Tea at Trianon: Summer at the Conciergerie

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Summer at the Conciergerie

As we revisit the palace turned prison we remember the prisoners who suffered there, including Marie-Antoinette. Share

5 comments:

P. M. Doolan said...: Did you also visit the site of the Temple, where the family was held?; July 1, 2010 at 8:37:00 AM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: It is a shame that the Temple was torn down by Napoleon. It is just a street corner now.; July 1, 2010 at 8:46:00 AM EDT
P. M. Doolan said...: It is just a street, but the outline of the Temple has been painted on the street, including the outline of the exact position of the tower which formed their main prison, and a detailed map is available in the area which shows how the prison extended into the nearby park. The items that the family used in captivity can be viewed at the nearby Museum Carnavalet. I have visited the site of the Temple many times, and the fact that it is totally free of tourists makes it far more moving, I find. I have written about this and published some photos on my blog at: http://www.pauldoolan.com/2010/05/walk-in-revolutionary-paris-part-two.html; July 2, 2010 at 1:44:00 AM EDT
Historical Reminiscing with Marilyn said...: I love photographs like this...it conjures up such imagery of the prayers and faith that substained Marie Antoinette and her Family during this horrendous time.; July 2, 2010 at 3:36:00 AM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Thanks so much for sharing your link! I will check it out! Sounds fascinating!; July 2, 2010 at 8:56:00 AM EDT