Monday, December 15, 2014

Count Fersen and Marie-Antoinette

History and Other Thoughts explores the topic. To quote:
He was a skilled Swedish statesman and diplomat. A soldier in the War for the American Independence. A devoted and fervent royalist who faithfully served both the Kings of Sweden and France. An innocent victim murdered by a ferocious mob for a crime he didn't commit. Yet, to most people, Axel von Fersen is just Queen Marie Antoinette's lover. Too bad he never was.

Yep, that's right. There is absolutely no proof that Marie Antoinette and Fersen were lovers. Even historians like Antonia Fraser, who believes they were, had to admit in her biography of the Queen, that the evidence just isn't there. Instead, everything we know about Marie Antoinette indicates that, regardless of what she may have felt for Fersen (and no one can truly say what is in someone's heart), she was never unfaithful to her husband.

[...]

An affair would have devastating consequences for Marie Antoinette. If Fersen had really been in love with the Queen, that alone should have prevented him from touching her. But were Fersen and Marie Antoinette really in love? He was entirely devoted to her, and she surely cared for him, but what they truly felt for one another, only they knew.  (Read more.)
More HERE, HERE, and HERE. Share

2 comments:

Gio said...

Thank you so much for sharing my post. I really appreciate it. Hopefully, this myth will be permanently put to rest soon.

julygirl said...

It is in people's nature to speculate especially if it relates to something negative about someone!