Marie Antoinette: Beyond the Opulence

00;00;00;00 - 00;00;21;21

Levi

Marie Antoinette, the queen whose very name is synonymous with opulence and extravagance. She danced through the lavish halls of her side, adorned in silk and diamonds, seemingly untouched by the struggles of the people outside the palace gates. But as the French Revolution loomed on the horizon, the gilded world of Marie Antoinette would come crashing down in a time when the divide between the rich and the poor reached a boiling point.

00;00;21;22 - 00;00;41;20

Levi

Marie Antoinette became a symbol of the monarchy's excess. Let them eat cake, she allegedly quipped when told about the peasants. Had no bread. Whether she actually said this or not remains to be seen. But they encapsulate the disconnect between the Royal Court and the suffering masses. As the storm of the revolution gathers strength, Marie Antoinette face the wrath of rage populist.

00;00;41;20 - 00;01;08;29

Levi

The guillotine, once reserved for common criminals, claimed the lives of the monarchy. The queen, once surrounded by luxury, found herself imprisoned and facing a cold blade of justice. But who was Marie Antoinette behind the glittering facade? What led to the unraveling of the French monarchy? And how did the queen meet her tragic end? Join us as we delve into the captivating tale of Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution Day on another episode of the remedial scholar Bad Sanction Headmistress.

00;01;09;01 - 00;01;43;24

Levi

I feel I was denied credit. Credit Need to know information belongs to the dustbin. Step in medium class. Welcome, everyone. I hope you had a fantastic weekend or whatever time frame came before you listening to this. I am Oliver and this is the remedial scholar. Glad to have you back. And if you are new, thank you for joining us.

00;01;43;25 - 00;02;01;27

Levi

I hope you enjoy this show. Few things before the content of the day. You're enjoying the show, are you? If you've learned anything fun from it, please go ahead and drop a review wherever possible. The big ones I know of are Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Pod Chaser. That helps People who haven't found the show do so due to a bump in the algorithm and whatnot.

00;02;01;27 - 00;02;18;10

Levi

Some real technical stuff that I don't really understand. Probably magic anyway. Another thing you can do to help us is sharing the show with your friends is probably the easiest and cost $0. But if you do want to spend some dollars, you know, if you're feeling generous, it is that time of year. You can go to the link tree link, tree slash remedial scholar.

00;02;18;10 - 00;02;38;29

Levi

You can just Google that link tree slash remedial scholar and click on the first link and you can go through that. Check out the merch, including Design featuring today's topic, Marie Antoinette. Lastly, before we get started is that you should go to the Facebook group and join in and have some conversations about the episodes with other people. Listen, you know, just kind of have that community going and that's it.

00;02;39;01 - 00;02;59;04

Levi

Let's get get into some revolution. Viva la France. France. We're back. We been here a few times. First time we went to France was post World War two. Topic with the so-called ugly carnivals. Then, of course, Joan of Arc. And lastly, Napoleon. I haven't watched that movie yet, but I think I'm going to soon, so that's going to be pretty exciting.

00;02;59;07 - 00;03;18;27

Levi

Sounds like a good self day opportunity to have with the history nerd, you know? Anyway, Big Hat McGhee makes an appearance in this episode as of course, you cannot tell the story of the French Revolution without its conclusion. And he was very much involved in that. If you may remember. If not, don't listen that episode before. Listen to this one, because it will make sense chronologically if you just listen to this one first.

00;03;18;27 - 00;03;41;21

Levi

That's my Tip of the day. This topic itself wasn't a true request in terms of someone going you have to do this topic. But it was suggested that I have, you know, merchandise with Marie Antoinette's head on it or head that I should probably do an episode regarding her, which is both true and a good idea. So thank you, Hannah, for reminding me that Marie is not just meme material and has a story to be told, and that is just what I intend to do today.

00;03;41;22 - 00;04;03;24

Levi

So that tells both French Revolution and Marie Antoinette go hand in hand. And to tell them both requires a bit of contextualization. As always, before we get into Marie's lifetime. You know, France's history goes back pretty far, so we don't have to, but we don't really need to go back that far in particular for this topic. But I will lead off with how devastating the Black Death was for France in the 14th century.

00;04;04;01 - 00;04;35;02

Levi

And it seems random because there's, you know, 400 years between things. But just listen, there has been an estimated 60 million deaths in the in the country due to the Black Plague. And this was almost a third of their population as the Black Plague claimed, a third of pretty much everybody's population at the time. With this, there was a massive loss in both the people to work agricultural land and the people who own the land as well produce goods also fell, but the prices rose to astronomical levels comparatively, as did the prices for many things.

00;04;35;02 - 00;04;53;13

Levi

In the aftermath, the system of serfdom had become less rigid as the need for workers increased peasants could be hired on different places instead of being forced to work, you know, only one landowner's property for their entire life. Eventually, the prices of goods fell under the mark of wages and promoted a rise in the standard of living within the peasant level of society.

00;04;53;13 - 00;05;16;04

Levi

Pretty cool. As this shift occurred, there was an increase in opulence in the more wealthy and fashion became something of a gentle reminder for those who were less than where their plot in life remained. You know, the the rich would start to get really, really out of control with some of their decision making. And I think that just becomes more obvious as we go through history at this point.

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Levi

Soon after, in: 1358

00;05;42;14 - 00;06;09;13

Levi

The catalysts for the Zakari Rebellion were deeply rooted in grievances of the peasant class burdened by exorbitant taxes, oppressive feudal dues and the exploitation of the nobility. The rural population found themselves mired in economic hardship. Hardships exacerbated by the profound effect of the Black Death, which had, you know, decimated a significant portion of the population and in turn pushed the scarcity of labor into a really precarious situation.

00;06;09;13 - 00;06;27;08

Levi

The scarcity provided some surviving peasants with newfound leverage to demand better working conditions and alleviate their burdensome circumstances. You know, hey, there's not a whole lot of workers around anymore. You want somebody to do this. You don't want to do it. You know, we're muddy your boots. We're going to have to make some changes around here. So that's what that's what they kind of did.

00;06;27;09 - 00;06;49;29

Levi

The spark that ignited the rebellion emerged in the wildfire region and swiftly engulfed the neighboring areas, fueled by pent up frustration and a desire for emancipation, peasants rose in a revolt, unleashing a wave of attacks and pillaging against the symbols of their oppression. The castles, the bastions of nobility and the clergy. Rebellion gained momentum as a formidable force challenging the established order.

