Marie Antoinette: the last pre-revolutionary queen of France

Most of us remember Marie Antoinette for her association with the phrase “let them eat cake”. This extremely effective piece of propaganda was falsely attributed to the Queen. A simple, yet clever, turn of phrase was an effective way to stir up hostility and resentment towards the monarchy.

The origin of “let them eat cake” can be found in the writings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. This was written years before the revolution and was attributed to a nameless “great princess”. This original account used the French word “brioche”, an enriched type of bread, and then later became commonly known as “cake”.

To be fair, there is counter-evidence to dispute the negative image given Marie Antoinette. The evidence suggests that she was instead charitable and had sympathy for the poor of her day.

She was 14 years of age, when she married Louis XVI in 1770 . It was an historical event, not of romance and love, but of diplomacy. The aim was to strengthen ties between France and Austria.

Marie became queen in 1774 when her husband ascended the throne as Louis XVI. She contributed to her eventual reputation as frivolous and extravagant by her desire for fashion, parties, and her lavish spending; an example being the Petit Trianon estate project.

There was increasing unrest amongst the peasants of France and an ever growing resentment set aflame by the contrast between their financial crisis and Marie Antoinette’s lavish lifestyle. This led to her execution by guillotine, along with her husband the king,in 1793 during the Revolution.

A valuable lesson to be learned here is the immense power of public perception and sentiment. A leader would be wise to be aware and attuned to the conditions of those they govern.