amongst his people while in france he remained a remote figurehead indeed at that time louis auguste had never ventured more than a few miles from his palace and had no experience whatsoever of the wider world one propaganda pamphlet of the day shows marie antoinette tasting soup carried by a peasant boy to his brothers in the fields her surprised comment to louis was that the soup tasted good and that these must be people like us [Music] versailles was magnificent possessing everything one could have wished for in the years before his death louis xv had devoted himself to madame dubari spending vast sums altering and improving his palace and his gardens [Music] the duffer thus grew up in a world of halls in boudoir filled with elegant porcelain statuary and paintings this was the elegance that inspired writers such as volder and other great artistic achievements of the age paradoxically this vast wealth obtained by harsh taxation that contrasted so greatly with the poverty and ugliness of everyday france made possible the superb art and architecture of the period louis xv died in may 1774 to be succeeded by his grandson louis auguste together with a young queen considered as possessing the highest beauty on visits to the opera in paris she was hailed by the audience as the most perfect new queen madame dubari was dismissed from court possibly a mistaken act for this was one who possessed influential friends attention now concentrated on the new queen and rumors soon spread even outside versailles that she was taking a succession of lovers both male and female among her rumored lovers were the swedish count hans axel von faircell whom she met at a masked ball and was to play a significant part in the new queen's future another was gabrielle duchess of polynyak whose ambitious influence contributed to marie antoinette's in popularity although the court surrounding the queen was rife with gossip and rumor of her excitations with these and others no evidence exists of any such impropriety the marriage of marie antoinette and we after his awkward early years was clearly developing into one of respect then great love yet this was a queen who believed that vast wealth had to be displayed to maintain the standards of europe's oldest royal house and this combined with her beauty and elegance caused envy in a country facing financial ruin was especially prone to three types of expenditure clothes jewellery and gambling on her 21st birthday she held a three-day-long gambling party where vast amounts of money changed hands louis who came upon the scene one morning told the gamblers indulgently including his wife that they were all worthless louis and marie antoinette had still not formed any sexual relationship a grave concern where the succession was in question [Music] when marie antoinette's sister-in-law marie terres the wife of the count d'artois gave birth to her first child in august 1775 marie antoinette was subjected to cut calls from market women asking why she had not produced a son too being undoubtedly the stronger of the two it was soon being realized that marie antoinette tried to exercise influence upon french political life and policy especially towards austria another fact that seemed unforgivable in contemporary masculine eyes but her entreaties fell on the deaf ears of louis and his advisors much to the chagrin of her mother and her spy at versailles the austrian ambassador le counte mercid argento in april 1777 joseph marie antoinette's brother paid the court a visit incognito to avoid any expense he walked for a long time with his sister in the gardens of petitriano there he criticized her gambling and expensive tastes but his main concern was the lack of an heir and on being told of the king's inabilities he proceeded to talk in private with louis the result of this intercession was the birth on the 19th of december 1778 of marie antoinette's first child as was the ancient custom at versailles the labor and birth were extremely public with many torches and princes of the blood having the right to witness the birth unfortunately for the succession the baby was a girl mariterez charlotte la madame royale at least now there was the possibility of a dauphan although the paternity of the child was carelessly attributed to the contactor louise brother marie antoinette's love for music had much influence in french society she introduced the fashion for female harpists in western europe one who was brought to versailles at the queen's request was joseph de boulonn the chevalier de san george son of a caribbean plantation slave under french aristocrat the prodigious joseph was brought to paris and excelled at everything he undertook sporting and academic he had a reputation as a preeminent swordsman which ensured his safety in a rabidly racist french aristocracy he also had another reputation as a black donjon attracting many of the female aristocracy with his handsome and exotic looks but the queen was interested in his musical abilities he had composed many concertos and quartets of great beauty for amongst other instruments the harp she went so far as to press for his nomination as artistic director for the paris opera this campaign came to nothing in the face of opposition from the female singers there