00;06;49;29 - 00;07;13;12

Levi

Despite achieving some initial success, the Zakari rebellion faced a grim turn as feudal forces rallied to suppress the upper right. Alarmed by the challenge to their authority, the nobility responded with ruthless violence, leading to a brutal crackdown, with many rebels paying the ultimate price for their defiance. Retribution meted out by the funeral forces succeeded in quelling the rebellion, but the scars of the conflict lingered on.

00;07;13;13 - 00;07;39;17

Levi

Despite the fervor and intensity of the January rebellion, its enduring impact on the social structure proved limited. Didn't really change a whole lot. Feudal system, although momentarily shaken, persisted in a central form, with the nobility reasserting their dominance through force and maintaining their grip on power. Economic hardships faced by the peasants persisted as well, serving as a stark reminder that the rebellion, while poignant, did not bring any substantial changes.

00;07;39;17 - 00;08;02;18

Levi

And this kind of sets the stage. You know, I tell you, all of this really seemed like tensions between the haves and the have nots in France and across Europe in general were strained for hundreds of years. And in my opinion, the French Revolution itself has its seed seeds in the post plague years that I just described. So a few hundred years after the January rebellion is where we get real foundations of the revolution of the 18th century.

00;08;02;18 - 00;08;23;24

Levi

I would say it begins with Louis version 13, but the reason I say that is because one of the items that I think just speaks to the insane wealth disparity in France started construction during his reign. Now really due to his fault. Yeah, there's more around the people around him, which I think also speaks to this issue, Vici, the famous palace.

00;08;23;26 - 00;08;43;15

Levi

I'm I'm willing to bet most of you have heard of it. If not, go ahead and just give it a Google. It's an okay building. Anyway, Vici started as a modest hunting lodge that his court felt was not to the standards it should be for the king. All right. I think that attitude would just continue through the next few loses because they just kept kept coming.

00;08;43;15 - 00;09;05;01

Levi

They just continue to add more, Luis, until the problem got worse. And this emboldened the monarchy and nobles in a particular way, something that had been retroactively termed as ancient regime. I'm not going to pronounce it in French, but it's written like you're supposed to pronounce it in French. But I'm just not doing that. Following the conclusion of the revolution noted the poor leadership of the monarchy in the century plus leading up to it.

00;09;05;01 - 00;09;25;06

Levi

And that's the ancient regime. So France had endured several years, several wars during the 17th century, including the Franco Dutch War, nine Years War were reunions. All of the wars, War of the Worlds. No. The turn of the century was the biggest, though the war of Spanish succession. Charles, the second of Spain, had no heirs to his throne.

00;09;25;06 - 00;09;47;24

Levi

s sick and eventually died in: 1704

00;09;47;24 - 00;10;14;19

Levi

But it was resolved eventually in the Treaty of Utrecht, in which Philip was confirmed as the King of Spain, but renounced any claims to the French throne, which, you know, that kind of removes any temptation for guaranteed alliance. So I guess it makes things a little bit better, a little less biased things were relatively peaceful after this, which is, you know, good and bad, good, and that there were no major wars going on for the next like 40 years based on the fact that the population was now growing very rapidly.

00;10;14;20 - 00;10;41;28

Levi

and: 1789

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Levi

So that's kind of a big deal, right? The large population was contrasted by the lack of jobs to match its growth, and this led to an estimated 8 to 12 million people in poverty at that time. There's also the question of the debt that had now gone, that the now gone Louis the 14th had racked up during his tenure with all the wars and military movements or frivolous spending.

00;11;00;29 - 00;11;21;13

Levi

rt of his reign, but ended in: 1740

00;11;21;13 - 00;11;46;14

Levi

And there's really interesting and fascinating quote from this endeavor that I wanted to share with you in the battle of Fontainebleau. And Louis brought his son Louis, but not that Louis, but a different Louis. That is the son of Louis, actually, that Louis is the Louis this Louis son. That makes sense. Congratulations. Because that is the mass of the Saint Louis Ferdinand, who would have been 16 at the time of the battle, had been ecstatic, seeing all of the dead enemy soldiers in the field of battle.

00;11;46;14 - 00;12;11;11

Levi

And this provided his father, Louis the 15th, a teaching moment, told his son, You see what a victory costs. The blood of our enemies is still the blood of men. The true glory is to spare it. I really like that quote. I think we could all do a little bit better, you know, to consider that as humans. I know many do, but not enough, in my opinion anyway, that war was really costly On the French, pushing them close to bankruptcy pretty much every year.

00;12;11;14 - 00;12;32;17

Levi

forms approved by the King in: 1749

00;12;32;24 - 00;12;56;05

Levi

It was successful, but it faced resistance. The second abolished a the current tax system, replacing it with a new one where all of the citizens were taxed. Resistance grew from the nobility and the church, leading to clashes with parliament. The king faced opposition even with within Paris, notably the Pope Itau general dispute. The conflict highlighted the emerging tensions between the legislature and the King Louis plans to tax.

00;12;56;05 - 00;13;20;08

Levi

the Treaty of La Chapelle in: 1748

00;13;20;08 - 00;13;52;16

Levi

e lasted only seven years. In: 1755

00;13;52;16 - 00;14;17;18

Levi

is declared war on Britain in: 1756

00;14;17;18 - 00;14;42;04

Levi

bly the Battle of Rostock. In: 1757

00;14;42;05 - 00;15;02;07

Levi

inique fell to the British in: 1762

00;15;02;07 - 00;15;26;27

Levi

t alliance with the French in: 1755

00;15;26;27 - 00;15;45;08

Levi

so quickening alert in May of: 1754

00;15;45;08 - 00;16;06;01

Levi

That Colonel little guy named George Washington. So is it his fault that Marie-Antoinette ascended to the throne in France and also lost her head? Probably no. But it is a fun coincidence, right? I love looking at moments that could have gone like could have given way to other things that happened in history. But anyway, back to Marie or Maria or whatever her real name is.

00;16;06;01 - 00;16;24;04

Levi

Anyway, she was the 15th. Yes. Mother's in the audience. You heard that right? 15 children in the 18th century. That sounds worse than going on a cruise sponsored by Ferdinand Magellan, if I do say so myself. She wasn't even the youngest, but she was the youngest girl. So I guess there's that. There's 16 in total, which is which is just insane to me.

