Reasons for Execution of Marie Antionette: Essay Sample to Analyze

Why Was Marie Antoinette Executed?

Marie Antoinette is a significant figure in French history. She was the last Queen of France before the French Revolution. Born in November 1755, she was the youngest child of Emperor Francis I and Empress Maria Theressa. In May 1774, she became the wife of Louis XVI. In seven years of marriage, she gave birth to the first of four children, daughter Marie Therese Charlotte.

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Her beauty and personality first charmed the French people but soon made them disappointed. The common dislike was related to some of her traits that were revealed later during her governing. People accused her of being promiscuous and profligate, caring not for France, but harboring sympathies for Austria, which was her country of origin. As a queen, she was a target of constant criticism by opponents of both domestic and foreign policies.

After the Diamond Necklace incident, when she was falsely accused of defrauding the Crown’s jewelers, her reputation was ruined and never restored. At the time of the French Revolution, she was blamed for the financial crisis in the country and became known as Madame Deficit. However, that was not the only reason for the hatred among the French. After the attempted flight to Varennes in 1791 and contribution to the War of the First Coalition, Maria Antoinette completely ruined her name. Thus, in 1792, Louis XVI was deposed, and the monarchy was abolished. The royal family was imprisoned at the Temple Prison. Louis was executed in January 1793, and his wife eight months later.

The latter days of Marie Antoinette were overwhelmed with mourning, pain, and sorrow. After the death of her husband, she refused to eat and do anything. The condition of the woman deteriorated quickly, and by the time of the execution, she suffered from uterine cancer and tuberculosis. Irrespective of the complicated health condition and all the struggles she faces, the most prominent question of the National Convention was her fate. While some people were ready to execute her at the very first possible moment, others advocated for her to be exchanged for French prisoners of war.

In April of that year, the Committee of Public Safety started functioning, and the call for her trial started. All similar intentions failed, as well as the actions that were supposed to get Antionette out of the prison. She refused any chance of escape, even when the best ones were brought to her attention. In October, she was tried by the Revolutionary Tribunal for the last time, and it looked more like a sham, especially considering the fact that she was given only one day.

The accusations of Marie Antoinette were numerous. Some of them were fake and appeared out of the local rumors, while others were true. She was charged for orchestrating orgies in Versailles, where she sent millions of livres of French money to Austria. The core intentions of such actions were to kill the Duke of Orleans and declare her son a new king of France. Besides, there was one infamous charge about her sexually abusing her son. However, such accusations did not have any grounds, and she refused to comment on them. Those were only a few charges Marie Antoinette received, but there were many others. In fact, the results of the court were predetermined by the Committee of Public Safety, so she was declared guilty. After she was sent back to her cell, she managed to write a letter to her sister-in-law, where she affirmed to be in her clear mind, conscience, faith, and love for her children. However, the letter never reached the recipient.

The same day she got her hair cut off and was driven down the main streets of Paris in an open cart as a sign of disgrace. Only a few weeks before her thirty-eighth birthday Marie Antionette was beheaded. “Pardon me, sir, I meant not to do it,” were the last words she said to the executioner when she accidentally stepped on his foot. The dead body of the woman was thrown into an unknown grave, which was closed the following year.

The figure of Marie Antoinette, her political views, choices, and decisions are not the only attributes of her legacy. Instead, it is interesting to mention that she was immortalized in different forms of literature and art. The main idea of most representations was to emphasize the changing attitude towards Antionette over time. Was it a kind and loving woman who was misunderstood? Or a cruel ruler who followed her own ambitions? It is up to everyone to make their own conclusions.