their objection was to his color however talented sanjar may be his advancement was blocked by his being a mulatt the half-breed a situation that would influence his choices in the future early in 1779 he became marie antoinette's music teacher an arrangement which was criticized by many at court how far their relationship went is not known but one night that spring he and a friend were attacked by a gang of six men in a parry street they held off their attackers until a police patrol came on the scene and arrested the gang later the assailants were released without charge as they were members of the versailles secret service someone in power at court wanted sanjar dead saint george continued as a confidant of the queen and became my favorite american according to her diaries in the future the chevalier's life would have a quite different effect on that of the queen the queen's impact upon style and fashion even garden design must not be forgotten french colonial territories had introduced exotic plants to the country and at marie antoinette's behest many of these would appear at versailles louis xvi made a gift of the small palace of potitriano to marie antoinette on his accession to the throne the palace which bordered on the grand formal gardens of versailles formerly belonged to madame de pompadour another of louis xvi's mistresses and it was there that louis probably wilded away many a delightful hour now made it her own [Music] how delightful were these groves scented with lilacs peopled by nightingales the queen spent most of the fine season there nothing was spared to protect the queen's privacy and satisfy her taste for natural simplicity her own boudoir was created to exacting standards furnished with light and natural fabrics [Music] her private sitting room was equipped with unusual mirrored screens to ensure privacy beautiful new furniture decoratively evoked flowers and harvests and everywhere her monogram was included in the decor 1780 saw the death of mariterez empress of austria in hungary she was succeeded by marie antoinette's brother the efficient and balikos joseph ii who kept up correspondence with a queen urging her to take a stronger role at versailles on austria's behalf a role that marie antoinette tried to play but failed in the face of louise advisors in 1781 marie antoinette bore her second child and this time to the great relief of the aristocracy and the jubilation of at least some of the population erdofan was born named louis joseph during the following decade she was to give birth to two more children louis charles and sophie beatrix the latter sadly dying in infancy by 1783 the queen had replaced the formality of gardens surrounding petitriano with the vistas of fantasy based on classical antiquity and romanticism inspired by happy memories of the austrian palaces and gardens and the rural idols where she had been happy she had built lua mo modolaren the queen's hamlet following the fashion forestic simplicity with idealized cottages and gardens in luamu marie antoinette and her female cotri would imitate a rustic way of life employing a peasant family to provide the labor for producing fresh eggs milk and other farm produce but queens of france were not expected to behave in such a relaxed austrian manor and in the fetid versailles atmosphere scurrilous whisperings began what really went on between this group of close female friends who played at being ordinary people such gossip was spread by court nobles many of whom were incensed at the queen's reforms and her appointment of more efficient counsellors together with new cultures remarkable for the good behaviour being almost impossible to disprove such sexual innuendo became a useful weapon for those wishing to blacken the queen's reputation it soon spread outside versailles to be used by radicals and republicans in their drive to read france of what they saw as an intolerable burden the expense of recreating a sterilized version of the lives of the peasant class was seen as obscene by 1785 underground literature was circulating reviling the queen in pamphlet cartoon and pornographic song she became la paul dotrice the austrian hen and madame deficit it was probably inevitable that france would eventually become a republic especially since the country had recently assisted england's american colonies to throw off its monarchy benjamin franklin had visited versailles and was received by the royal couple to ratify the franco-american treaty american independence had later been guaranteed by the treaty of harris in 1783. these were events that inspired much thought and discussion throughout the nation the king's attempts to reform government and levy tax on those who had formally paid nothing grossly affronted vested interests finance minister kalon called the great assembly of notables at versailles to discuss matters and propose a uniform land tax but the bulk of his and royal proposals were rejected bitter quarrels ensured between king and parliament while the country continued its descent into bankruptcy who could be blamed under its monarchy france seemed to be failing losing much of its international status and it appeared to many that only an entirely different system of government would improve matters the king