00;16;24;05 - 00;16;46;28

Levi

Her father, Francis, the first happiest man of all time. No. Of the Holy Roman Empire. Marie, which I will now call her to differentiate from her mother. Maria. They both had Maria. Maria Teresa is her mother, but Marie. Marie Antoinette was said to have been an adorable little baby. Big blue eyes, little baby, blond girl hair. So, you know, all springy and like, silly looking.

00;16;47;01 - 00;17;10;02

Levi

She's described as being especially cheerful and happy as a child. Good. Your mom's the Empress of Austria and your dad's the Holy Roman Empire. Emperor, You probably shouldn't be too upset. She was a daddy's girl and allegedly her father's favorite, which is impressive since there was hundreds of children to choose from. Now, another weird event that ties Marie to another major person.

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Levi

Mozart was born in January of: 1736

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Levi

In: 1762

00;17;48;24 - 00;18;05;08

Levi

Yet as a six year old is often want to do that, there are a few versions of unverified interaction between the musician and the future queen. The one I like the most is that he had slipped on a rug and she helped him to his feet, which prompted him to say, You are good, I will marry you. And Mama.

00;18;05;08 - 00;18;26;20

Levi

Maria asked why he would say something so silly because all she did was help him off the ground and Mozart responded out of gratitude. She is good with me. She helped me up. That's good enough. I would marry somebody to help me up. I guess maybe I am. Maybe I am Mozart. Anyway, I'm not exactly sure where this come from, but to his own father did not.

00;18;26;28 - 00;18;48;12

Levi

You know, I'm not exactly sure where this comes from, but his own father did not write about this and he wrote a lot down. So also, Mozart probably needs to be added to my list of topics, so let me know if that would interest you at all. Aside from rubbing elbows with one of the most famous musicians of ever ever to walk the Earth young Marie's childhood was that of was was one that many would expect for a princess at the time.

00;18;48;12 - 00;19;12;17

Levi

Marie Antoinette's childhood unfolded with the opulent confines of the Hapsburg Court, where the weight of her aristocratic lineage and the intricate web of European politics bore down on her young shoulders. Her life carried both the privileges and burdens of the Royal State. A lot of boring adult talking. I'm assuming, you know, she's just this little kid, like all wanting to be just a ball of energy is what I've read.

00;19;12;17 - 00;19;28;13

Levi

And I can't imagine like being a kid in those kind of environments. I guess it always cracks me up to see like little princes, you know, and they're like, all buttoned up. And I'm like, That kid is wants to, like, run around, probably throws diaper at somebody, but you got them all done it up meet in president.

00;19;28;16 - 00;19;56;18

Levi

Anyway, from the onset, Marie Antoinette's upbringing was meticulously Chiuri curated to prepare her for the demanding role that awaited her education. The educational foundation laid for her was tailored to the expectations of a future queen, emphasizing refinement and cultural aptitude. Literary pursuits exposed her great works of European literature, fostering intellectual development. Meanwhile, her musical education instilled for the arts and dance lessons, honed her grace and poise.

00;19;56;18 - 00;20;19;18

Levi

She also had etiquette classes. Here's the thing Her teacher was a family friend. At this point, so you'll find out she kind of slacked off In the multicultural environment of the Hapsburg Court, language learning became a priority. Marie Antoinette not only mastered her native German, but started learning different ones like French. This this would be valuable eventually. But, you know, we'll see.

00;20;19;20 - 00;20;45;26

Levi

Marie Antoinette's childhood, while privileged, was not without its challenges. The expectations placed upon her as future queen, combined with the ever present scrutiny of the court, life set the stage for her tumultuous adulthood. She also was kind of afraid of her mom, which makes sense. Her mom sounds like a scary lady. Also, most of the girls in the family that I've read about also had an issue with her mom, but her mom definitely disliked her older sister, more like she didn't like her at all.

00;20;45;27 - 00;21;04;11

Levi

But I think she liked Marie Antoinette quite a bit. Anyway, that's neither here nor there. But it wasn't all like I said, wasn't all sunshine's of rainbows and the royal family. Two of her siblings had died due to smallpox by the time she turned eight. Her parents stress with many global conflicts at the time going on when she was almost ten, Marie had her last goodbye with her father.

00;21;04;11 - 00;21;24;05

Levi

Family was traveling to Innsbruck for her brother Leopold's wedding. The carriage caravan was late to leave and this was because Francis just wanted to say, You know what? I wanted a good goodbye from his daughter, which kind of annoyed his wife. Whatever its details, all this time it's Goodbye was the last one to be exchanged between the father and daughter, who she would never see him again.

00;21;24;05 - 00;21;41;05

Levi

And the next time she saw her mother, it was also a different woman having lost her husband. One thing I read, which I found to be pretty intriguing is that, like I said, she's not super good in school pursuits. She resembled her father in this regard, which I wonder if, like he saw a lot of himself in her and that's why they were so close.

00;21;41;05 - 00;22;05;28

Levi

Or maybe it's just because she was the youngest girl and he finally softened up anyway. She had no desire to read. It took her a long time to learn to write properly, being very impatient and these attempts, the effort was made that she show her schoolwork to her mother. But since she wasn't doing it, the governess in charge of her basically like her, her specific like watcher wrote it down in pencil before giving it back to her so she could trace it over with ink.

00;22;05;28 - 00;22;22;13

Levi

So that's kind of sweet and human. Makes me think that she had probably something. And I hesitate to diagnose historical subject because I'm not qualified to do so, but I think she might have had ADHD at the very least. Anyway, if you're familiar with the story of Marie Antoinette, you probably know that her childhood wasn't super long either.

00;22;22;13 - 00;22;45;28

Levi

Mama Maria needed her daughters to act as security for the empire in their alliances. She needed a daughter to marry into the spotlight, to return interest to their heritage within Italy and also to France to secure that alliance. You know, a little further, two of her daughters moved into the life within the church. So they're out. When I was in love with a prince in a German village, but her mother forbade it and she was assigned to the duke of Parma.

00;22;45;28 - 00;23;07;28

Levi

Ferdinand, the first Marie Antoinette, almost avoided marriage all together, and her older sister, Maria Elizabeth, almost married King Louis the 15th after his wife had died. Issue of this was that Maria Elisabeth had a bout of smallpox and her face was scarred because of this. He had sent a portrait artist to Vienna, and he confirmed that the scarring of the disease had affected her face and the marriage was called off.

