Marie Antoinette's Influence On Society
The ruin of the french monarchy is considered as Marie Antoinette. It is widely believed that her spending caused the French Revolution and execution. Her image in pop culture is one of a woman in a garish period dress with her hair towering above her head, declaring the starving peasants should just eat cake. There are many things most people do not consider when it comes to the repute of Marie Antoinette. Understandably, the modern population views Marie as a person who had far more power than she had. Gender roles completely contrast what they are today, and then a woman’s job was to give birth to an heir. It is unlikely that she would have had control or any sort of influence on politics, specifically the welfare of peasants, what she is
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most infamous for. People also fail to consider how biased sources are as the winners will write history. Marie Antoinette’s reputation is undeserving due to her lack of control of the situation and slander of her behavior.
Almost all the events in Marie Antoinette’s life were out of her control.
Born a female in the eighteenth century meant you had little to no rights compared to men of equal status. Women of the era only had to produce a male heir, and once that happened, in the eyes of society, her life was complete and no longer held any meaning. It was against custom for women to succeed the throne, so Marie’s long awaited first-born, Marie Therese, was a tool for marriage alliances and not the next ruler [Fraser, Antonia]. Girls faced damaging prejudice daily, particularly Marie, who was thrust into the spotlight at a very young age. At the age of fourteen, she moved to France from her home country, Austria, to secure an alliance between the two enemy countries. This contrasts greatly from today, which a fourteen-year-old is just beginning high school, and are focusing on homework and not being harassed on whether she consummated their marriage. The only reason Marie had to go to France and marry Louis XVI was because of her pedigree [Binhammer, Katherine]. She had no special skills that made her suitable for monarch status, it was only because of the family she was born into. Also, she wasn’t raised as a future queen, Marie was the fifteenth child of Queen Maria Teresa. Her mother's reputation throughout Europe was a woman aggressively planning the marriage of her children. Marie’s two older sisters were ahead of her in line for the throne, though the older one’s looks
diminished due to a case of smallpox and the following one died [Fraser, Antonia]. Thus, she lacked the education that a queen even of that time would need. Her education focused on music, embroidery, and dancing. These classes didn’t have much of an impact as Marie was notoriously unteachable, though charming so tutors almost always let her off without work. She could hardly read a book. These faults together is not a proper queen make.
most infamous for. People also fail to consider how biased sources are as the winners will write history. Marie Antoinette’s reputation is undeserving due to her lack of control of the situation and slander of her behavior.
Almost all the events in Marie Antoinette’s life were out of her control.
Born a female in the eighteenth century meant you had little to no rights compared to men of equal status. Women of the era only had to produce a male heir, and once that happened, in the eyes of society, her life was complete and no longer held any meaning. It was against custom for women to succeed the throne, so Marie’s long awaited first-born, Marie Therese, was a tool for marriage alliances and not the next ruler [Fraser, Antonia]. Girls faced damaging prejudice daily, particularly Marie, who was thrust into the spotlight at a very young age. At the age of fourteen, she moved to France from her home country, Austria, to secure an alliance between the two enemy countries. This contrasts greatly from today, which a fourteen-year-old is just beginning high school, and are focusing on homework and not being harassed on whether she consummated their marriage. The only reason Marie had to go to France and marry Louis XVI was because of her pedigree [Binhammer, Katherine]. She had no special skills that made her suitable for monarch status, it was only because of the family she was born into. Also, she wasn’t raised as a future queen, Marie was the fifteenth child of Queen Maria Teresa. Her mother's reputation throughout Europe was a woman aggressively planning the marriage of her children. Marie’s two older sisters were ahead of her in line for the throne, though the older one’s looks
diminished due to a case of smallpox and the following one died [Fraser, Antonia]. Thus, she lacked the education that a queen even of that time would need. Her education focused on music, embroidery, and dancing. These classes didn’t have much of an impact as Marie was notoriously unteachable, though charming so tutors almost always let her off without work. She could hardly read a book. These faults together is not a proper queen make.