Epilogue: Ubi sunt? The court under Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette -- A Queen in search of a role, 1774-1781 -- Growing unpopularity, 1781-1785 -- The Diamond Necklace Affair, 1785-1786 -- The ascendancy of Marie-Antoinette, 1787-1788 -- The last year at Versailles -- Appeasement and plans for resistance: the Tulleries and Saint-Cloud -- The flight to Varennes -- 'Marie-Antoinette will become Queen of France again': Government by letter -- The fall of the monarchy -- Imprisonment in a tower -- Conclusion -- Epilogue: Ubi sunt?
Summary:
A new look which fundamentally overturns our understanding of this famously "out of touch" queen. Who was the real Marie-Antoinette? She was mistrusted and reviled in her own time, and today she is portrayed as a lightweight incapable of understanding the events that engulfed her. In this new account, John Hardman redresses the balance and sheds fresh light on Marie-Antoinette's story. Hardman shows how Marie-Antoinette played a significant but misunderstood role in the crisis of the monarchy. Drawing on new sources, he describes how, from the outset, Marie-Antoinette refused to prioritize the aggressive foreign policy of her mother, Maria-Theresa, bravely took over the helm from Louis XVI after the collapse of his morale, and, when revolution broke out, listened to the Third Estate and worked closely with repentant radicals to give the constitutional monarchy a fighting chance. For the first time, Hardman demonstrates exactly what influence Marie-Antoinette had and when and how she exerted it.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.