00;23;08;00 - 00;23;32;18

Levi

o that's not good. In June of: 1769

00;23;32;20 - 00;23;52;23

Levi

This new lady was especially tough and did a thorough job, and it was very quickly that she learned that Marie was, you know, not up to snuff on some of the things, you know, things like speaking gracefully in French or knowing how to read and write in any language. The 13 year old was subsequently pushed into some serious learning.

00;23;52;23 - 00;24;10;07

Levi

Maria Teresa was not taking any chances and did not want to be embarrassed. So she brought in the best of the best to teach her youngest daughter to prepare her for her fancy life. She brought in experts in every discipline that she needed to know. I like to imagine this part of Marie Antoinette's life as basically the first half of the movie Miss Congeniality.

00;24;10;07 - 00;24;48;19

Levi

If you're unfamiliar, Sandy Bullock can't miss. Anyway. She's an FBI agent who can covertly infiltrates the Miss America pageant and so Sir Michael Caine is assigned to her as an etiquette instructor. That was that was Marie's life, though. She was given a tutor from Vici even to assist in the task of getting her up to speed. This tutor had some interesting words to say about working together, and he wrote, After devoting my first instructions to the subject of acquainting myself with the turn of mind and the degree of Her Royal Highness knowledge, I arranged the method of learning I consider most useful to Madam Large a archduchess in order to diminish the wearisome nature of

00;24;48;19 - 00;25;17;29

Levi

the studies. I keep them as much as possible to the forms of conversation. I cannot speak highly enough of the docility and goodwill of Her Royal Highness, but her liveliness and frequent distractions militate in sensibility against her desire to learn. Listen, I'm pretty sure I got that same letter in one of my report card drawn up. Now, you reported in other letters that she remained distraction prone and needed to be entertained to properly learn, speaking that she would rarely make mistakes in spelling.

00;25;18;01 - 00;25;33;15

Levi

She could only give if she could only give her undivided attention, which I feel points to more little suspicion of her having any the I don't know. I say this as somebody who is afflicted, so don't think I'm like, she can't focus. She has a disorder because it's not like that. It's not like that. I do think she had a lot going on.

00;25;33;15 - 00;25;57;24

Levi

al. And, you know, she's also: 1314

00;25;57;25 - 00;26;19;01

Levi

ng brought together. In April: 1770

00;26;19;03 - 00;26;37;12

Levi

I guess the rules don't matter, but it seems to me like she's married to her brother also at this point. So how do you have a proxy wedding where the person is not there so somebody else stands like that's you're now married, man, I don't that's the rich. You couldn't have a painting sitting there or something like just a little sticky note on a chair.

00;26;37;19 - 00;27;01;05

Levi

,: 1770

00;27;01;05 - 00;27;21;10

Levi

Unfortunately, that display of fireworks also led to an incident in which 132 people died. But that's neither here nor there. There was a malfunction, I guess, if you could call it that. And 132 people died from the fireworks and then potentially maybe as many as 800 in the following stampede of people fleeing the scene. So so there's that.

00;27;21;10 - 00;27;41;03

Levi

And also weirder than that, there's a ritual called or thing called ritual betting, which is not as bad as it sounds, but I don't know here. Like, I understand things were different back then, but come on, man. What what is the goal was to make sure that the day of marriage ended in consummation. Otherwise it could be annulled in this point.

00;27;41;04 - 00;27;58;28

Levi

Invalid. That the good news is, I guess they didn't actually like. Like the actual act of consummation of the marriage was not witnessed most of the time, but it was just a way to get the bride and groom into the bedroom together. And then people witness them laying in the bed together like, they share a bed now and then they just kind of partied in there before dipping out.

00;27;58;28 - 00;28;18;22

Levi

Let them do their thing. So strange looking back on such a normal thing for these people and going, Yeah, so all these all so and going, so all these adults take these 14 year olds and lock them in a bedroom together so they could do the nasty, you know, different times. I guess one small victory for the story is that while, yes, she was a child bride at 14, her husband was only a year older than her.

00;28;18;22 - 00;28;38;04

Levi

So that's good. Not great, but better than him being some 50 year old weirdo. Apparently, the deed was also not done that day, nor would it be done for upwards of seven years after they were married. A lot of R-rated, X-rated, maybe even details about this that I have unfortunately had to read in the research for this episode.

00;28;38;05 - 00;28;59;29

Levi

This is actually a big part of their dysfunctional marriage, and I wish it wasn't because then I wouldn't have to explain some of these things to you, but provide some information on some of these without being too graphic and also to highlight the issues within their political consequences of not actually having said, the issue is that four years after their marriage, Louie the 15 died and Louie the 16th was crowned king.

00;28;59;29 - 00;29;18;25

Levi

And that, of course, means Marie Antoinette was made queen. There were still no children. And this was odd. It was odd in general, but because you are king queen, you have babies. That's just your thing. Even the supposedly closeted kings or queens did so, you know, took one for the proverbial team, essentially not saying that. That's right. But that's what happened.

00;29;18;25 - 00;29;40;09

Levi

So the lack of children bothered many in the royal court, but also mother in law drama Empress Maria Teresa, Mama Theresa, not pumped about this and in more family matters, meddling in a marriage than I would normally entertain. I have to include this because it made me laugh. Maria Teresa signs Marie's own brother Joseph, the second Holy Roman emperor at the time, to investigate what's happened.

00;29;40;09 - 00;29;58;18

Levi

the first time in his life in: 1777

00;29;58;18 - 00;30;20;29

Levi

So what are the proposed issues? Well, first, a medical issue which Louis may have suffered from Formosus or Formosus? I don't know. Don't look it up. Don't definitely don't look at pictures of it. I still scarred. Anyway, that's the that's the suspected issue, the main suspected issue. So this next section might get slightly biological. Just so you know, if you get children in the car or whatever.

00;30;20;29 - 00;30;41;11

Levi

Earmuffs if I Moses is an issue in which the foreskin would not retract upon erection. So that's an issue that makes sense. Like I guess why he was weary of the necessary surgical procedure to fix that issue. And I can't blame there, especially for the time you want to cut what when most people die from like scabs? No, I don't think so.

