Marie Antoinette - Madame Déficit

Marie Antoinette was born on November 2, 1755, in Vienna, Austria. She was the fifteenth child of Holy Roman Emperor Francis 1 and Maria Theresa. She had a happy childhood up until the age of ten when her father died. Her mother soon made arrangements to marry at the age of fourteen. She was to marry Louis XV, dauphin of France, to make an alliance between France and Austria.

Soon Louis XV died and Marie had to marry Louis XVI. Marie and Louis' relationship was not very good. He was unable to have children and was going to have the needed operation in order to do so. Meanwhile it left Marie bored with nothing to do. But that soon ended when she started to gamble and have affairs with other men. She once gambled for three days straight.

When Marie first showed herself to the people of Paris, they immediately liked her personality and thought she was beautiful. But another act caused by her boredom was spending money on dresses. She started buying them from a woman named Rose Bertin, who was a milliner and dressmaker. Marie kept on buying these dresses until she was in debt, earning her the nickname "Madame Déficit," meaning The Queen of Debt.

Marie Antoinette had four children. Her firstborn was Marie Thérèse Charlotte, later known as Madame Royale. She was born on December 19, 1778 and died on October 19, 1851, of pneumonia. Louis Joseph Xavier Francois, Dauphin de France, was her second child, born on October 22, 1781. He died almost eight years later of tuberculosis. Marie's third child was Louis XVII Charles, Roi de France. He was born on March 27, 1785. He was taken away from his parents and put in the Temple prison where he was neglected and later died of tuberculosis. And lastly, Marie Sophie Helen Beatrice was born on July 9, 1786, and died in less than a year.

Marie Thérèse Charlotte

Louis Joseph Xavier Francois, Dauphin de France

Louis XVII Charles, Roi de France

Marie Sophie Helen Beatrice

a. What was it like to live in France when your person did? What was going on socially, culturally, politically, etc.? How was your person affected by their time period and how did they in turn affect everyone else?

Marie lived in a consuming house named Versailles. She didn't go out much, at least at first. When Marie was frustrated with court life, she went and made friends. She spent money on them, buying expensive gifts. Of course she also spent a lot on herself. Her busy work life was just too boring for her so she was determined to escape it and lead to a life of pleasure and luxury. Masked balls, theatricals, and gambling were some of her extravagances. With all of this going on, Marie doesn't realize that she's ignoring her people. She doesn't try to help or listen to them. That's when her people start to turn on her.

Marie set fashion trends throughout France with all of her extravagant dresses, but was soon led into debt. She put France in a horrible situation. Her debt was a main cause of the French Revolution. Her people were getting furious, wanting her dead.

b. Name a few ways that your person changed history. How did his or her thoughts and actions affect the way other people thought fifty or one hundred years later? Elaborate.

Marie Antoinette is a very relatable person. She goes through the hard times of life and also through the good times. She was bored, found something to do, and even though it may not have been her best choice, she stood her ground until the day of her death. Marie Antoinette gives a great lesson to all people: Everyone makes mistakes. Her consequence of her mistake was death, but nowadays we just learn from ours and move on. Mistakes are a part of life and everyone makes them.

Marie also showed us that we shouldn't give into our temptations. Our temptations can lead us into trouble. Her constant spending lead all of France into a bad situation. Her temptation caused her her life.

c. Using the French skills that you have, write one paragraph (in French! 6-8 good sentences) from your person’s perspective. Be sure to use “je”.

Je suis ennuyé. Mon travail est stressant. Je désire avoir juste l'amusement. Je veux vivre librement et faire ce que je veux. Je pense que je pourrais aller à Rose Bertin et demande elle de faire une robe pour moi. Alors je sortirai avec mes amis. J'espère que je pas dois faire plus le travail. Je serai une femme libre!