Marie was linked to many affairs, scandals, and was accused of having pornographic orgies and feasts (Notes). In 1785 she was linked to what has been termed "The Affair of the Diamond Necklace" in which she was said to have slept with a cardinal in order to obtain an extravagant diamond necklace (Women's History 1). Not only did this cause more rumors of her adulterous affairs but also continued the rumors of her lavish spending habits in which she and her husband spared no costs for.
Her lustrous spending habits have been linked to what caused the citizens of France to continually hate her. While the majority of France was starving and near death, Marie bought lavish dresses and shoes and continued to spend the money that should be going to the people of France on her self-centered desires.
Among the public the term "Austrian Whore" began to be used instead of Marie's name (Marie Antoinette Biography 1). Links to "illicit sexual behavior" and accusations of having affairs with both men and women lead to the citizens of France directing all of their anger towards Marie and blaming her for the suffering of France.
Just like the statement "Let them eat cake" historians have little evidence as to if these accusations held any truth to them. Did she really have hundreds of affairs or was she just a young girl who liked to spend the wealth she had married into? Regardless of the accusations, Marie was the Queen of France beginning in 1774 and remained queen until the French monarchy was forced out. She was a woman of power but we never hear about any of the "good" she may have done during her time as queen only the negative rumors and accusations are presented. The fact that she has been said to have been a wonderful, caring mother to her children is far overshadowed by the rumors that filled her daily life.
Marie Antoinette is just one example that women in power must always be aware that none of their actions are kept private. Being in power means accepting the fact that one's private life is no longer private.
Works Cited
Lewis, Jone. "Marie Antoinette." Women's History. Accessed March 13, 2014. http://womenshistory.about.com/od/rulerspre20th/p/marieantoinette.htm.
"Marie Antoinette Biography."Accessed March 13, 2014. http://www.greatkat.com/03/marieantoinette.html.
1 comment:
Beth, I thought your blog on Marie Antoinette was very insightful. I thought it was really interesting how you pointed out that truly all the negative associations with Marie Antoinette are what live on, even if not true, not the positive attributes of her. In many ways, her “scapegoat” status is what we think of first, not anything else, and it may have been due to the fact that she was in a position of power. I wondered if you found any other strong characteristics of Marie Antoinette, other than within motherhood, that create a broader, clearer, and more positive picture of her as a woman in power?
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