although well-intentioned and weak was already suffering bouts of severe depression he attempted to alleviate by consuming large amounts of alcohol while marie antoinette already the austrian [ __ ] continued as a focus for common hatred at a time of failing harvests and damaged economy when wheat and bread were rising in price and increasing burdens of taxation placed upon those who would least afford it both aristocrats and radical thinker were representing louis and his expensive foreign queen as being ultimately responsible opposition to the established order began not amongst the ordinary people but with aristocracy church and the middle classes the bourgeoisie seeking to alter the system in their own favor noble and bourgeois would unleash a monster that would destroy their world a succession of finance ministers backed by louis and marie antoinette had attempted to introduce reforms but the failure only made more obvious how weak was the king's real authority discontent triggered by nobility in bourgeoisie was spreading through city and countryside bad weather had cut crops by half causing food prices to rise sharply and bringing starvation that radicals could blame upon the monarchy and in particular maria antoinette this gave rise to the false accusation that she had once exclaimed on being told of the shortage of bread kilmars de la brioche let them eat cake thousands of beggars thronged paris streets while in the rural areas desperate gangs roamed and robbed to such an extent that even the authorities feared confrontation or replying the law in may 1789 a desperate king recalled the estate general the governing parliament of france this assembly consisting of three classes or estates hadn't been called since 1614. the first estate the clergy whose members were mostly aristocrats and the second estate the aristocracy formed a rigid block to any aspiration promoted by the third estate representatives of the bourgeoisie and the peasants by june the estates general had decided nothing so the third estate decided to convene its own assembly having been locked out of the assembly rooms by the king they met in a tennis court in the town of versailles and there proclaimed themselves the national assembly of the people swearing to stay in session until the french people had a constitution two individuals attended who would make their own special impact upon the looming revolution a lawyer from aras maximilia robespierre and one doctor guillota on june the 4th the queen's world was shaken to its foundations her son louis joseph the dofa died after long suffering from consumption her younger son louis charles gained the ill-fated title of dophan de france on july the 11th 1789 king louis acting under the influence of mary antoinette and the conservative aristocrats of the privy council banished the reformist finance minister nikai and completely restructured the ministry much of paris presuming this to be the start of a royal coup moved into open rebellion some of the military joined the mob others remained neutral the anger of the lower classes had come to a head paris exploded into open revolution led by those who could not afford the knee breaches or culotte of fashionable aristocracy in bourgeoisie the sakurat gunpowder was known to be stored in the bastille a fortress prison long a symbol of royal authority which on july the 14th was attacked and seized its few prisoners were released and governor bernard lunai was killed his head was severed by a reluctant butcher using a small knife on hearing the news of the bastille louis asked whether this was a revolt one of his ministers answered no sire this is a revolution the mob targeted figures of hate such as tax officials and corrupt politicians they searched out any suspected of harboring loyalist sympathies and hunted them down hanging them from lampposts ala lontarna becoming one of the most feared cries of the revolution many figures of hatred were so treated amongst their many innocents some being horribly mutilated parts literally torn from bodies and heads paraded on pikes through paris streets a prize was put on marie antoinette's head in an attempt to control the mob and guide it a new city governing body the commune was established as news of the bastes storming and seizure spread amid rumors of aristocratic violence peasants throughout the countryside took arms overturning the feudal system killing landowners burning chateau and destroying whatever they could find especially books papers and records [Applause] the royal family's already precarious position was further threatened on august the 4th when feudalism was abolished depriving the clergy and aristocracy of the privileges and riches on the 26th the national assembly made the declaration of the rights of man and the citizen the people of france had installed a new if somewhat turbulent regime marie antoinette's thoughts turned to a counter-revolution and persuaded luis with the help of his ministers to order a regiment from nearby flanders to strengthen the royal bodyguard of versailles in itself that caused little problem but the traditional banquet given to its offices on arrival would prove explosive normally the royal couple would not have it ended but their appearance on this occasion