00;30;41;11 - 00;31;00;04

Levi

Joseph recommended as as a good brother in law would recommended that he do this procedure, but they did end up having four children, so maybe he did. But there's some other theories out there. These include him being asexual, as Mary had written a letter to her mother stating that issue was not on her desires but on his willingness to participate.

00;31;00;04 - 00;31;42;08

Levi

This is also compounding with something that Joseph would state. I have that come in here in a minute. Another suppose a theory is that that Louis was well that he was back in and that was an issue for her. One of the correspondences from Joseph stated that Luis methodology of the act of intercourse was not great. Quoting he introduces the member stays there without moving for 2 minutes and then withdraws without completion and bids goodnight erection and tell self that's not that's not not making kids that way really nobody's getting So anyway that's where we got in terms of potentially impotent issues later on they're suspected affairs that would that the public would blame on

00;31;42;08 - 00;32;08;04

Levi

Marie but they're mostly unsubstantiated. All right so let's move in Marie's timeline a bit. Feel like that took a little too much time after the marriage. Marie had some issues trying to fit in with her new place in life. Her father in law's mistress was particularly turbulent part of this issue. Madame Dewberry was also politically connected and was seen as a source of some anti Austrian rhetoric that was occurring within the court.

00;32;08;06 - 00;32;31;01

Levi

Big problem since the Queen is of Austrian descent two days after the death of Louis, the 15th, Louis the 16th had Dewberry ousted. And I'm willing to bet this made Marie pretty happy. Another thing to make the young queen happy. Castles Queensland Castles. Two weeks after the death of his father, Louis the 16th, gave Marie per tweet Petit Trianon, a chateau on the property of Vici.

00;32;31;01 - 00;32;47;18

Levi

Sounds like a nice gesture. I've seen pictures. It's okay. His father had a built for one of his mistresses, and the other part of his gift was that Marie was allowed to redecorate to her heart's content. And that's. That's pretty adorable. I mean, who doesn't Who doesn't give a chateau that their father built for his side? Peace to their new queen.

00;32;47;18 - 00;33;10;22

Levi

And all the time, soon her extravagance was that of all of France commoners was talking about talk of the town, really, which is going to be really good for her down the road, even if it was just all rumors, it's clearly something that they all took to heart. Marie Antoinette indulged in a life of opulence and luxury, seemingly oblivious to the severe financial crisis and widespread suffering plaguing the nation.

00;33;10;22 - 00;33;30;17

Levi

So she was given the chateau and it is suspected that she redecorated the walls with silver and gold trims and like jewels all over the place Remains to be seen if that's actually what happened. But that's what people thought she was doing, which is the perception is probably worse than the reality. But the perception for these people is what mattered the most.

00;33;30;17 - 00;34;07;16

Levi

M once banned in France until: 1759

00;34;07;16 - 00;34;32;22

Levi

ulence and fashion dominance.: 1775

00;34;32;25 - 00;34;59;14

Levi

And people were like, Hey, man, I would like to bake some bread. Can I borrow your hair for a minute? Can I borrow a cup of her? Her once glamorous reputation now bore the weight of public disapproval. Criticism surged against the Queen for a perceived fiscal irresponsibility as her lavish expenditures starkly contrasted with the nation's financial struggles. Even her mother, Maria Teresa, expressed concern over Marie Antoinette spending habits for seeing the potential for civil unrest.

00;34;59;17 - 00;35;22;01

Levi

She's been around a while. Mama knows best. She thought that civil unrest would arise from such perceived extravagance. Queen's once illustrious image was now starting to flounder. A public perception of the royal family was slipping. The disparity of wealth between all of them was very obvious and growing more so as the days continue. Now, the birth of the first child helped after that weird intervention by her brother Joseph.

00;35;22;01 - 00;35;44;14

Levi

,: 1778

00;35;44;14 - 00;36;02;14

Levi

It get No Mary Todd was after this time, but around this time in history. But it was after his time, if you remember from the hoax episode. If not, go check it out. The birth itself was a struggle. She labored for 12 hours and she had even fainted. At one point, people thought she had died, but she obviously woke up later.

00;36;02;14 - 00;36;20;00

Levi

He's delight at the sight of her daughter. Even then, the public wished for a son, she declared to her child, You shall be mine. You shall have my undivided care, shall share my happiness and console me in my troubles. Very sweet. Of course, this child was a source of more scandal as you know, without an offspring. For eight years, one finally appeared.

00;36;20;03 - 00;36;42;20

Levi

It was understandable that people would be curious. But, I mean, come on, let's just let them have the baby. The next year, Marie Antoinette compounded the hesitancy of accepting her as the queen when insistence on France entering into different political dealings that supported missions of Austria, more so than France, because some of this relationship building the first leg of the armed neutrality, came to power to protect neutral naval trade.

00;36;42;20 - 00;37;05;13

Levi

hat's neither here nor there.: 1779

00;37;05;13 - 00;37;28;21

Levi

n become pregnant in March of: 1781

00;37;28;21 - 00;37;53;19

Levi

th,: 1780

00;37;53;19 - 00;38;12;22

Levi

You might think now that she has two kids and is probably not able to do all the fancy traditional parts of her royal duties, things like waking up ceremonies and royal audiences, public meals, fanciful friends, anything like that? No, the Royal court managed. They had people manage the children for her as she was required to attend a lot of these appearances.

00;38;12;22 - 00;38;33;06

Levi

Despite being a mother she had she had grown her own inner circle over the course of her mother, of her newfound motherhood, adding people into her confidence that were more in tune with her personality. One of these people was Count person Axel von. Person, who had returned from America, insisted Rochambeau against the British in the colonies, which is pretty cool.

00;38;33;06 - 00;39;03;13

Levi

Ferguson was one that many suspected was having affair, and that's kind of why I said mostly before unsubstantiated when discussing the affairs earlier. Up until a few years ago, affairs were rumors and nothing more. Any letters and messages that had been exchanged between the two had been lost to history, destroyed or redacted. But there was some x ray, some fancy new technology that they were able to use on some of the surviving letters that exposed some messages and proved that the affair was actual real, some decoded messages.

00;39;03;13 - 00;39;25;12

Levi

Having the count espousing his love for the queen, to which she replied that my heart is all yours and I love you madly. You don't say that to just some random dude. You can chalk it up to flowery Victorian like language, but that's not a thing like you. If you're a queen, you're not writing that to just some random dude like you talk to your husband that way and that's it.

