Comments for Marie Antoinette Online

Comment on Marie Antoinette – A Biography by Fabian

Fabian — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:01:00 +0000

I find Marie Antoinette to be the most fascinating woman in France’s history and there are definitely many interesting women in that arena. It is very unfortunate however that the image that is most commonly held of her is that which was created by her detractors. She is incredibly enigmatic precisely because so much false information was spread about her both during her life and after her death. I’ve been reading about her for years and always feel as if I never quite get to know her. Visiting the palace at Versailles, and the Petit Trianon in particular, is about as close as I’ve ever felt I could come to her and her world.

Comment on Marie Antoinette – A Biography by Mishelle

Mishelle — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 23:30:09 +0000

Ironically, I took a silly quiz on facebook in which it stated that I was like Marie Antoinnette in a past life. I became intrigued and stumbled onto this Biography. I found this Biography about Marie Antoinnette quite interesting and disturbing at the same time. It is sad to know that society plays such a devastating end to someone who was trying to enjoy life as she wished. She probably wanted to taste life and all it had to offer. Who really wants to be quiet and reserved all of the time? I am guessing that she was certain of herself and wasn’t concerned as to what people thought of her because she knew she was a good person who cared for the people who were loyal to her. Too bad she was scrutinized and seperated from her children. This makes me think of how often society does this in today’s time. Makes one wonder if we are treating someone unkindly and unfairly as well.

Comment on The Diamond Necklace Affair by Marc Louis LeRoux

Marc Louis LeRoux — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:55:15 +0000

I was reluctant to post this, but it is true – I had a great aunt whose first name was Marie Antoinette. Many ancestor males are named Louis and it is my middle name. In the years before I knew so much, I was still fascinated by this unfortunate queen. As I study history more (decades) I have come to feel a great sadness whenever the subject of the French Revolution comes up. It was such a horrible waste. It also seems to have begun a modern epic of uprisings, the excesses of which found their (hopefully) final expressions in Stalinist and Maoist purges in the 20th century. Today, French students riot at the drop of a hat. There seems to be a trained in reflex for mayhem built into French culture. That has been seized upon by some of their immigrants, who are now taking it to new dimensions. Violence is never good, but such excesses also create negative “traditions.”

Comment on The Diamond Necklace Affair by Marc Louis LeRoux

Marc Louis LeRoux — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:48:07 +0000

To the professor of French history. I have reason to disbelieve your claim as a professor of history, because your details are correct. However, I am surprised at your poor spelling ability. Is it possible to become a professor (where) with such a deficit? Or do let us know if English is your second language.

Comment on The Diamond Necklace Affair by Clare

Clare — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:23:05 +0000

Thank you for your comments, this is your opinion, the article, specifically about the Diamond Necklace Affair, is the opinion of its author. Perhaps you would care to read the other articles on the site or join the forum if you wish to discuss these matters further?

Comment on The Diamond Necklace Affair by Natalie

Natalie — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 20:50:09 +0000

I think you need to change and update this whole post. For one Marie Antoinette att the age of fourteen, on the day of her marriage to Louis-Auguste, Dauphin of France, she became Dauphine de France. She became Queen of France and Navarre in May 1774 at the age of 19. She had five children on 19 December 1778 Marie-Thérèse Charlotte first child and eldest daughter and the only Serviver of the immediate Royal Family to survive the French Revolution . She was also Queen of France for twenty minutes, in 1830 do to her husband and cousin. Then the was a discovery in there was a pregnancy in 1779. The memoirs of the queen’s lady-in-waiting, Madame Campan, state explicitly that the miscarriage came about after the queen exerted herself too strenuously in closing a window in her carriage, felt that she had hurt herself, and lost the child eight days later do to still birth. Campan adds that the king spent a morning consoling the queen at her bedside, and swore to secrecy all those who were aware of the accident. She also gave birth to Louis-Joseph-Xavier-François in 1781 and Louis-Charles in 1785, and a younger sister, Sophie-Hélène-Béatrix in 1786. It was also dicovered that Louis XVI of France her husband did not have any kind of surgery. did not receive the surgery. The Dauphine’s doctor, Jean-Marie Lassonne, examining the Dauphin in 1773, found him to be “well made”, and judged that the problem was one of “clumsiness and ignorance”.[9] This incident was followed several months later by the above-mentioned consummation of July 1773.[5] In addition, there is no record of the King’s receiving surgery, or of his spending several weeks convalescing, as would have been necessary. The fact that his hunting journals show no such break in activity, despite the impossibility of his sitting in a saddle for several weeks after such an operation, strongly suggests that he did not in fact have the surgery.[11]