caused wild cheering and protestations of loyalty on the following day 5th of october reports of the banquets in the face of the scarcity of bread were circulated in paris parisians were furious thousands of market women who had already gathered to protest against rising food prices and the lack of bread were now encouraged to believe that both cause and solution lay with louis and mary antoinette versailles bearing whatever weaponry they could find and dragging two cannon behind them they marched out of the city towards the royal palace that night at first walls and gates defended by loyal troops protected the royal family but a gate was forced open and soldiers killed others surrendered the mob rushed into the royal apartments the soldier's pike impaled head carried before them as a grotesque banner knowing that she was the most unpopular member of the royal family marie antoinette decided to sleep on her own that night there can be no doubt that she would have been torn to pieces had not a brave guard at her bedroom door cried out a warning before he was also butchered and his head impaled the few seconds of grace provided by his warning allowed the queen to escape and the shrieking mob finding her bed empty slashed it to ribbons in disappointment somehow louis and his queen survived the light under the protection of loyal guards the next morning when ordered by the mob to appear before them and told he must go with them to paris the king replied he is ready to do whatever his good people wish him to do my antoinette's presence was also demanded and so she stepped with her children onto the balcony to face screamed threats and levelled muskets the crowd shouted for the children to go back in and so with her life hanging on a thread and showing little fear marie antoinette stood alone before the mob for almost 10 minutes finally she bowed her head and returned inside some of the crowd were so impressed by her bravery that cries of vivlaren were heard later that day and surrounded by the victorious mob the royal couple were taken by coach the 12 miles to paris at the city gate its mayor greeted them formally and with courtesy to which louis replied it is always with pleasure and confidence he found himself in that good town versailles was left behind replaced in its function as capital of france by paris a major crisis had passed king and queen had survived and now had to make a life for themselves and some of the court at the dilapidated pale de trillary in the centre of paris under the protection of both the national republican guard and their own swiss guards the marquis de lafayette who had fought alongside the americans during the revolution was placed in charge of royal security bluntly telling marie antoinette your majesty is a prisoner it was during their stay at the tuileries that catherine the great of russia wrote to marie antoinette telling her that the family should ignore the complaints of the people as the moon continues on its course without being hindered by the cries of dogs but in public the queen reacted in a more restrained fashion contributing to charities in need of orphans and foregoing the traditional gift of diamonds to her daughter the madame royale on the occasion of her communion such was the intense hatred of the queen by now that she had to attend the communion in disguise although the king still hoped for his authority to be reinstated and he had some backing from national assembly members such as the conte de mirabeau he surrendered himself more and more to depression lethargy and alcohol the task of salvaging the royal situation fell to marie antoinette who secretly corresponded with mirabu in his efforts to restore the monarchy with louise agreement the queen now started to seek aid from foreign monarchies notably charles iv of spain whose answers were evasive and her brother emperor joseph ii of austria but he died in february 1790. the hope of compromise between the royals and the revolutionaries diminished when on july the 12th 1790 the roman catholic church was subordinated to the national assembly marie antoinette commented to a courtier the church the church we're next on the 14th the royal family was forced to go to the chard mars to attend the great popular celebrations of the anniversary of the fall of the bassi an event according to the queen that symbolized everything that is most cruel and sorrowful philippe egalite duke d'orleans returned at this time from hiding in england a liberal and libertine member of the aristocracy he espoused revolutionary sentiments in the hope that he might become king in louise place differences between royal and other factions steadily increased yet louis still believed he could fulfill his destiny and regain control even if it was with the help of the foreign intervention being urged by marie antoinette she kept up correspondence with austria ruled now by another of her brothers leopold ii in the hope of gaining his aid in overthrowing the revolution france was clearly under threat as pressure in austria began resolving the differences but any attack they mounted against france would certainly place its royal lives in danger there were many in the country that did not desire total revolution only the establishment of a more democratic