Marie Antoinette Biography

Marie Antoinette Biography

Full Name: Queen Maria Antonia Josepha Joanna von Österreich-Lothringen
Date of Birth: November 2, 1755
Place of Birth: Vienna, Austria
Died: October 16, 1793
Place of Death: Paris, France
Classification: Leaders & Revolutionaries


Known to her people as an outlandish and immoral queen of France, Marie Antoinette became a part of the French monarchy when her husband became enthroned as King Louis XVI. She would be satirized for her court extravagance, including one instance known as the diamond necklace incident with a cardinal, and would later be sentenced to death, decapitated in front of the same people whom she led.

Born into the elite family of the Holy Roman emperor Francis I, she later married the French Dauphin. With this marriage, she secured herself an indirect, but powerful place on the throne of France. During her first years as queen, she was known to be frivolous and unkempt in her relations. When news of her behavior became public, she would lose all of France’s faith in their rulers. She became a symbol of what the France did not want to become.

Throughout history, Marie Antoinette’s role in history has been blurry. In actuality, she was involved in both domestic and foreign politics, but not as much as was exaggerated after her death. While it is known that she was involved in certain courtly scandals and voicing her opinions in regard to Austria and Prussia, once she had children, she shied away from the public limelight. In addition to her own opinions, she supported the conservative side of the court, or the maintenance of the royal family as the head of the state – called the Old Regime.

By the end of 1790, the whole of France was getting tired of the monarchy and its ploys to control their liberty. Antoinette and her family were forced to move to Paris so that all the casuistry of the royal court could be monitored. Later, it was discovered that Marie had been working with constitutional monarchists. Once discovered, the royal family attempted to flee the country, but was caught. Following, she sought the aid of her brother, the Roman Emperor, Leopold II. In order to take recognition off of herself and France’s own internal problems, France declared war on Austria in 1792