History of Marie Antoinette as a Leader Essay

Marie Antoinette has acquired a rather bad legacy in world history. She was the Archduchess of Austria, the Queen of France, and the fifteenth minor of Maria Theresa, Empress of Austria. She was besides the wife of tabby Louis XVI, the un pop king of France. She was also the compensable symbol of taste, office staff, and nonoriety. Indeed, one when servant said, the citizenry of capital of France are rioting because they pick up no bread, Marie Antoinette replied Then, they should eat cake. Marie Antoinettes Austrian origin had made her an easy steer of the revolutionaries who accused the majestic family of treason.Many of the kings decision and some of the diplomatic ministers were to a gravid extent captured by the king. One such(prenominal) role model was the kings decision to carry outdoor(a) Jacques Necker as minister of finance. The libelles accused the tabby of having illegitimate sexual encounters with several lovers a violation of state and church la w. These accusations reflected the run across of the Cr suffer and in general the authenticity of the ruling dynasty. Indeed, throughout France, the queens name was synonymous with disgust and luxury. The queen however was a leader cloak in notoriety. As Larry Wolff arguedPrecisely the qualities that were qualification Marie Antoinette into an emblem of decadence for the ancient governance had been realized on the brink of the French Revolution. The queen led by notoriety and abuse, whilst the king led by simulation and authority. Indeed, Marie Antoinette was not sole(prenominal) the symbol of abhorrence and disgust, she was in essence the manifestation of such qualities (25). As a woman, Marie Antoinette was initially a person of integrity. When Maria Antoine became the only probable bride in the family, Empress Maria Theresa was generally dismayed.Marie Antoine had a cracked smile, due perhaps to the mental defectiveness of her teeth. The empress commissioned a French s terilize to perform some painful staven surgeries. After several months, France and Austria set a large dowry for Marie Antoinette. On the s sluiceth of May 1770, Marie Antoinette was handed to the French monarchy. Madame Antoine showed coarse interest in the marriage, as it was the only way to forge a puissant alliance between the two great powers. Reaction to the marriage was initially mixed. The would-be-queen was popular among the French public.Indeed, her first appearance in the French capital was considered a success. At court, Marie Antoinette was not in truth popular. The nobles called Marie Antoinette the Austrian woman. fully grown officials of the court accused the queen of attempting to head off the king to Austrias interests. The queen was silly of French politics. Indeed, in a garner to Empress Maria Theresa, her mother, she said Madame, my very erotic love mother, I am delighted that bestow has not damaged your health. Mine is even rather good. The same c an be said of my husband and the public.I am very grateful that the French mint have accepted me as their queen. My feel is politics. Politics is what drives the kingdom into excitement and bias (32). Marie Antoinettes relationship with the mistress of Louis VX was not very good. The mistress, Madame du Barry biasd the king to remove duc de Choiseul from power. Marie Antoinette spoke to Madame du Barry to resolve the crisis. After their conversation, the mistress was satisfactory and the crisis over. The king, Louis XV, was pleased with Marie Antoinette. The influence of the Dauphine increased dramatically after the crisis.Marie Antoinettes anxiety constrained her to spend more on trend and gambling. She spent mindlessly on clothing, particular trips, shoes, and perfumes. She also substantial intimate friendships with the ladies of the court. The princess de Lamballe became the superintendent of the Household the duchesse de Polignac became the Governess of the imperial ch ildren the comtesse de Provence became the teacher of the royal children. On the 27th of April 1774, the king brute(a) ill. Marie Antoinette pressured the king to send his mistress away from Versailles. On the 10th of May, the king died of smallpox.The Dauphin was enthrone King Louis XVI of France at Rheims. Marie Antoinette, unfortunately, was not crowned queen. Marie Antoinette became more and more horrendous after the comtesse dArtois gave give up to a son. The queen plunged into a spending spree buying clothes from prominent dressmakers from Paris and gambling. The queen also attracted admirers from the kings court. Louis XVI gave Marie Antoinette a duty. She was addicted obligation to renovate the Petit Trianon. She ordered the construction of an plump garden with an arboretum of exotic species.Madame de pompadour became one of the queens circumferent friends. With the con displace of the king, the queen instituted several changes in the court. The queen abolished seg regated dining spaces in the court and abandoned heavy opus and widehooped panniers. The queen also participated in plays and musicals. She was very fond of acting and singing. She also started to influence the appointment of officials in the state. The Marquis de Castries and the Comte de Segur became minister of the navy and minister of war respectively. nameless to many, their appointments were ap be by Jacques Necker, the finance minister.On the 29th of November 1780, Empress Maria Theresa, the queens mother, died. Marie Antoinette was worried that the death of her mother would exterminate the Franco-Austrian alliance. She sent a letter to emperor butterfly Joseph to request an assurance that Austria had no tendency of leaving the alliance. The success of Marie Antoinettes equaliser saved the country from embarrassment. The king rewarded her with cherished items for her services to the French nation. She soon gave stimulate to a male heir the Dauphin. However, after the death of her mother, Marie Antoinette was semi-retired from politics.The king shelved the queen from the affairs of the court. Indeed, the king rarely talked to the queen astir(predicate) official policy. As a mother, Marie Antoinette dedicate so much time for the royal children. She would tirelessly look after her children and even the children of her courtiers. The queen also read historied historical novels as well as Rousseaus political philosophy. The queen developed an appetite for leaning the English language. On the 27th of March 1785, the queen gave birth to a south son. There were, of course, suspicions of infidelity.The characterisation of a conspicuous, hard-headed, and spendthrift queen was abundant a public locution. A second daughter was born two long time later. According to Wolff and Hubert, Marie Antoinette was a concocted image of power (92). She was the power behind the throne, not in its classic sense. Her actions were beyond the reprove of the king. Ind eed, her actions proved detrimental to the kings position. She also played one minister against another(prenominal) in an attempt to strengthen her own position. It is not a classic expression of power play, but a hypertrophied reaffirmation of the queens indistinct position.The queen, above all, was never deterred by the persuasiveness of French politics. She was politically independent. An example of such instance was her management of the Trianon. According to Sheriff From the minute of arc she was in possession of the petit Trianon, it was spread close in some societies that she had changed the name of the sport pavilion that the king had just given her and had substituted that of fiddling capital of Austria or little Schonbrunn. A man of court, simple enough to believe the rumor and desiring to enter into her fraternity at the petit Trianon wrote to M.Campan to ask permission of the queen. He had in his letter called Trianon little Vienna (61). During the French Revolut ion, the queens uncomparable qualities as a born politician and power player began to emerge gradually. She sent letters to the German and Austrian monarchs to restore Louis XVI to the throne. She also sent equalizer to the British prime minister, enumerating the dangers of the Revolution. From time to time, she was actively involved in conspiracy. When she was about to be beheaded, she remarked with haste Long Live the Bourbon dynasty.From a historical perspective, Marie Antoinette was an effective leader in its classic sense. Her power plays were not without purpose. Indeed, her influence was based on pure politics and charisma. Works Cited Sheriff, Mary. Portrait of a Queen. Marie Antoinette literature on the bole of a Queen. smart York Macmillan Publishing Company, 2008. Wolff, Larry. Hapsburg Letters. Marie Antoinette Writings on the body of a Queen. New York Macmillan Publishing Company, 2008. Wolff, L and G. Hubert. The Monarchy in Flames. Oxford Oxford University Pres s, 1991.