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2006-11-24 08:18:30 · 9 answers · asked by STORMY K 3 in Society & Culture Royalty

9 answers

Marie Antoinette was decapitated during the French Revolution for being a noble and more precisely the wife of the king. The Revolutionaries were pro-republic and wanted to put an end to monarchy which passed power on through birth-right. Many nobles and pro-monarchists were killed.

In order to justify the brutal execution of Marie Antoinette and make it more palatable, the propaganda machine promptly attributed the "Let them eat cake" line to her, with an aim at making her seem callous and insensitive. There is believable historical evidence to show she never said that.

2006-11-24 08:24:08 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1 0

Marie Antoinette is perhaps best remembered for her legendary (and, some modern historians say, exaggerated) excesses, and for her death: she was executed by guillotine at the height of the French Revolution in 1793, for the crime of treason.

The jury decided unanimously in the affirmative, and she was condemned to death for treason on October 15 and escorted back to the Conciergerie.

2006-11-24 08:33:20 · answer #2 · answered by Pey 7 · 0 0

Your question grew to become into, what 12 months did Maria Antoinettte die. i encourage to nicely known not something approximately Maria antoinette, whilst she lived or died. besides the undeniable fact that while you're concerning Marie Antoinette, then you definately've your answer.

2016-12-29 10:17:45 · answer #3 · answered by ? 3 · 0 0

She was executed by guillotine at the height of the French Revolution in 1793, for the crime of treason.

2006-11-24 08:21:19 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1 0

Marie Antoinnette was the last queen of france. during the french revolution she was executed because the french people wanted to get rid of the king and queen.

2006-11-24 08:23:08 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1 0

lThey were tried by a popular court which found them guilty both were sentenced to die in the


guillotine

2006-11-25 04:15:00 · answer #6 · answered by opaalvarez 5 · 0 0

It's nothing to lose your head about. And anyone who lived in the 1700s would be dead by now, anyway...

2006-11-24 08:21:52 · answer #7 · answered by steviewag 4 · 1 1

wat about it? just so u know she did not say "Let them eat cake."she was also the last and most beautiful queen of france.

2006-11-24 10:58:46 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

"Marie Antoinette is perhaps best remembered for her legendary (and, some modern historians say, exaggerated) excesses, and for her death: she was executed by guillotine at the height of the French Revolution in 1793, for the crime of treason.

In law, treason is the crime of disloyalty to one's nation or state. A person who betrays the nation of their citizenship and/or reneges on an oath of loyalty and in some way willfully cooperates with an enemy, is considered to be a traitor. Oran's Dictionary of the Law (1983) defines treason as: "...[a]...citizen's actions to help a foreign government overthrow, make war against, or seriously injure the [parent nation]." In many nations, it is also often considered treason to attempt or conspire to overthrow the government, even if no foreign country is aided or involved by such an endeavour.

One event that worsened her standing with the French public was the "Affair of the Diamond Necklace" which took place between 1785 and 1786. This affair started when one of the French ministers, Cardinal de Rohan, was swindled into buying a diamond necklace that he believed the Queen wished to have. He was swindled by a lady who called herself Comtesse de la Motte-Valois. A lawsuit ensued between the minister and the unpaid jewellers in which the Cardinal was aquitted. But the Comtesse, pretending that Marie Antoinette knew and was involved wth the about the transaction, publically made accusations about secret, romantic rendezvous that Marie had had and so on. These accusations were exploited by Marie's enemies to help tear her down even more in the eyes of the French people.

Marie Antoinette's reputation did not faire well with either the public or court, that is until she gave birth to her first child, which was Madame Royale in 1778. She gained back some public support and approval when she gave birth to the first Dauphin in 1781, who unfortunately died in 1789. She later gave birth to another daughter who died in infancy and finally to another son who was to become the Dauphin after his brother died. He was born in 1785. During this time, the public and court were not so harsh with her, although that time would return sooner rather than later. The public, though, had waited eleven long years for her to produce an heir and that combined with her overly indulgent lifestyle, their ill will towards her never really diminished.

One event that worsened her standing with the French public was the "Affair of the Diamond Necklace" which took place between 1785 and 1786. This affair started when one of the French ministers, Cardinal de Rohan, was swindled into buying a diamond necklace that he believed the Queen wished to have. He was swindled by a lady who called herself Comtesse de la Motte-Valois. A lawsuit ensued between the minister and the unpaid jewellers in which the Cardinal was aquitted. But the Comtesse, pretending that Marie Antoinette knew and was involved wth the about the transaction, publically made accusations about secret, romantic rendezvous that Marie had had and so on. These accusations were exploited by Marie's enemies to help tear her down even more in the eyes of the French people.