monarchy answerable to the people and for the moment louis and marie antoinette seemed safe by 1791 the queen felt more and more isolated emperor leopold ii of austria was far more liberal in his outlook than his bellicose brother joseph he evaded demands of aid from maria antoinette when social unrest first began and cries against louis and marie antoinette increased it had been urged to take flight to some other country an action quite possible from versailles but far more difficult from the centre of paris the kant de mirabo had hoped that a compromise between the monarchy and the assembly could be achieved to that end he proposed that the monarch should not look to france's enemies for help but travel openly to a loyal [ __ ] where they would be safe and able to negotiate from a position of some strength this proposal might have worked had not mirabeau died suddenly a short time later some said from revolutionaries poison the outcome could have been very different it must have then seemed to louis that his choice lay between accepting a toothless monarchy alien to his upbringing or escaping to where he could begin reestablishing control almost certainly it was marie antoinette who persuaded him the latter action was by far the better by early june 1791 all had been arranged by account axel ferzin the queen's swedish favorite and lover it was planned that on the night of june 20th king and queen together with their son and daughter would disguise themselves before entering an ordinary cab that would take them to a carriage waiting outside paris walls loyal cavalry raided along the route would then escort the royal party to a fortress town within easy reach of the prussian border at first in spite of delays caused by problems with the heavy and slow moving vehicle all seemed to be going smoothly the expected cavalry did not arrive on time and even their movement across country in such numbers aroused suspicion amongst republican factions at sant's menu louis descended from the coach to exercise while its horses were changed only to be observed by the postmaster dr who recognized the king from his image on coins by the time varene was reached not only had a pursuing druid raise the alarm but the local population had persuaded waiting cavalry to break the oath of royal allegiance taken into a room over a grocery shop louis admitted he was in truth the king with the words france no longer has a king louis and his family now in a state of much distress left the humble grocers room and began the return to paris surrounded by hostile crowds geared up and spat on in villages through which they passed the royal family's journey proved a nightmare from which they did not expect to escape alive the commune in paris decreed that no one was to insult the king on his return on pain of death arriving in paris the coach moved slowly through streets filled with vast and silent crowds held back by armed soldiers at the trillery the mob broke through the cordon savagely attacking the guards but louis and mary antoinette escaped into the palace coupled with the knowledge that the queen was regularly corresponding with austria she would later be accused of betraying french military plans the flight to varane seals the royal couple's fate yet there was still some hope even though louis and marie antoinette now suffered true imprisonment with guards multiplied and almost every moment of their lives and every action subjected to scrutiny soldiers were even posted in royal bed chambers and the queen forced to dress and undress under their gaze royal remoteness and privacy had given way to close and offensive public scrutiny royal officers were deserting in large numbers while middle-class supporters and members of the nobility were fleeing the country often to england demands for the rights of the people were being heard everywhere the king and queen now regarded by so many as little more than traitors who would have employed foreign forces against the revolution yet there was still a majority in the national assembly desiring peaceful settlement others feared the international wrath the royal couple's death could bring the beginnings of a monarchist counter-revolution had begun in brittany and in the von d austria and pressure continued to threaten french borders both these events would hasten louis and marie antoinette's end while they lived the revolution was endangered jacques pierre barisso drafted a petition insisting that in the eyes of the nation louis xvi was deposed since his flight to varren and demanding that france become a republic on july the 17th an immense crowd gathered in the chandemars to sign the petition george danton and cami de mula gave fiery speeches under the orders of the national assembly lafayette and the national guard tried to disperse the crowd but were met with a barrage of stones by ye the mayor of paris ordered the guards to fire into the cloud killing at least fifty following the massacre radical clubs such as the jacobins and newspapers such as jean-paul maraz la midi publi were closed down darton fled to england demoula and mara went into hiding on august the 26th the national assembly reorganized france into a constitutional monarchy of 83 departments with the abolition of privilege a