In This Article
30-Second Summary
Headline Link: ‘Introverted’ 15-year-old Louis marries ‘carefree’ 14-year-old Marie
Later Developments: Seven years without consummation, France in economic turmoil
Opinion & Analysis: Marie Antoinette’s legacy
Historical Context: The French Revolution
Reference: Marie’s palace, portraits and art collection
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Marie Antoinette
On this Day: Louis XVI Marries Marie Antoinette
May 16, 2008 12:10 AM
by
findingDulcinea Staff
On May 16, 1770, Marie Antoinette married the future king of France. Their marriage lacked affection and ended with their 1793 beheadings by French revolutionaries.
Email This30-Second Summary
Marie Antoinette was born Maria Antonia, Archduchess of Austria. Her parents arranged for her to marry Louis, Dauphin and heir to France’s throne, to strengthen the Austro-Franco alliance.
The 14-year old Maria Antonia was renamed Marie Antoinette and sent to France on May 7, 1770. She and Louis married on May 16.
After the ceremony, the two were sent to their wedding chamber, expected to begin work on producing an heir. But it was seven years before their marriage was consummated, a much-debated topic within the gossip-ridden circles of the French and Austrian courts.
Louis gained a reputation for being impotent, both sexually and as a leader, while Marie Antoinette drew criticism for failing to produce an heir. In 1777, the two consummated their marriage and a year later, Marie Antoinette would give birth to the first of four children.
By then, Louis had succeeded to the throne. The 20-year old was a reluctant king who inherited a government in debt and a society that resented the monarchy. He did little to solve the country’s economic problems. Marie Antoinette was also unpopular, with a reputation for living extravagantly, although historians say she was actually generous to the needy.
In October 1789, Revolutionary forces stormed the palace at Versailles. Louis and his family were taken to Paris and confined. Three years later, France was declared a Republic and the monarchy was stripped of its power. Both Louis and Marie Antoinette would be convicted of treason and beheaded.
The 14-year old Maria Antonia was renamed Marie Antoinette and sent to France on May 7, 1770. She and Louis married on May 16.
After the ceremony, the two were sent to their wedding chamber, expected to begin work on producing an heir. But it was seven years before their marriage was consummated, a much-debated topic within the gossip-ridden circles of the French and Austrian courts.
Louis gained a reputation for being impotent, both sexually and as a leader, while Marie Antoinette drew criticism for failing to produce an heir. In 1777, the two consummated their marriage and a year later, Marie Antoinette would give birth to the first of four children.
By then, Louis had succeeded to the throne. The 20-year old was a reluctant king who inherited a government in debt and a society that resented the monarchy. He did little to solve the country’s economic problems. Marie Antoinette was also unpopular, with a reputation for living extravagantly, although historians say she was actually generous to the needy.
In October 1789, Revolutionary forces stormed the palace at Versailles. Louis and his family were taken to Paris and confined. Three years later, France was declared a Republic and the monarchy was stripped of its power. Both Louis and Marie Antoinette would be convicted of treason and beheaded.
Headline Link: ‘Introverted’ 15-year-old Louis marries ‘carefree’ 14-year-old Marie
The marriage of Louis and Marie Antoinette, like many royal marriages at the time, was made to strengthen a political alliance. Marie Antoinette was a carefree 14-year old with a year of tutoring in French language and culture; Louis was an awkward, introverted 15-year old who preferred hunting to accepting the duties of a monarch. They were not a well-matched couple and showed little affection for each other.
Source: Smithsonian Magazine
Later Developments: Seven years without consummation, France in economic turmoil
Louis and Marie Antoinette’s relationship was a much-discussed subject in the French and Austrian Courts, with many rumors surrounding their inability to consummate the marriage. Historians have debunked the notion that Louis had a sexual dysfunction, and most believe the two were simply inexperienced and not attracted to each other. In 1777, Marie Antoinette’s brother, Joseph II, traveled to France and gave Louis sexual advice. Within months, the marriage was consummated and Louis had professed, “I delight in the pleasure, and I regret that I wasn’t aware of it for so long!”
Source: History of Circumcision
Following his father’s death in 1774, Louis XVI ascended to the throne during a turbulent period in French history. A mounting economic crisis had turned the public against the monarchy, and Louis’ ineffective economic reforms further enraged the people. He was a self-doubting and indecisive leader who hoped that appeasing the revolutionaries would solve his problems, but the lack of effectual reforms furthered jeopardized the future of the monarchy.
Source: PBS
Marie Antoinette gave birth to her first child, Marie Therese Charlotte, in December 1778 and would have three more in the following eight years. As a mother, she became less extravagant, eschewing the late-night gambling and parties that marked her youth. She lived a peaceful existence at Versailles until 1789, when revolutionaries stormed the palace and took the royal family to Paris. They were restricted to the Tuileries palace, and were officially placed under house arrest after an unsuccessful escape attempt in 1791.
Source: PBS
On December 11, 1792, Louis was put on trial for a “multitude of crimes in order to establish your tyranny by destroying its liberty.” He was found guilty on January 15, 1793, and executed by guillotine on January 21.
Source: History Guide
Marie Antoinette would be executed nine months later. In her final letter, she expresses sadness for leaving her children but says that she is “calm, as one is when one’s conscience reproaches one with nothing.”
Source: Tea at Trianon
Opinion & Analysis: Marie Antoinette’s legacy
Historian E.M. Vidal argues that Marie Antoinette has been unfairly portrayed as “the queen who danced while the people starved.” This reputation is derived from street pamphlets, the “libelles,” created to satirize the monarchy and French society. In reality, Marie Antoinette lived very modestly for a Queen and gave generous amounts of money to the needy. Furthermore, the famous “let them eat cake” remark attributed to her was actually said by the wife of Louis XIV.
Source: Tea at Trianon
Historical Context: The French Revolution
The French Revolution of 1789–1799 overthrew France’s absolute monarchy and transformed the country into a republic. Liberty, Equality, Fraternity: Exploring the French Revolution explains the causes, beliefs, events and results of the French Revolution.
Source: Center for History and New Media (George Mason University)
Reference: Marie’s palace, portraits and art collection
Marie Antoinette Online has a collection of portraits, paintings, sculptures and cartoons.
Source: Marie Antoinette Online
The Chateau de Versailles hosts an exhibit dedicated to Marie Antoinette and her estate. The Web site features a collection of paintings, with audio and video explaining their meaning.
Source: Chateau de Versailles
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