When one mentions the 18th C. what do you think about? (Well there's a list of things you may say)
There's the...
French Revolution which was very complex in of itself
You cannot forget the crucial cause to the French Revolution which was the American Revolution
The execution of Louis XIV which was world-shaking
Of course the legendary Napoleonic Wars are a must
And so on.
Least to say, the 18th century was extremely impactful on how Europe and frankly the world would later be seen. Think of how these wars and events affected all of us. Speaking for say territorially in North America, the map of who owned what was ever changing. Not to mention the amount of deaths.
This blog posting is dedicated to the Queen of France, Marie Antoinette. She was the very last Queen of France before the French Revolution. Unfortunatly she was a victim to the guillotine which was created by the French themselves. After being falsely convicted the Queen was beheaded in October of 1793.
The French Revolution used this new execution device as their main and primary symbol. The Reign of Terror was when it was most used, on herself and many other people like her husband, Louis XIV. From understanding of historical concepts to this device, it was used to demonstrate capital punishment. Essentially beheading a person in public, for all eyes to see. It may come off as surprising, but people actually enjoyed and cheered for things like this to happen.
It wasn't until 1977 when the last beheading in France took place, until it was finally banned in 1981. Shockingly enough it was seen as a more humane method of execution, while it's fair to say your death would be called only within a matter of seconds and it wouldn't be painful, I find this wording to be unsettling.
Marie Antoinette in July 1793, lost custody of her young son, who was forced to accuse her of sexual abuse and incest before the Revolutionary tribunal. In October, she was convicted of treason and later executed. The Affair of the Diamond Necklace was one of the contributing factors to her death.
While the king was out having an affair, creating a diamond necklace for his mistress, Marie had no idea at all. That was until he was executed for trials against the French peoples when the necklace was later passed on down to Marie. Louis XIV died before the necklace was completed and the jewellers were left in debt for the many diamonds that they had already acquired for the piece. While the story has been turned to make Louis XIV the victim in some sense, it's not at all true. But unfortunately, Mrs. Antionette suffered the consequences.
After the execution of her husband, she was no longer referred to as the Queen of France but rather the 'Widow of Capet'. She became stressed, worried, depressed and scared for her live after the French Revolution began. Not to mention the death of one of her children she only had 2 left. After a two-day trial, Marie Antoinette was found guilty of treason and sentenced to death by guillotine. On October 16th, 1793, she composed her testament and last words, in which she wrote: “I have just been condemned to death, not to a shameful death, that can only be for criminals… I am calm, as people are whose conscience is clear. My deepest regret is having to abandon our poor children… I only lived for them…”. It's said by many that she willingly took the execution, and didn't even fight it.
For perhaps understanding measures considering the state of her mental health.
"On the same day, Marie Antoinette was attended by her maid at 7 o’clock in the morning, who found the former French queen lying on her bed with her hand on her cheek, facing the window. She wore a black dress. Other than a few mouthfuls of broth, she would take no food. At 8 o’clock, she was made to change into a plain white dress, under the watchful eyes of her guards. Then the executioner attended to her and used his scissors to chop off her hair. Marie Antoinette fashioned herself a bonnet to cover her head. (The Collector)
Next, her hands were bound behind her back, but she had to ask to be unbound so that she could relieve herself in a corner. By 11 am, the journey to her place of execution began. Marie Antoinette was made to sit on the back of a cart that would take her to her death, and at one point on the journey, the cart jolted and she nearly fell out.
Finally, the procession reached the Place de la Concorde. Marie Antoinette had to endure jibes and insults from the crowd, but she had become immune to this after her time in prison and she held her head high. Some onlookers described her as a dignified figure, while her enemies accused her of being arrogant even now.
As Marie Antoinette ascended the stairs to the scaffold, she accidentally trod on the foot of her executioner. A lady to the very end, she apologized to him; her final words were “I did not do it on purpose.” The former queen of France lost her head at 15 minutes past midday. Marie Antoinette’s death was now complete," says The Collector.
"Madame Tussaud managed to make a wax sculpture of Marie Antoinette’s face while the grave diggers sat down to eat their lunch. It had been left unattended on the grass, along with her body. Both the head and body were buried in a mass grave.
Marie Antoinette was eventually laid to rest in a manner befitting a queen, but it took 22 years for this to occur. She was given a Christian burial during the Bourbon Restoration and to this day she and her king lie with other French royalty in the Basilica of St. Denis, Paris." says The Collector.
This lay the story of the unfortunate and unfair death of the Queen of France.
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