Page 30 - All About History - Issue 27-15

THE
hated Queen

MAIE

ntoinett

Howonewoman’spassionforfashion,stubbornness
andextravagantspendingdrovehercountry

to chaos and revolution

WrittenbyFrancesWhite

single cart drawn by two huge white horses travels Since her birth, Marie Antoinette had been primed
throughthestreetsofParisasaravenouscrowd and prepped to become a queen. Born the 15th child of
fights to catch a glimpse of the woman within. theformidableHolyRomanEmpressMariaTheresa,the
Her hands are bound but her back is straight and only woman to serve in the role, her mother was strict
Aherexpressionishardandproud.Herfamous and distant with her youngest daughter, determined
blondehairhasturnedaprematuregrey,andthefigure sheshouldserveasabridgebetweenthetwogreat
thatwasoncedaintyandslenderhasgrownlarge warring dynasties of Habsburg and Bourbon. Maria
with rich palace meals. She sits frozen in place was a clever woman, and she ensured that
while the crowd spit and yell insults at her. her beautiful young daughter became the
Her name is Marie Antoinette, formerly talkoftheFrenchcapital.TheFrench
thequeenofFrance,andthepeople king Louis XV was convinced, and
arescreamingforherblood. arranged the marriage of the young
AsthecartreachesPlacede Louishad archduchess to his grandson and
laRévolution,Mariecatchesa noqualms heir, Louis XVI.
glimpse of her one-time home, aboutdiningin Thetwogreatleaders,
thegrandTuileriesPalace,and public,butMarie concerned with cementing
her face crumbles. Sudden hot loathedit,and their individual power, had not
tearsstreamfromhereyesandher taken into consideration the
body trembles. But in a moment oftenwaited compatibility or the happiness of
she has recovered. She forces the untilshewasin the children involved. The young
tears back, veils her emotion and privatetoeat archduchess was undoubtedly
stepsfromthecartwithpurpose. beautiful, with her slender figure
Draped in a white cotton gown and and gleaming blonde hair, but she was
whitecap,shehasbeenstrippedofall also incredibly vivacious. Caring little
thefineryshewasoncerenownedfor,but forbooksandeducation,shewasathrill-
Marieknows,evenwithoutacrown,sheisstilla seeker, and although she didn’t know languages
queen; that is all she ever was. With her head held high, or mathematics, she knew people, and was an expert at
she moves with majesty towards the guillotine. The time gettingthemtodoexactlywhatshewanted.Theyoung
is 12.15pm when she rests her neck upon the block. The dauphin, meanwhile, was a quiet and timid boy. Strictly
bladeisreleased,andinamomenttheillustriousand religious, he read often and engaged in quiet pursuits.
terriblelifeofthemosthatedwomaninFranceisended. Heloveddeeply,buthefearedevenmoreso,andmost
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