new metric system of weights and measures was introduced and the royal fleur de lis was removed as the national flag its replacement tricolor showing the colours of the revolution the next day pressure and austria signed a declaration that they would invade if the assembly was not dissolved and louis xvi was not restored as full monarch but this ruse only added weight to radical extremist arguments for war on the 13th of september louis was persuaded to recognize the constitution the king addressed the assembly and received enthusiastic applause from members and spectators france was said to become a true constitutional monarchy but within months a new elected assembly dissolved this was due to factional disagreement and the king's royal veto heavily influenced by marie antoinette who gained another epithet madame veto the noises of war were heard from the monarchies surrounding france to the fore was austria the austrian [ __ ] was hated even more if that were possible now she became the female monster louis urged by marie antoinette supported the idea of war with austria at worst if france won it would boost the failing popularity at best if france lost they could be freed from the revolution on the 20th of april 1792 france declared war on austria prussia allied itself with austria and the french revolutionary wars had begun the french forces fared badly early in the war being forced back within their frontiers republicans now flocked to join the army responding to the call la patriandonji country in danger troops from all over france arrived in paris to defend the country some from marseilles brought with them a new and bloody song which became the rallying hall of the revolution [Music] five days later nicola jacques peltier a common highwayman became the first person to be executed in a new way inaugurated by the national assembly and promoted by dr jose finias guiota as a humane egalitarian form of execution the national razor or madame la guillotine as she came to be known was born on the 3rd of august a threat was made by the duke of brunswick head of the prussian army inspired mainly by count fersen to burn paris to the ground if the royal family was harmed this served only to inflame republican hatred of marie antoinette and the king even more defeats on french soil caused near panic in the streets of paris the republican pot was at boiling point on the night of the 9th of august 1792 the structural art of paris installed a new revolutionary paris commune at the hotel de ville the revolution's leaders maximilian robespierre and george jacques danton amongst others decided finally and suddenly to get rid of the monarchy in the early hours of the 10th huge masses of soldiers in sunkulot began moving towards the palace then protected by some 800 swiss guards and about double that number of the gargica the king's french bodyguard woken by the city bells when the attack began louis revealed only indecision and weakness while marie antoinette acted with determination and strength louis went down to his troops both swiss and french to show some leadership but he cut such a desperate figure that many of the french troops started to abuse him and he returned to the palace many of the guard ducat went over on the attacking side when the mob forced its way into trilogy grounds shrieking hatred killed the fat pig being but one of the imprecations heard the king's nerve crumbled inside the trilogy the swiss guards fought bravely but in isolated groups under no cohesive command or control when called upon to lay down their weapons one swiss shouted we fight to the death a cry that would prove prophetic many attackers had been shot down or driven back and the situation might have been controlled had not louis given the order to stop fighting and withdraw mario antoinette urged the king to act firmly and issue proper orders for defence but in spite of this he and his family decided to abandon both palace and his loyal troops and instead seek refuge with the national assembly not far from the palace they left many of the nobles and ladies of the court to face the attack these fateful acts finally ended all royal authority even an ordered retreat was impossible as defenders ammunition ran out they followed a bloodbath with surviving swiss guards and they wounded together with aristocratic cultures and defenseless royal servants being literally hacked to pieces their heads stuck onto pikes however the ladies of the court were not touched by the mob we do not kill women cried one the carnage was immense over one thousand died that day the palace was ransacked and pillaged marie antoinette's dresses were divided amongst the crowd and sported along the streets of paris any gold or valuables were scrupulously taken to the assembly they now belonged to the people the trilogy's massacre the royal family suffered imprisonment in the assembly until the 13th of august when they were removed under heavy guard to the temple an ancient fortress then a prison although in conditions of relative comfort and provided with servants and cooks all were treated with incivility by the guards and contempt from the many citizens who visited daily to shout epithets such as we shall strangle the two cubs and the fat pig one of the ladies who