It has also been suggested, although her mother Maria-Theresa insisted otherwise, that the biological hindrance lay with Marie-Antoinette. Medical correspondence of the time stated that, though inexperienced, Louis was simply “too much of a gentleman” to bring himself to impregnate his young and slender mate. Some sources suggest that it was Marie-Antoinette who underwent some minor surgical operation, to relive her vaginal tightness, which then enabled the royal couple to consummate their union.[12]

The true cause of the couple’s infertility might have been revealed in a letter written by Marie-Antoinette’s brother, Joseph II, to their other brother, Leopold II. In April 1777. Joseph visited Louis and Marie-Antoinette in France, and he had a frank talk with both of them regarding sexual matters. From this, he discovered that the King mated with his wife from a sense of royal duty rather than for the sexual pleasure. There was no problem with the King’s sexual organs: Joseph wrote, “he has strong perfectly satisfactory erections”, and “he sometimes has night-time emissions”. Their problem was reportedly that when the King and Queen had sexual intercourse, “he introduces the member, stays there without moving for about two minutes, withdraws without ejaculating but still erect, and bids goodnight…when he is inside and going at it…[ejaculation] never happens.” In the Emperor’s opinion, this couple consisted of “two complete blunderers”, who had nothing wrong with them aside from lack of sexual knowledge and meaningful desire to mate.[13]

Joseph, it would appear, remedied the couple’s ignorance during his conversations with the two of them. By August, the marriage was finally consummated, and the pair had thanked him for his advice, to which they attributed the consummation.

I am a Professor of French History. I think you should update and change this post because you are giving out false information.

Comment on Marie Antoinette – A Biography by courtney

courtney — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 06:18:28 +0000

Ummm.. i feel very sad for marie antoinette. for the life she had to receive at a very young age. lost and unaware of her true fate.im glad that she went through these things to let us know that being royalty isnt always what you expect. and that it comes with sacrifices and consequences just as much as anything else would. i feel she play her positoin as queen as well as she could and that she did a great job! and for that i praise her for. i also feel anyone in her positoin would of had the same fate.. but they wouldnt of been able to play the role as great as she did.. soo really what im trying to say is that noone is perfect royalty or not were all human and made to make mistakes and go through pain and suffering. nd life is never fair even for a queen..and for that being said ..LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!!!!!:) because she did her best.. something i kno i wouldnt have the power and strength to even imagine doing.Thank you Marie..for doing your best. thanx thats all i got to sayy..
-Court

Comment on Marie Antoinette – A Biography by Clare

Clare — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 23:29:46 +0000

Yes there was a movie – The Affair of the Necklace (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0242252/). Hilary Swank played Jeanne de La Motte, and Joley Richardson was Antoinette.

Comment on Marie Antoinette – A Biography by Juniper

Juniper — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 20:04:58 +0000

I just found this site after reading about her on wikipedia, after seeing the movie with Kirsten Dunst. I thought this site had better info than wikipedia and I am glad I found it, esp the part about the “necklace affair”……wasn’t there a movie about that?? Anyone remember the name, or am is that just wishful thinking??
I also wanted to add my 2 cents to the whole debate as to whether or not she was a “good person” No one who lives today really knows what she was honestly like, I’m sure most ref books of those days were not 100% accurate. I found her story sad, and was disappointed in the way there goverment endned things, but since I was not there for the events, I can’t really say that she was mean, or rude or “got what she deserved”. From what I’ve read and seen she seemed to have been someone who was kind and loving. Interesting bit about whether or not the French still hate them today…. that is something I would like to know!

Comment on Marie Antoinette – A Biography by Deb

Deb — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 12:32:55 +0000

I have to agree with Lisa’s post of 4/22. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong man – until maybe later when they came together as a couple, had their children, and began family life. I don’t think she was like Princess Diana because Diana went out of her way to come out of her palace and find out what the people needed – but Marie did not – for whatever reason. Maybe she was just too busy with her children or really didn’t care – no one will ever know for sure what her motives were. I’d be interested in finding about some prime sources for her motives. Were all her documents (letters, etc..) destroyed in the revolution? What strikes me as interesting is that so many people in their comments feel sorry for Marie at being married so young. Young marriages were extremely common at the time (not just in royal families) – if you weren’t married by 18 you were in danger of being the subject of gossip about why you were still single. Children in the 1700’s were not the children we know today. They were given responsibilities at a very young age compared to modern times. They were treated as adults from a very young age and girls often had their first babies as “teen moms”. When you think about the average age of death as being 40ish for middle class people – it kind of makes sense to marry young and have your children young. Also, when so many children died young – it made sense to start having them young and to have many of them so that you could have some survive to help do the work of the house and farm. I think that in our treatment of children in these modern times, we have actually allowed our young people stay “children” way too long and be less responsible and less able to adjust to the realities of how tough life really can be – but that’s a different topic.