A place for friends to meet... with reflections on politics, history, art, music, books, morals, manners, and matters of faith.
A blog by Elena Maria Vidal.
"She was not a guilty woman, neither was she a saint; she was an upright, charming woman, a little frivolous, somewhat impulsive, but always pure; she was a queen, at times ardent in her fancies for her favourites and thoughtless in her policy, but proud and full of energy; a thorough woman in her winsome ways and tenderness of heart, until she became a martyr."
"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."
"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
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In addition to Ernestine and Zoë, there were several orphans for whom Maman provided. Although they could not all live at the palace, they sometimes came to play. They were children from destitute families whose education Maman supervised, paying for art and music lessons if they showed any inclination in that direction. She would take Thérèse to visit infirm servants who lived in retirement, bringing them fruit, bread, and flowers. Her Papa, devoted to all of his subjects, also had a special love for the needy. He would go in disguise to villages, hospitals, prisons, and factories so that he could gain a first hand knowledge of the conditions of his people. He would right wrongs, give alms, and dismiss those in charge if they were not doing their duty. Papa and Maman were Patron and Patroness of the Maison Philanthropique, a society which helped the aged, the blind, and widows. The simple folk loved their King and Queen.
And the students of French history and the revolution will say "Oh well, people had to die but in the end the reforms of the revolution were worth the price of bloodshed." Gee, I guess if you saw your family butchered and lost everyone and everything you loved in this world your opinion would be different. The pro revolution crowd would say Marie Antoinette SHOULD have helped the poor and in the end got what she deserved. THAT heartless attitude is so prevalent today and I wonder where our world is headed. Where is humanity and compassion ?
I read my first bio of this queen many decades ago, as a young teen, and felt an immediate sense of identification with this warm, impulsive, intelligent, good-hearted young girl who was ripped out of her friendly, warm home court to be stripped of everything familiar to her at the age of 15, and then plunked down among the cattiest people in all of Europe. I felt with her when she made her inevitable mistakes, and couldn't do anything to please her public no matter what she did, because she was, as a "foreign" queen, the designated scapegoat. She was caught up in the middle of covert wars between court factions and political movements that she could not really have any idea of, and she and her husband had roles thrust upon them at really young ages, that most older people could scarcely cope with.
We of modern times who have been able to exercise so many choices and have so much control over our own lives. Marie Antoinette did not have the choices or control that most people assume they ought to have. She did the best she could and did good for many people. Very few people can say as much for themselves.
That is a perfect summary of MA's situation, N.C. Yes, indeed, She and Louis had heavy responsibilities placed on them at such a young age when surrounded by very clever enemies.
Most of us have problems just negotiating office politics or family jealousies, etc., but the French Court at the time was a minefield of all human mischief, intrigue and manipulation! But reading about M.A.'s teaching charitable acts to her children makes me think of what a magnificent humaitarian the Dauphin would have been had he lived to become King.
In response to Lara: It is quite ironic since the Queen of France DID give alms (i.e., offered necessities and help) to the poor. However, it wasn't enough to calm and resolve the destitute situation that plagued all of France for centuries, thanks to the irresponsibility and corruptness of the Ancien Regime. Instead of recognizing the real problem and resolving it in advance, the French populace was aroused to cast all of their ills on one perceived scapegoat and the perfect target for political and personal mudslinging by the revolutionary opposition - Marie Antoinette.
Marie-Antoinette "en gaulle" by Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun
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Marie-Antoinette, Daughter of the Caesars: Her Life, Her Times, Her Legacy
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by Elena Maria Vidal
6 comments:
And the students of French history and the revolution will say "Oh well, people had to die but in the end the reforms of the revolution were worth the price of bloodshed." Gee, I guess if you saw your family butchered and lost everyone and everything you loved in this world your opinion would be different. The pro revolution crowd would say Marie Antoinette SHOULD have helped the poor and in the end got what she deserved. THAT heartless attitude is so prevalent today and I wonder where our world is headed. Where is humanity and compassion ?
I don't know, Lara. All I know is that it is terrible how Marie-Antoinette has been so misrepresented.
I read my first bio of this queen many decades ago, as a young teen, and felt an immediate sense of identification with this warm, impulsive, intelligent, good-hearted young girl who was ripped out of her friendly, warm home court to be stripped of everything familiar to her at the age of 15, and then plunked down among the cattiest people in all of Europe. I felt with her when she made her inevitable mistakes, and couldn't do anything to please her public no matter what she did, because she was, as a "foreign" queen, the designated scapegoat. She was caught up in the middle of covert wars between court factions and political movements that she could not really have any idea of, and she and her husband had roles thrust upon them at really young ages, that most older people could scarcely cope with.
We of modern times who have been able to exercise so many choices and have so much control over our own lives. Marie Antoinette did not have the choices or control that most people assume they ought to have. She did the best she could and did good for many people. Very few people can say as much for themselves.
That is a perfect summary of MA's situation, N.C. Yes, indeed, She and Louis had heavy responsibilities placed on them at such a young age when surrounded by very clever enemies.
Most of us have problems just negotiating office politics or family jealousies, etc., but the French Court at the time was a minefield of all human mischief, intrigue and manipulation! But reading about M.A.'s teaching charitable acts to her children makes me think of what a magnificent humaitarian the Dauphin would have been had he lived to become King.
In response to Lara: It is quite ironic since the Queen of France DID give alms (i.e., offered necessities and help) to the poor. However, it wasn't enough to calm and resolve the destitute situation that plagued all of France for centuries, thanks to the irresponsibility and corruptness of the Ancien Regime. Instead of recognizing the real problem and resolving it in advance, the French populace was aroused to cast all of their ills on one perceived scapegoat and the perfect target for political and personal mudslinging by
the revolutionary opposition - Marie Antoinette.
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