Tea at Trianon: The King's Sister

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

Saturday, May 7, 2011

The King's Sister

Author Leah Marie Brown shares some details about the slain Madame Elisabeth of France.

Marie Antoinette asked Élisabeth to look after Madame Royale's religious and moral upbringing. Later in her life, Marie Antoinette's daughter was often praised for her strength and admirable character. Élisabeth deserves some of the credit in the development of her niece's fortitude and attitude.

lara77 said...: I have always thought that the murder of Madame Elizabeth showcased the depravity and evil of the French Republic. What threat did this innocent and good Christian woman represent to the republic? Her Royal Highness was sister to the King; she had no say in policy. It was the systematic and depraved intentions of an evil cabal to remove any connections to the King, the Church and the monarchy. Surely, Madame Elizabeth walked in goodness all the days of her too short life.; May 9, 2011 at 11:15:00 AM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Lara, I think Madame Elizabeth was so hated by her enemies for the very reasons you stated. And also, Madame Elisabeth made no bones about the fact that she thought the Revolution was evil. The princess thought the King and Queen were being too lenient in trying to work things out politically. Madame Elisabeth thought the only way was for foreign troops and the emigres to help them by putting down the Revolution with the sword. But Louis was trying to avoid civil war, remembering that in the case of Charles I it was to no avail.; May 9, 2011 at 12:12:00 PM EDT
lara77 said...: How ironic that Louis XVI and Charles I both died. They should have switched places. Louis XVI would have conceded to the Parliamentarians and maybe avoided Civil War and Cromwell. Charles would have fought the revolutionaries to the end with sword in hand. Who knows? What is factual is Louis XVI loved his people and wanted no bloodshed. Charles I wanted to win at all costs.; May 10, 2011 at 12:46:00 PM EDT