French politics at this time were anything but stable, and as the years got went by, the more unstable they got. Many politicians wanted changes and reforms within the monarchy that slowly diminished the royal power. At first, Marie was very resolute that no concessions be made and was determined to overthrow all of the new reforms. One of the reasons she was so resolute goes back to the Franco-Austrian Alliance, of which Marie was so dedicated to keep in tact. Louis, like most of his ruling life, was apathetic in these situations, although he did favor reforms and was willing to work with the States-General in bringing them about. But Marie's determination not to see this happen again one over because of her forcefullness and his lack of standing up to her. Again we see how she got what she wanted and by standing up for the Alliance, it only hurt her popularity even more. By 1789, though, just at the brink of the start of the Revolution, she advocate royal compromise with the revolutionary States-General whom she hated so much. And by this time, popular hatred of her was at an all time high, and would stay that way until her death.


In fall of 1789, after several important events took place, a mob forced the royal family from Versailles to the Tuileries Palace in Paris where they were virtual prisoners for the next two years. During this time when much of the country was in a state of upheval, Marie was trying secretly to negotiate with foreign powers, including her brother, Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II, who was now the king of the Hapsburg Empire, for the safety of Louis. In June of 1791, she arranged for the family to flee from Paris to the eastern borders and hopefully into Austria. But they were caught and arrested at Varennes and sent back to Paris.Leopold and Frederick William of Prussia both signed the "Declaration of Pillnitz which would never allow the new French Constitution to be established or recognized. Louis, though, was forced to accept the new constitution while Marie was secretly favoring the French Declaration of War against Austria in 1792. By doing this, she hoped that Prussia and Austria would then declare war on France, come in and easily defeat the unorganized revolutionaries and restore the monarchy. Unfortunately, by sending military secrets to Austria, she was committing treason. But by this time, it was too late for any foreign involvement.


On August 10, 1792, the huge uprising by the Parisian mobs permanently destroyed and abolished the monarchy; the royal family was arrested on suspicions of treason and imprisoned in the Temple and by late September, a republic was declared. On January 21, 1793, King Louis XIV was tried and convicted of treason and executed on the guillotine. Marie and her three children remained in the Temple until August of 1793 where she was moved to the Conciergerie. Her living conditions in the Conciergerie, where her younger son also accompanied her, were that of a filthy slum. During this time, she repeatedly turned to the Bible and a chaplain for strength and support while suffering from internal bleeding and losing a lot of weight. Her trial started on October 14 and the charges brought against her included incest, unnatural sexual practices and treason to the State. The most absurd and insulting charges was that she was having sex with her ailing son while still in prison. Despite the ridiculous nature of the charges, she sat with her head high and proud everyday while testimony was given against her, usually by drunken soldiers, disgruntled servants, or paid witnesses. The final day of her trial lasted twenty hours straight and her jury only convened for one hour before delivering a verdict of guilty.

October 16, 1793 was the day of her execution and she was given a few pieces of paper on which she wrote to her sister-in-law, Elisabeth, asking her to pass her love onto her children and friends Axel Fersen and Gabrielle de Polignac. Her hair, which started to turn white while she was in the Tuileries Palace, was cut and her hands tied. She was lead to an open cart which was slowly driven around Paris for three hours during which time she had to endure was jeers, boos, being spit upon, and so on. She was helped off of the cart and mounted the steps of the guillotine undauntedly and with her head held high.


Many French people hated the Queen for her Austrian blood and her expensive tastes. Marie Antoinette was called Madame Deficit and blame was placed on her for the country's financial problems. As she matured, Marie Antoinette became less frivolous. She tried to change her image by wearing simple gowns and posing for portraits with her children, but her efforts had little effect on the brutal public. In October, she was tried by a mock trial, as was her husband. Marie Antoinette was convicted of treason and sentenced to be guillotined. On October 16, 1793 she was taken through the streets of Paris in an open cart. She maintained her dignity until the bitter end. On the scaffold she accidentally stepped on the executioner's foot, and her last words were, "Monsieur, I ask your pardon. I did not do it on purpose."


She was charged with aiding the enemy and inciting civil war and for these reasons she was executed."

2006-11-24 08:35:50 · answer #9 · answered by Albertan 6 · 0 1

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