00;39;25;12 - 00;39;47;11

Levi

Unless she loves somebody else. So that's pretty interesting in the timing is also important to note after person shows back up is widely assumed thanks to his newer information in this new information that they held this affair until the bitter end. More on that later could have been obvious to the public because this was around the same time that pornographic literature began to circulate involving the queen and many, many other people.

00;39;47;11 - 00;40;08;14

Levi

arles, occurred on March one,: 1785

00;40;08;14 - 00;40;25;19

Levi

So another questionable moment as it followed the return of count in by nine months. Now is conflicting with the fact that the king and queen had spent a lot of time exactly nine months prior to the birth round when conception would have occurred. But these people aren't going to let pesky things like facts get in the way of their hatred towards the lady.

00;40;25;19 - 00;40;49;18

Levi

The pamphlets of her sexual sexuality and escapades continued becoming more egregious as time went on. They will continue to enter the sphere around her, some stating that she held orgies in the gardens at Versailles and more lesbian propaganda. The rumors also continued with her spending habits, although those are a little more proven. You know, it's hard to say that you're frugal with money when you have model ship displayed in your hair for a party.

00;40;49;19 - 00;41;12;15

Levi

Because that happened. The continued spending on dresses, parties and everything was like put solely on her shoulders and is odd because she had chosen some people in her inner circle in the royal court, pushed back, said that some of these people were too closely related to commoners. They weren't of high enough stock for her or where she chose to spend her time was below her means, and the optics of the situation did favor the crown.

00;41;12;15 - 00;41;31;18

Levi

So sometimes spending was true and obvious as people might see her at public appearances and extravagant outfits. But it was also often exaggerated to further slander Marie. One thing that really put her in the targets of many people the final straw for a lot of the boiling over common people of France was that of the diamond necklace scandal.

00;41;31;18 - 00;41;53;16

Levi

Now, the diamond necklace scandal was one of significant events during the 18th century in France that played a role in further damaging Marie Antoinette's reputation. The scandal revolved around the extravagant diamond necklace that was commissioned by jewelers Charles Balmer and Paul Parsonage on behalf of Louis the 15th for his mistress. Mistress, the one that was exiled, kicked out of the thing.

00;41;53;16 - 00;42;18;00

Levi

Madame Dewberry. However, Louis, the 15, died before he could purchase the necklace. And his successor, her successor, Louis the 16th, refused to buy for the Queen due to its exorbitant cost. Enter Jean de LaMotte, a charismatic and scheming of interests. She convinced Cardinal de Rohan, a clergyman with a notorious reputation, that she had the queen's favor and could facilitate the purchase of said necklace.

00;42;18;07 - 00;42;40;25

Levi

ardinal was being deceived in: 1785

00;42;40;25 - 00;43;01;22

Levi

And then the necklace disappeared when the jewelers demanded payment for the cardinal, the scandal was unraveled. It became public and leading to a trial known as the affair of the diamond necklace. Court proceedings were highly publicized and revealed the extent of the deception and manipulation involved. Cardinal de Rohan, along with Jean de LaMotte and her accomplices, were arrested and tried, ran to an end.

00;43;01;23 - 00;43;24;14

Levi

Revolution. In the same year: 1785

00;43;24;14 - 00;43;51;06

Levi

lived. This was compounded in: 1789

00;43;51;09 - 00;44;19;28

Levi

Queen attempted to mediate tensions between the assembly and the king, signaling the end of the appalling Knox influence on the Crown's finances. Despite attempts to cut back royal expenses, the financial crisis persisted, leading to the controversial assembly of notables after convening of the leading to the convening of the Assembly of Notables. After a 160 year hiatus, the Assembly failed to enact reforms, and the accusations arose that the Queen, absent from its meetings, undermining its purpose.

00;44;20;00 - 00;44;48;08

Levi

nce Minister Cologne in April: 1787

00;44;48;11 - 00;45;15;08

Levi

This is pretty funny. And yeah, so because of her involvement in these issues, that's why they started throwing that around. Now there was some counter propaganda going on. There were some efforts to portray her as a caring mother, including, you know, public paintings, different paintings to improve her image, showing her with her children, however damaging slander from Jean de Valois saying, Roomie, what a crazy French name.

00;45;15;08 - 00;45;44;11

Levi

That and the Queen's involvement in the exiling the parliament to draw fueled negative perceptions. The political situation worsened as Louis the 16th attempted to impose legislation leading to protests and exile of the Duke of Orléans. Random House involvement in key decisions continued, including reinstating this guy's last name is Necker, and we c k e r. I want to spell that out because I don't I don't feel confident just saying it without sounding offensive.

00;45;44;11 - 00;46;10;18

Levi

finance minister in August of: 1788

00;46;10;18 - 00;46;28;09

Levi

Now, do you remember how many people there were in France at the time? This is 28 million. So those were the taxpayers, the 28 million, and those were the working class at the time. The third estate eventually splintered even further, with outside forces working to grease the palms. The representatives that the, you know, the bourgeoisie became exempt within the third estate.

00;46;28;09 - 00;46;47;27

Levi

So was basically just farmers, peasants and workers who grew more angry with this as things progressed. And then the other groups were kind of like feeding into them because there are some groups within those other ones, specifically nobles that may have been anti monarchy that were trying to like, absorb more power because if there's less powerful monarchy, there's more power for them to take.

00;46;47;27 - 00;47;21;04

Levi

es general convened in May of: 1789

00;47;21;05 - 00;47;43;16

Levi

Faced with the closure of the designated meeting place, they defiantly gathered at the tennis court in for cyclic tively swearing the tennis court oath with the shared goal of crafting a constitution. As July unfolded, the dismissal of shock the guy from earlier at the behest of Marie Antoinette, fueled discontent in Paris, sparking riots which crescendoed into a momentous storming of the Bastille on July 14th.

00;47;43;16 - 00;48;13;03

Levi

This was celebrated every year as Bastille Day in France. The specter of political unrest prompted members of the aristocracy to embark on a wave of immigration motivated by a palpable fear of imminent assassination. Yeah, you better run. In a pivotal move come August, the National Constituent Assembly took decisive action, abolishing feudal privileges, and thereby laying the foundation for the nascent constitutional monarchy with the help of former Ambassador to France, Mr. Thomas Jefferson.