joined them voluntarily at the temple the queen's former close confidante the princess de lombar had recently returned from safety in england she would pay a terrible price for her loyalty on august the 20th the queen's two lady companions were dragged away to imprisonment and trial the events at the tuileries were but a foretaste of what was to come on september the 3rd news reached paris that the duke of brunswick's invading army had reached and taken verdan and was advancing on the capital an army of sixty thousand sunkulat and others was gathered at the chardon mars to repel this invasion danton incited the revolutionaries to massacre the monarchists and clerical prisoners in the city's prisons in the words of an english diplomat present in paris these prisoners might in the absence of such number of citizens rise and not only effect the release of his majesty but make an entire counter-revolution at the prison of la bay twenty-four priests were killed and mutilated by a mob and the massacres prayed throughout the prison system in paris maha newly reinstated spread the idea of these massacres to other french towns through his newspaper and during the month of september over 1400 people died at the hands of revolutionaries either they suffered death on the pikes and bayonets of the crowd or they were taken to the newly erected guillotine on the newly renamed place de la revolution outside the tree [Music] oh [Music] among those killed with the princess de lombar on the 10th of september she was sentenced to death by a mockery of a court that night she was raped and killed with a hammer the horribly mutilated corpse and head were mounted on pikes to be paraded outside the queen's window at the temple prison marie antoinette collapsed at the site this barbarism marked the beginning of a new regime of extremist radicalism with the jacobins led by robespierre and supported by the strucculot forming the new french national government the convention an unexpected victory at valmie on the 20th of september 1792 inspired a new feeling of national destiny that finally sealed the monarchy's fate the defeat of the prussian invaders at valmie had secured a republic that now saw itself marching victoriously towards a new world one in which louis and marie antoinette had no part to play on the 21st of september 1792 the convention announced the abolition of the monarchy it declared france to be a republic and instituted a new revolutionary calendar from that day it was the year one of the french republic the end was obviously near on december the 11th now called 21st of the month frimer under the new calendar the king was taken from the temple he was indicted as louis cape faced trial before the assembly defending himself with dignity and courage but knowing even before he made his final speech on the 26th that it was almost certain he would die throughout the whole sordid affair this short fat man hair and tidy and dress soiled and be draggled displayed a noble character that became him well with many of the assembly reluctant robespierre announced to the tribunal that louis ought to perish rather than a hundred thousand virtuous citizens louis must die that the country may live the king's sentence of death would not be finally announced until the 17th of january on the 21st of january 1793 louis the 16th king of france having been allowed briefly to see mary antoinette and their children for the last time entered a close carriage to be driven to the guillotine to the place de la revolucion with his last few words drowned out by the drums of the national guard surrounding him the king was bound beneath the guillotine knife so blunted by use it had to fall twice before severing his head the head was held up before a jeering crowd many pressed forward to dip rags into the royal blood dispersing throughout paris to show the trophies shouting vivla revolucion reaction outside france was predictably fierce the monarchies of austria pressure and england being to the fore in their condemnation and threat to the nascent republic april 1793 reintroduces the chevalier san george now playing merci sanjor to the story of marie antoinette sanjor seeing a need for equality especially for black and college people in france joined the republican forces and was invited to form a regiment of colored infantry and cavalry called the legion of sanjar he led the legion against the austrian army besieging the city of lille north of paris after the death of the king general charles du mourier of the republican army at lille made a secret armistice with the austrian army his intention was to betray lille to the austrians install louis charles the doffa as king and rescue marie antoinette and the other members of the royal family imprisoned in paris he needed the help of saint george and his legion but the black mozart remained loyal to the ideals of the revolution he captured dumourie and sent him to paris saint-ger put page to the last hope that marie antoinette had for escape marie antoinette almost prostrated by grief would be kept in the temple until august 1793 with only her children offering any solace on the 3rd of july for this very reason her son the eight-year-old louis charles de dopha was forcibly removed in great distress to