As an aid to students, teachers and parents, we have constructed an A–Z of the World taken from E. H. Gombrich’s, A Little History of the World. We’ve shared bite size introductions to historical figures, events and periods – using Gombrich’s magical words – along with links to free resources, so that readers of all ages can discover more. M is for Marie Antoinette.
M
Marie Antoinette
E. H. Gombrich: Marie Antoinette was a very young girl, barely fourteen years old, when she became the wife of the future king of France. And, of course, she thought everything was as it should be. She threw herself delightedly into all the fairy-tale masked balls and operas, she acted in plays, she was an enchanting shepherdess and thought life in the French royal palaces was altogether wonderful.
‘Things cannot go on like this, there will be a terrible revolution if you do not do something to prevent it.’
Nevertheless, her elder brother, the emperor Joseph II, and her mother repeatedly warned her to live simply and to avoid stirring up resentment amongst the poor with foolish extravagance and frivolity. In 1777, the emperor Joseph wrote her a long and serious letter saying: ‘Things cannot go on like this, there will be a terrible revolution if you do not do something to prevent it.’
Yet things did go on like that, for twelve more years. And the revolution when it came, was all the more terrible for it. In 1793 King Louis XVI was brought before the People’s Tribunal and condemned to death. Soon afterwards Marie Antoinette was beheaded. In dying they both displayed more dignity and greatness than they had during their lives.
Discover more A-Z blogposts here.
Free Resources to Learn More about Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution
At the time of publication, these resources were free to use:
BBC History Extra
The life and death of Marie Antoinette: everything you need to know
BBC In Our Time
Marie Antoinette
The French Revolution’s Region of Terror
The French Revolution’s Legacy
BBC Teach (KS3/GCSE)
The French Revolution – Andrew Marr (video)
BBC Curriculum Bites
The French Revolution (videos)
Biography.com
Marie Antoinette biography
Google Arts and Culture
Marie Antoinette with her children, painted by Elisabeth Louise Vigée-Lebrun
Khan Academy
French Revolution (video)
The Yale Blog
Fashion Victims: Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette
This page provides access to a list of free online resources. It is not intended to endorse any particular resource.
About the book
A Little History of the World
E. H. Gombrich
The World has existed for over 4 billion years, but humanity arrived much more recently. Here E. H. Gombrich brings to life the full story of human experience on Earth. He paints a colourful picture of remarkable people and events, from Confucius to Catherine the Great, from the invention of art to the destruction of the Berlin Wall.
