Birthdate: November 2, 1755
Marie Antoinette was married off at fourteen to the Dauphin—a political move designed to strengthen ties between France and Austria, uniting the courts of Louis XV and Empress Maria Theresa. She arrived at Versailles with little enthusiasm for the match and quickly found herself caught between factions. Madame du Barry, the aging king's mistress, made it clear she saw the young princess as a threat, and Marie Antoinette, horrified by du Barry's reputation, refused to acknowledge her. The tension between them became one of the court's defining dramas.
Her marriage itself was rocky. Her husband was distant, and she felt increasingly isolated—until she met Count von Fersen. He became her confidant and, eventually, her lover, offering her the emotional connection she craved. But court gossip was relentless. When rumors about Marie Antoinette and Fersen spread, he left France. She fell into depression, turning instead to the charming Duchess de Polignac, who befriended her during a vulnerable moment. That friendship would prove ruinous.
Louis XV's death finally removed du Barry from power. The mistress was condemned and executed, but by then Marie Antoinette's own position had become precarious—less from du Barry's scheming than from the choices and company she'd fallen into.
She's often remembered as a lively, foolish girl, caught between what she wanted and what the throne demanded of her.
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