00;48;13;03 - 00;48;40;01

Levi

I've heard of him as well as American Revolutionary Marquis de Lafayette. Just reading his name. I want to like makes me think of Hamilton. Anyway, amidst these transformative shifts, life within the court continued its semblance of normalcy. However, the tempest of change was not abated. By October, a fervent Parisian crowd descended upon Versailles, coercing the Royal families relocation to Tilbury Palace in Paris.

00;48;40;01 - 00;49;07;07

Levi

Here they lived under a form of house arrest. Under there, their every move observed by the Lafayette and the Vigilant Guard National When National Guard Lafayette assumed the guardianship as commander in chief of the National Guard for the Royal family. Despite mutual antipathy between Lafayette and the Queen, their clever collaboration was facilitated by a trace of efforts of Paris's Jean SYLVIAN Bayley.

00;49;07;08 - 00;49;46;18

Levi

Despite Marie Antoinette's deliberate attempts to remain discreet about and out of the public eye, scandalous publications levied false accusations against her more propaganda. This time she's having an affair with Lafayette, whom she openly disliked. Perfect cover story that so this circulated around Paris. These publications would soon be used as evidence against the Queen. As the charges mounted up during the revolution, the royal family's all but excluded from prayers proper, finding life easier to live in a remote chateau away from the dagger filled eyes of the public from their secret base, Maria forged political alliances trying to save the monarchy in the eyes of the people.

00;49;46;20 - 00;50;11;19

Levi

In the: 1790

00;50;11;21 - 00;50;30;17

Levi

st,: 1791

00;50;30;17 - 00;50;47;16

Levi

The queen, her children and king dressed as commoners and a carriage awaited them. They were soon rushed them to freedom. The carriage was even driven by the affair, having count furs. And so that's pretty cool that he's helping everybody out. They were identified, though, and subsequently arrested. And this leads me to believe that their commoner outfits were not that creative.

00;50;47;16 - 00;51;05;29

Levi

Now, the the main issue was that they, you know, they dressed as commoners, but then they decided against versions, plans of using multiple smaller carriages and splitting the family up and instead using one giant carriage that was whole pulled by six horses, which, you know, only rich people have a six horse carriage. You know, what I'm saying was not helpful in their secret getaway.

00;51;05;29 - 00;51;21;02

Levi

And even if they had gotten away, they were working their way to a fortified citadel, which was run by royalists. But would this have been enough to prevent the revolution from continuing? I kind of doubt it. I mean, they would have been on they would just been fleeing. The rest of the time. Public was really scorned by the escape attempt.

00;51;21;02 - 00;51;44;02

Levi

This essentially shot down any hopes they had of making it out of this thing In one piece. Family was arrested, but trial was not yet held. It was staved off thanks to some politicians who took pity on them. It was also during this time that the legend of Marie Antoinette's hair turning bright white overnight occurred. Things were not isolated to the royal immediate family, the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold, the second Marie's brother, who has succeeded.

00;51;44;02 - 00;52;04;18

Levi

laration happened in April of: 1792

00;52;04;18 - 00;52;29;27

Levi

And this profound shift not only painted the Queen as a symbol of amnesty, but also exacerbated preexisting tensions within the intricate tapestry of French monarchy. Complicating matters further, rumors swirled accusing Marie Antoinette of clandestine involvement, leaking military secrets to Austrians, further stoking the fires of public animosity directed at her. The war declared by Austria and Prussia was basically like, Hey, we're going to level Paris.

00;52;29;27 - 00;52;53;23

Levi

If we don't. If you don't let them go, just pretty hardcore. Against this backdrop, the political landscape of France teetered on the edge of instability as Louis the 16th, wielded his veto power. That was pretty much all the power he had left earning the royal couple the derisive monikers of Melchior Veto and Madame veto. And this was because she was a vet allegedly telling him when he should and should veto things.

00;52;53;24 - 00;53;21;12

Levi

The Queen found solace in the support of her advisor, Barnabas, who steadfastly aligned himself with her demands. However, the prevailing winds of moderation gradually shifted, paving the way for the ascendancy of radio of the radical Durand in majority within the Legislative Assembly. Marie Antoinette's unwavering refusal to collaborate with the Girondins triggered accusations of treason dealing a severe blow to her and the king's authority.

00;53;21;16 - 00;53;46;22

Levi

e tensions erupted in June of: 1792

00;53;46;22 - 00;54;23;28

Levi

Instead of stabilizing the precarious situation, this proclamation served as a catalyst for the infamous August 10th uprising during this tumultuous event is when they raided the palace again. Marie-Antoinette sought refuge in the Legislative Assembly. Their refuge power proved to be short lived as they were subsequently thrust in the harsh imprisonment confines of the temple, the temple tower, as it were, the brutality of the revolution, tragic manifestation in the fate of Princess de La Belle, a member of the royal entourage who met a grisly end with their head being displayed gruesome symbols before the grieving queen allegedly being marched outside where the queen was held.

00;54;24;00 - 00;54;50;05

Levi

st,: 1792

00;54;50;05 - 00;55;12;10

Levi

The revolutionary Force. His trial was not in the same vein as typical courts. The convention of the revolutionaries involved was the court, and so you could probably assume how well that went. Louis in 16th was accused of collusion with Russia or with Prussia and Austria, which is it completely baseless. He was adamant that his actions were for the best interest of France, but the revolutionaries did not see it that way.

00;55;12;10 - 00;55;41;08

Levi

an on December in December of: 1792

00;55;41;08 - 00;56;04;05

Levi

st,: 1793

00;56;04;08 - 00;56;30;19

Levi

Following his death, he was thrown in a mass grave and others were who were killed while on onlookers soaked rags in his blood. Legends also include that, his last words being cut short, literally and figuratively, by a general who is president ordering a drum roll to signify the beginning of the process. You know, he had this big speech he was about to make and they're like, all right, Some say he screamed out words, but it's pretty doubtful since the guillotine would have been very rapid death advice.

00;56;30;19 - 00;56;50;23

Levi

with Louis Joseph's death in: 1789

00;56;50;23 - 00;57;24;13

Levi

But before I explain what happened to Louis Charles, I will continue this chronological nightmare as the three remaining stayed the temple. Things were not super great, similar to lead to that of Joan of Arc. The guards harass the family regularly, taunting the queen with smoke in her face, teasing her, following of the numerous failed escape attempts that, you know, she would make their bribes that were given to the guards and this would get her and all her constituents so far, but they would not earn her freedom that she had attempted them to do after the former king's beheading, revolutionaries now scratch their heads with what to do with the former queen.