another part of the prison for weeks following the queen attired in her one black dress of morning would stand at her window every day hoping to catch a glimpse of her child fully aware he was in the hands of the roughest sort of jailer by july of 1793 factional infighting in the republican government led to increased barbarism against aristocrats and clergy alike it also led to the assassination of mara in his bath by one charlotte cordy a republican from an opposing faction she was executed for her crime on the 23rd of july robespierre initiated the terror to fight menaces to the republic from within and without in a one-year period over 16 000 people would be guillotined in france 2500 in paris alone the counter-revolution led by the peasants of brittany and the vandy was put down with extreme violence 117 000 were slaughtered by the republican army in the von d thousands were executed by drowning at night thousands shot or guillotined at lyon the revolution that had started with bourgeois liberal restraint had descended into an extremist orgy of brutality and barbarism in september marie antoinette now officially widow cape was removed under heavy escort to the grim concierge that had been the death cell for so many to be admitted as prisoner number 280 before being locked in a small cell shared with guards ordered to watch her every movement during the bitterly cold early hours of october the 12th the queen was woken from sleep to face questioning by the leader of the prosecution antoine fukietanville an ally of robespierre's charges were made against her charges she rebuffed with dignity before being returned to her cell the following day october the 3rd 1793 marielle antoinette was put on trial before the revolutionary council during her incarceration in the concierge the queen's health had deteriorated greatly and she was frequently and painfully losing blood clad in her patched black dress this was not the elegant figure versailles salon but a haggard middle-aged woman with white hair and ashen face who looked far older than her 38 years [Music] she was arraigned as widow cape to which she answered as mary antoinette queen of france and accused of having dissipated the country's finances exhausting the treasury corresponding with enemies of france and favoring french anti-republicans she denied all charges with the firmness and courage that even her many enemies packing the court could not deny on the second day marie antoinette's ordeal was commenced deliberately early to prevent her from eating breakfast to whip up feelings against her the prosecution now accused the queen of having had an incestuous relationship with her son charges weakly corroborated by louis charles after his month of republican influence these charges she answered with barely controlled rage and contemptuous anger phuket anvil his intention backfired many in the court expressed sympathy with their former queen some began to believe that with no case to answer marie antoinette would face only exile but there were others determined upon her death the jury influenced by robespierre and other anti-monarchists would find the queen guilty and sentence her to be executed by guillotine early in the morning of the 16th of october 1793 marie antoinette wrote her last letter to her sister-in-law the madame elizabeth javier de tricondane and new lake couple criminals i have just been condemned not to the shameful death of a criminal but to rejoin your brother republican vindictiveness continued to the very end later that same morning my antoinette's hair was hacked off ready for the guillotine and she was forced to strip under the guard's clothes scrutiny dressed in shabby white that shows stains in prison dirt and with hands bound behind her like a common criminal marijee antoinette was granted no close carriage like louis but pushed into an open tumbril in which she was dragged through jeering crowds to her execution it was said that to the very end the queen displayed courage and dignity when an attendant priest murmured courage madame marie antoinette replied when all my ills are about to end my courage will not fail as the knife fell and the crowd cheered an era had ended although much has been said to condemn her extravagance in the face of the grinding poverty and starvation of many of her people my antoinette was both a victor and later a victim of her time she was taken as the great example of the system's failure of the contempt of the nobility for the lower classes she was a foreign scapegoat for a country's ills the underlying principles of the revolution liberty equality and fraternity were loadable goals and finally achieved but the rapacious appetite of the terror and its national razor would continue and increase after mariantoinet's death those who condemned her were to follow her to the scaffold robespierre danton demoula and fujitanville all paid a visit to madame la guillotine within a year during the early years of the next century the bodies of both louis and marie antoinette were exhumed from their proper graves and re-entered in the traditional resting place of the bourbon royalty at the basilica of sanduny in paris [Applause] [Music] you

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Published: Sun Feb 14 2021