Queen of France.
She was the princess of Austria, daughter of Empress Marie Theresa. In order to reassured peace between France and Austria, after hundred years of enemies, Marie Theresa proposed the linkage of France and Austria by a marriage. That would created peace between the two countries and strengthen Austria. Marie Antoinette married the dauphin in 1770.
She was beautiful with elegance and dignity. She was an outgoing, carefree lady which showed her emotion in front of public. This is different from her husband Louis XVI. Although it was not said in history, but judging from the readings, French were probably discriminated her because of her Austria identity. The could be tell from every one add "Austria XXX" to describe her. She found herself lonely, and the only way of distraction the attention was to increase the amusement, such as overnight operas, balls, and cclothes.
Lice color dresses probably was one of the excellent example to mention how Marie Antoinette spent on her clothes. It was in Episode 12—Oscar at the Duel at Dawn.
In the episode, Oscar and Andre went to Marie Antoinette’s room to greet her. Marie Antoinette asked Andre’s opinion about her dresses. Andre said that color of the dress looked like a lice color. Then it became a fashion of lice stomach, lice leg color etc.
The lice comment happened, but not from Andre. It was from Louis XVI, her husband instead. The lice color became fashion.
Marie Antoinette bought lots of clothes from Rose Berlin. Partly due to satisfaction of desire, partly also because of the Queen of France was supposed to lead the fashion trend, similar to Princess Diana nowadays. As a queen, Marie Antoinette wore one dress for the afternoon and another one for the evening in the same day.
Her fashion designer was Rose Berlin, the old lady with glasses in the episode. Rose Berlin charged her a much higher price, of course. However, one interesting thing happened. Although Rose Berlin got the Queen as her chief customer, she still went bankrupt.
Also, like episode 12—Oscar at the Duel at Dawn, Marie Theresa sent back Marie Antoinette’s portrait because Marie Theresa did not think that was appropriated for French Queen to spend her people’s money on fancy dresses.
Marie Theresa made a comment, "I did not see the portrait of a Queen of France but that of an actress". Mercy agreed that the "feather head dresses were somewhat exaggerated". He pointed out that the Queen just followed the fashion that had become common in France.
The empress did not accept that. She said, "a young and pretty Queen, full of charm, has no need of all this nonsense."
Also, she paid a lot for friends that she like, such as Mme de Polignac. It showed that she was hunger for friendship in France.
Due to the big expenditure to compensate her loneliness, She was in serious debt when she was a queen. One example was she purchased a pair of diamond earrings for 100 million francs of present day money, and bracelet , which cost 50,000,000 francs. She had a name "Madame Deficit". However, Marie Antoinette claimed she did not know the royal family was in serious debt because "when I asked for 50,000 livres I was brought 100,000".
The terrible expenditure created hatred from her people. When Marie Antoinette went to Paris again after giving birth to her second son, she received no applause from the public, not a single cry of welcome, but completely silence. She wept in front of the King. She did not understand her expenditure created hardship with the citizens.
After she had kids, she paid less attention to the court politics. The serious business was always interrupted by her children. Her focus was her children.
After the outbreak of the revolution, Marie Antoinette’s beautiful blonde hair turned white all in a sudden because of worries and scare. Later on, she was suffered from lossing blood and her body was weak.
On the trial, Marie Antoinette was declared of death because of letting enemies to France, that affect the security of the country. She showed her dignity as a queen all the way through the crisis.
She was gullotined, with the joy from the public. Her body was threw on the grass in Medeline cemetery, with head between her legs. As a queen, she did not have a coffin or grave…
Marie Antoinette loved her husband. After the outbreak of the revolution, several times she said she wanted to be by the side of her husband. However, their characters were not that compatible. Louis XVI was quiet, and Antoinette was perky.
Although people suggested that she was an "Austrian whore" with many men to play with at the court. But the only valid lover was Hans Axel von Fersen. The other were just friends, but probably because of Marie Antoinette’s character, people misunderstood her.
On Sunday January 30, 1774, Marie Antoinette went to a masquerade for amusement. She wore a domino and a black mask. Marie Antoinette recognized Fersen in the crowd because they Fersen has visited the court before that day, and his handsome outlook got her attention.
She went up to him and they spoke for a while and he did not recognize she was the Dauphine. Later on, Marie Antoinette afraid she would be recognized by the public, she went away.
It was different from the Episode 7—Who Wrote Love Letters that Fersen took off Antoinette’s mask and Oscar intruded in the scene. However, like that episode, the masquerade was definitely a medium to bond the two souls together.
Her love affair with Fersen was best described with her own words after she was caught from the royal flight in 1791, "if you write to him, tell him that many miles and many countries can never separate hearts. I feel this truth more strongly every day."
Please see Events if you like to know more details on Marie Antoinette.
For Antoinette and Fersen’s love affair, please read Scripts from Hans Axel von Fersen.