Stylish Hairdo, The Art of Women’s Hairdressing, 1767, via the National Library of FranceĪntoinette was very different from her reserved husband.

It took seven years for the couple to finally consummate their marriage, but once they had, Antoinette would give birth to four children, of which only one, Marie Thérèse, would reach adulthood. While it was essential for the couple to produce a legitimate heir, the act of sexual intercourse seemed to make the king uncomfortable. The dauphin was indecisive, quiet and shy, and initially showed little interest in his beautiful new bride. The new dauphine married Louis on May 16th, 1770, and they would be crowned as the new King and Queen of France and Navarra a mere four years later. Louis XVI, King of France by Francois Dumont, 1785, via Louvre Collections, Paris Sadly, Antoinette was never able to fulfill her mother’s wishes. Maria Theresa wished her daughter good luck, pleading with her to be good to the French people as if an angel was sent to them. In a bid to pacify France, then an enemy of Austria, 14-year-old Antoinette was sent to marry France’s heir to the throne, the future Louis XVI. These qualities would serve her well in the diplomatic game aristocratic girls were expected to play when securing a tight-knit web of alliances within Europe. The iron-willed Maria Theresa, always more of a state leader than a mother, saw little Antoinette as a light-hearted and affectionate girl, but not necessarily a remarkable one.Īrchduchess Maria Antonia of Austria, by Martin van Meytens the Younger, 1767, via the Smithsonian InstituteĪs Marie Antoinette entered her teenage years, she certainly didn’t become less frivolous, but her unparalleled charm and grace made her stand out. A sweet and endearing child, Antoinette enjoyed music, dancing, and riding, but was never all that interested in pursuing academic topics. As the youngest girl among a large number of children, Marie Antoinette enjoyed a life of privilege and wealth. Marie Antoinette, born Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna, grew up at the Habsburg court in Vienna as the 15th child of Empress Maria Theresa.

It sets a unique ID to embed videos to the website.From Marie Antoinette’s Privileged Childhood to Illustrious Versailles Archduchess Marie Antoinette, Future Queen of France by Jean-Etienne Liotard, 1762, via Musée d’art et d’histoire de Genève This cookie is used by vimeo to collect tracking information. This domain of this cookie is owned by Vimeo. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages visted in an anonymous form. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the website is doing. This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. It does not store any personal data.Īnalytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Performance'. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Necessary'. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Advertisement'. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Other. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Functional'. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Analytics'. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly.

Antoinette painting