European History

End of a Royal family

The terrified King Louis XVI, Queen Marie Antoinette their 2 young children, 11 year old Marie Therese, 4 year old Louis-Charles, and the King's sister, Madam Elizabeth, on the 6th October 1789 were forced back to Paris from Versailles by a mob of market woman. In a carriage they travelled back to Paris surrounded by a mob of people screaming and shouting threats against the King and Queen. The mob of people forced the King And Queen to have their carriage windows wide open. At one point a member of the mob waved the head of a royal guard killed at Versailles in front of the terrified Queen. Despite Marie Antoinette's best efforts to please the mob in giving out bread from the carriage, it was thrown back, as the people refused to eat it as ?It is sure to be poisoned? .

The next 4 years of the Royal family?s life?s were to be of misery and hope although the efforts of Queen Marie Antoinette?s Austrian family, and close friends of the King and Queen, such as Count Ferson and Count Mercy and despite one failed rescue attempt the royal family were imprisoned. The Royal family saw the terror of the French Revolution, the Queens nephew by 1792 was now Emperor of Austria and felt no need to rescue his Aunt who he had never met before. In 1792 the crown was abolished in favour of a republic making the now former Royal family of France to be nicknamed ?The carpets?. Louis Carpet the former King stood trail in January of 1793, and was found guilty of Treason and sentenced to death by Guillotine. An emotional scene followed in which the King said his goodbye to his devastated family. ?And you came to France for this!? Louis exclaimed to his wife, Marie Antoinette, dressed in black upon hearing that her husband had been executed from that day on. However more sadness followed when the ?Widow Carpet? Marie Antoinette?s 8 year old son Louis-Charles was to be taken away. Marie Antoinette leaped into his arms and did not let go for a full hour, despite threats to her life. It was not until they threatened to kill her Marie Therese that she let go. The boy who was hailed as King by Royalist around France and Europe was integrated and turned against his mother. The former Queen was also taken from Madam Elizabeth and her daughter, ?Treat her like a second mother? Marie Antoinette told Marie Therese before departing form the tower. As Marie Antoinette was led down form the tower she hit her head on the last pillar of the staircases ?Did that hurt Madam?? asked a guard ?No I felt nothing? replied the former Queen drenched in black. The widow Carpet was taken to a Woman?s Prison. A man waiting a the reception was woken up by a guard (The man had worked at Versailles once as a pastry maker and instantly recognised the former Queen) ?Name Please? he asked, Marie Antoinette replied blankly ?Look at me?. Deprived of everything the former Queen spend days in her hot cell, reading books, making clothes for her daughter, and playing with a ring on her finger passing it on to finger to finger. Every now and then the Queen would look up when hearing of what sounded like a harp being played, reminding her of distant days long gone. The existence of the Royal family was a weak one of suffering and pain, Marie Antoinette?s sister wrote ?Maybe natural death is the best fate? about Marie Antoinette. Finally in October 1793 a full 4 years into the French revolution Antoinette was trailed and found guilty of Treason among other things. She was executed on the 16th October 1793 by Guillotine, Before leaving for her death it was rumoured she said ?Now I shall take my place in hell, with my mother and two emperor brothers, and as for my fat pompous of a husband, I want nothing more to do with him?. However Marie Antoinette properly did not say this, just another public stunt form the media. Her final words were simply ?sorry mousier I did not do it on purpose? after stepping on the executioners foot. Madam Elizabeth followed her brother and sister in law foot steps to the blade a year later. Louis-Charles died alone in his cell in 1795. Marie Therese however out lived the revolution and lived until the 1850s becoming Queen of France for 20 minutes, and holding the title her mother made so iconic ?Dauphine of France?. She died in Austria, places of exile (In which she spent most of her life) include, Scotland, Kent and Austria. Returning to France for a brief period of time before being forced to leave by Napoleon who said ?She was the only man in her family? when Marie Therese gathered an army and refused to leave France.