If you are a history lover, you must have indeed heard about the name of Marie Antoinette, isn’t it? However, just like the mother Marie Antoinette children are equally famous.
If you read the history books, you will find that she has been portrayed as the spendthrift wife who meddled in the political affairs of her weak-willed husband, Louis XVI.
On the other hand, she was also a devoted mother to her four children. They actually were the ones who provided emotional solace for the troubled French queen. Well, as you know the French Revolution at that time, tore apart France and Marie’s family, thereby leading to the deaths of Louis, Marie, and one of their sons.
So in the end, their only surviving daughter was left to cope with the trauma and the tragedy of their family’s fate. In today’s article, we shall discuss some of the unknown aspects of Marie Antoinette’s life. Let’s take a quick glance!
How Did Marie Antoinette & Louis XVI Begin Their Family?
As you know, Marie Antoinette was betrothed to their heir to the French throne while she was still a child. Her parents knew that their daughter’s primary duty as a wife was to produce a male heir. However, the marriage went unconsummated for several years. Well, this was either a physical issue on Louis’ part or a psychological one.
Needless to say, royal courts were places where lots of gossip went on. However, Marie and Louis were always advised and criticized for their supposed biological “failure.”
They had to hear a lot of insults for not being able to give birth to a child. Moreover, things had gone to such an extent that Marie’s brother was even dispatched to give the young king some step-by-step sexual advice.
So it was not until 1778, that is four years after they had assumed the French throne that the couple had their first child. She was a daughter, Marie-Therese-Charlotte. Even though she could not fulfill the hope of their son, she provided them the much-needed emotional support for her mother.
How was Marie Antoinette as a Mother?
By now, you must have got a good deal of idea about who Marie Antoinette was. In fact, there are also drama series about her. For instance, Marie Antoinette PBS is all about the life of the famous historical character. So now the question arises how was she as a mother? Let’s find out!
As per the sources, Marie Antoinette was a doting mother. She loved all her children equally well. After her daughter, in 1781, Marie gave birth to Louis-Joseph, who became his father’s heir.
Marie was devoted to her children, though she was often prevented from handling their day-to-day care due to strict royal protocol. Therefore, when she could, she often went with her children to Petit Trianon, a small chateau at Versailles that Louis had given her, and spent some time with them.
Even though Marie was a popular princess at that time, her modern lifestyle and dressing style often raised eyebrows among the people. So both Louis and Marie had to spend their personal time away from the prying eyes of the courtiers.
How Many of Marie’s Children Die Before The King?
Even though Louis and Marie were fond of each other, they were not a great match. In fact, for Marie, this role was played by Swedish diplomat Axel Von Ferson. Both of them had an affair at the time of the American Revolution. Moreover, many people suspected that Marie’s third child Louis-Charles was probably Axel’s son.
In fact, the following year, she gave birth to her fourth and last child, a daughter named Sophie. However, tragedy struck less than a year later when Sophie who had a premature birth died. At the same time, the royal couple lost their seven-year-old son Louis-Joseph. The doctors suspected that he died of tuberculosis of the spine.
Sadly, his parents had very little time to mourn their dead children as many political issues needed their attention. Moreover, the situation at that time was highly sensitive, and none of them were in a position to mourn for their dead children. So at that time, there were many books that told us about Marie Antoinette syndrome after the tragedy struck her family.
What Happened to Louis-Charles?
Many of you must be curious to find out about what had happened to Louis-Charles that ultimately led to his untimely death. Later in the year, 1789, the royal family was moved from Versailles and placed in captivity in Paris.
Well, after a series of failed escape attempts the revolutionary government abolished the monarchy in 1792. It was after this that Louis XVI’s execution took place.
So when the authorities allowed his wife Marie to remain with Marie Therese and Louis-Charles, they soon separated them as well. They kept Marie under strict surveillance, but it didn’t stop her from continuing to plot her escape.
As per the sources, Louis-Charles was locked in a dark, fetid chamber. Here the authorities fed him meager rations, prevented him from seeing any outside visitors, and physically abused his jailers.
Therefore, after being isolated and sacred the young boy began to display signs of emotional instability. Furthermore, the jailers tortured him further with false accusations where they forced him to give a statement that his mother and sister sexually molested him.
In fact, they used this false evidence during Marie’s trial. Finally, they convicted Marie of the crime, and a similar end was received by her. There are many books where you can find Marie Antoinette last words and understand her pain and grief at that time.
It was after two years that Louis-Charles died of tuberculosis without receiving proper treatment. Needless to say, the end he met was indeed pathetic and beyond imagination.
Ending Note
So if you would like to know a lot more about Marie Antoinette’s life, you can either search online or read history books. The above article will also provide you with a brief insight into some of the most significant aspects of the royal queen’s life.
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