Marie-Antoinette as she arrived in Versailles

How was Marie-Antoinette as she travelled through European lands to meet her future husband?

She was a happy child, spoiled and well raised.
Dancing and playing music were among her favourite leisures.
She tried to read more and study better. Nevertheless, these two activities remained secondary to her occupations for a long time.
Most of contemporaries didn't consider her shy, which could be a good and important point since she was to be the first lady of France, a future queen. Moreover, a great and numerous court was supposed to surround her from day 1.

As arts were very much appreciated in Versailles, she promised to brighten the aging court.
Physically, she offered some satisfaction: blond, blue-eyed, very fair-skined (all her life MA would be known for her beautiful pale complexion), smiling and graceful. But it didn't seem enough: she was still short in size, her breasts were rather small. However, hopes were allowed since she was only 14 and a half when she arrived. So she had all her time to mature and become a woman.

As for her weight, there are some contradictory opinions. Some historians say she was a bit skinny when curvy women were considered beautiful and appealing; others say that Louis XV noticed her slight overweight. Marie-Antoinette, according to a few portraits and a sculpture, had a double chin.

Upbrought in a warm family with strict moral codes, Marie-Antoinette barely knew about the frivolity in the French court. The latter was also filled with intrigues and gossips. Furthermore, the French king shamelessly showed off his new mistress, countess du Barry, a woman of low birth and it seemed, former prostitute.

Compliant, generous, kind-hearted, Marie-Antoinette was all in all ready to live in this corrupted foreign court at first sight. Nonetheless, she probably lacked a great deal of knowledge about Versailles' real codes, since her mother might have overlooked this important point; it could have certainly helped MA to lead a better life in Versailles. Though respectful and conscious of her rank, Marie-Antoinette was also lively and a follower to more simplicity. So Versailles' rigid ceremonial and rituals, and its court filled with old-nobility families, overshadowed the gossips, rumours that ruined her.

Marie-Antoinette, childhood and family part 3

(wikipedia pictures)

Marie-Antoinette lived a happy childhood, with her big family in their fairy tale's castles, Hofburg and Schönbrunn in particular. She may have also known Laxenburg and other castles since she had friends who didn't belong to her royal family. For example, she remained friends with Louise and Charlotte von Hesse-Darmstadt until death did them apart.

However, her best friend was her sister Marie-Caroline. They played and laughed together, confided in each other, shared many experiences at the same time and were nearly treated as twins. All her life Marie-Antoinette would look for a similar relationship once an adult, in the cruel and suffocating place that Versailles was...

From her childhood, people acknowledged her grace, her charm and lovely manners. She knew how to attract people, how to put them at ease. Among her favourite "hobbies", there was dancing, which added to her overall grace, since ability in dancing was considered as a real plus for a woman.

She had a great heart, as the anecdote linking her and Mozart testifies it: both children, he tripped while running and fell on the floor. Everyone laughed but only Antoine (as MA was called as a child) came to help him. No wonder he wanted to marry with the delicate princess.

Nonetheless, she had flaws naturally, and her education and upbringing encouraged them to grow, to her biggest misfortunes later in life.

Since her parents were both very busy, mainly her mother with her imperial duties, Marie-Antoinette's education was so neglected that she had a hard time trying to concentrate and study. Most people who had accompanied her her whole life couldn't deny how difficult it was to put her at work and have her focus on some serious problems. Mercy-Argenteau, ambassador of Austria in the French court, had lamented several times about the queen's lack of concentration. Her French “teacher”, Vermond, found another way to make her learn a better French and more about her future family. He was one of the first persons who did perceive Marie-Antoinette's intelligence (she was a clever woman despite how much people liked to insult her and treat her like a stupid queen). To make the princess learn, he had to amuse her with stories, anecdotes etc., which, with hindsight, can be an excellent way to help to remember things.

Another problem in the imperial family: personal hygiene was discouraged.

Except for washing hands and face, water was feared and used with caution and parsimony. This bad habit was something MA brought to Versailles in the first months of her life over there. In a letter, Mercy wrote about the fact she neglected her teeth. It seemed then only later when she started to bloom as a woman MA would start to enjoy baths.

For the moment, she was still an archduchess surrounded by her family's affection and warmth. What's more, while her mother started to make projects to send her in the most beautiful kingdom in the world, Marie-Antoinette was promised to have the brightest future ever. It probably gave her the impression to be the elected among all her mother's children as she would later state in a letter to her. 

Marie Antoinette's Birth

Marie Antoinette of Habsbourg-Lorraine was born on 2^nd, November 1755 to Austrian Empress Maria-Theresa and her husband, Consort Emperor Francis I of Lorraine. She's the little sister of many big brothers and sisters (more than 10) already: indeed, the marriage between her parents was a marriage of love, and Empress Maria-Theresa saw her generous offspring as incredible political tools. Why so? Because it is a way to furnish many potential wives to other European crowns and assure her power and strength outside her own empire. That way, her children assured the extension of her influence.

 (Marie Antoinette is the smallest one, in the craddle)

However, this “hunger” for control and power will lead the poor Marie Antoinette-future French queen- to an inexorable tragic destiny.

Since her birth, the little archduchess with big blue eyes (“à fleur de tête”) had seemed to be overshadowed by pessimistic signs.

2^nd, November: two days after All Souls' Day.

The day before her birth: a terrible earthquake ravaged Lisbon, capitol of Portugal, and its queen and king became Marie Antoinette's godmother and godfather.

What's more, her education was highly neglected, throughout her childhood and even a few years before her marriage to Dauphin Louis-Auguste! At 12 years-old, MA could barely read and write!

This neglect can be seen, today, as one of Marie Antoinette's downfall causes (I'll be back about it later). She never learnt to concentrate, neither making an effort.

Her mother grew superstitious some time before her last daughter go to France. Some medium/fortune-teller or religious man (can't really remember) said: “there's a cross for everybody” when the Empress asked him about her daughter's future in France.

(Marie Antoinette as a baby. Her features are already quite noticeable: big blue eyes, strong nose)

Nevertheless, when the healthy baby girl was born, all those dark thoughts were not hovering over the family yet. Indeed, the people respected Marie-Theresa, her relationship was to her husband excellent (even though he often cheated on her) and her numerous children assured her power.

Similarly to her most of her siblings, Marie-Antoinette would serve a political goal, in order to maintain her mother's (and Austria's) influence.