00;57;24;16 - 00;57;49;13

Levi

s also on the table in August: 1793

00;57;49;15 - 00;58;12;27

Levi

They just wanted to take him away. When she was devastated, many thought that with Louis Charles's young age, he could be retrained into being on the side of the people and also testify against his mother. Plan did work, and after one final escape attempt, her trial was set October 14th. Her trial began. Accusations were really wild this time around, which included inclusion of some of the propaganda pamphlets that I mentioned before as evidence.

00;58;12;27 - 00;58;34;12

Levi

That's how, you know, it's bad using things that are specifically fictional to bring out the scorn on a specific group or person. Good thing that doesn't happen anymore anyway. So in addition to the many things those pamphlets accused her of, Marie-Antoinette was also accused of stealing from the Treasury Treasury and funneling it back to Austria, being the mastermind behind the massacre that took place years prior at the hands of the National Guard.

00;58;34;12 - 00;58;57;18

Levi

And most disturbing is that the accusers found a way to manipulate Louis Charles into accusing his mother of molestation against him. This particular charge had earned the gasps of mothers in the audience, which, you know, Marie spoke to them of the ridiculous nature. Instead of responding to those accusers, she responded to the mothers and it seemed like they were on her side, but they were probably the only ones.

00;58;57;19 - 00;59;15;26

Levi

,: 1793

00;59;15;28 - 00;59;31;06

Levi

The letter to her sister you can find online. I would read it, but it is too long to do so like. But it's very good. At noon, she was escorted to the guillotine where she was. She wished to be dressed in all black, but they made her wear a white dress, which was custom for the widowed Queen's at the time.

00;59;31;06 - 00;59;48;10

Levi

They cut her hair off, bound her hands behind her back, and led her to her fate. There's also a famous legend that she accidentally stepped on the executioner shoe before saying, Pardon me, sir. I did not do it on purpose. I mean, she said it in French, but you get a pardon. I'm almost your general. They off express?

00;59;48;13 - 01;00;10;02

Levi

I don't know. I'm a little rusty, but that's what she said shortly after the blades came for the 37 year old. She was also given burial And and I'm Mark Graves. But before that, the famous Madame Tussauds had done a death mask on her. I think she did one on her husband as well. You can find pictures of the death mask, which is kind of neat, stripped away all the pompous news and the portraits of the time.

01;00;10;02 - 01;00;32;09

Levi

everybody in portraits of the: 1700

01;00;32;09 - 01;00;56;15

Levi

Charles, would die in June of: 1795

01;00;56;15 - 01;01;14;07

Levi

But it doesn't end there. He was buried in the same unmarked grave as his family. But beforehand, the physician overseeing his autopsy stole his heart and hid it in a bottle of distilled wine. And eventually, when the restoration occurred, after, you know, after Napoleon, he tried to give it to the child's uncle. But Louis, the 18, was not about it.

01;01;14;07 - 01;01;37;22

Levi

He eventually but they kept it and it was eventually tested and found to be true. DNA Match of the heart of Louis, The Louis Charles. And there was a man at the time who claimed to be the surviving Dodgson, like a weird, like Anastasia phenomenon. And that guy was proven wrong because of this. The only person who escaped the revolution intact from the family was the eldest daughter, Marie Teresa.

01;01;37;22 - 01;02;00;24

Levi

ll her family until August of: 1795

01;02;00;24 - 01;02;21;27

Levi

My good mother, whom I love well, but of whom I cared. But of whom I can hear no tidings. Father, Watch over me from heaven above. my God. Forgive those who have made my parents suffer. That's kind of heartbreaking. Eventually, the teenager was released and transferred to Vienna, an exchange not dissimilar to that proposed for her mother a few years prior.

01;02;21;27 - 01;02;42;05

Levi

She had just turned 17 and was free to and free and would live to be 72. Yeah, it's crazy. Only like a few months before her release is when she found out what exactly happened to her mother two years prior. That's crazy to me. She had to know. Anyway. As for the revolution, well, there was a lot of tumultuous actions that took place, But I covered them in the Napoleon episode.

01;02;42;05 - 01;03;00;26

Levi

So we have a listen to that one. Go ahead and listen to that next week and continue the story concurrently. Marie Antoinette, ladies and gentlemen, what a wild life. She lived in it like so much and tagging rising from those French people. I started the research not really sure where I am with my opinions about her, but there are cases of her having just reckless abandon with her flaunting of wealth.

01;03;00;26 - 01;03;15;29

Levi

But she was no different than anyone else at the time. Does that excuse her actions? No. But it is weird that she's always focused on. Is the total opulence supreme? Do I think she was out of touch with the plight of the common person in France? Seems like it. But is that a reason? Chopper house? No, probably not.

01;03;15;29 - 01;03;38;20

Levi

Seems very murky. She did give away military secrets during an ongoing war, so that is straight up treason. But what do you think? Was this interesting at all? Did you learn anything? I think for me personally, humanize the royal family in a way that, you know, can only happen when you do learn about something so intently. I think it's still very hard for me not to side with the people of France and their decision since the spending was just so out of control.

01;03;38;20 - 01;03;56;22

Levi

Like regardless of how human and how nice these people might have been. Like, royal families did spend way too much money. These people were poor, hungry, and she's walking around with model ships in her hair, you know, like that's just tone deaf. One thing we didn't talk about is her tone deaf response to the hunger of people. Why?

01;03;56;23 - 01;04;19;08

Levi

Jean-Jacques Rousseau in his: 1766

01;04;19;08 - 01;04;33;03

Levi

So not our goal. Most historians agree that she was a little too sensible to say something so out of touch. And if you go look at that letter that I told you about that she wrote, her sister while she's in prison, kind of know what I'm talking about. Anyway, what do you think? Are you satisfied? Do do you need cake?

01;04;33;06 - 01;04;52;20

Levi

Share your thoughts on this episode. Everybody in the Facebook group and YouTube comments share the show with your friends. Anybody you know would appreciate it. I would appreciate that. Check out all the links. Go to the description. All the links are in the description and some of our cool friends that other podcasts that I do. West of Nowhere.

01;04;52;23 - 01;04;58;14

Levi

You can find all those links in the description. And yeah, that's kind of it. So I'll see you next time I.