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Birth
Marie Antoinette was born on November 2nd, 1755. She was born in the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria. Marie was the 15th child and 11th and last daughter of Maria Theresa, the empress of Austria. Being a Hapsburg princess, she was christened Maria and the next day, baptized as Maria Antonia Josepha Joanna. She was taken to the nursery wing in the palace for her first winter due to her mother being too busy to care for her (Cavendish). -
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Marie Antoinette
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Invention of the Steam Engine
The steam engine is an engine that is powered by steam. This was invented by James Watt in 1765 and was used to pump water out mines in England. It was a low pressured engine and was safer than high power engines while still being very useful. Although harnessing power from steam was not Watt's idea, he is still credited with the beginning of the "modern" steam engine. (Bellis) -
Marrige
MArie Antoinette was married to the French Dauphin Louis-Auguste, who would later be crowned King Louis XVI (Byers). Marie was married at the age of 14 to the 15 year old Dauphin in a ceremony in Vienna. At her wedding, she wore a a dress made of silver brocade, trailed by a long train and knelt next to her brother who stood proxy for the French Dauphin. Five days later, she took a coach to France where she would meet her husband (Cavendish). -
Nitrogen Discovered
In 1772 the element nitrogen was discovered by Daniel Rutherford in Scotland. When it was discovered, Rutherford called it noxious air while others called "burnt" or "dephlogistacted" air, or air without oxygen. During the 18th century, only two gases were known, one supporting life, and the other not and the one that supports life was carbon. (webelements.com) -
Gift of Petit Trianon
On August 15th, 1774, Louis XVI gifted his a building called the Petit Trianon. While being designed, no cost was spared so that the lavish queen could make it her own. However, she completetly re-did the Trianon gardens in a new "English" styled way in contrast to the symmetry of the "French" gardens. In the Petit Trianon, the queen had rule over everyone, including the king, and she could demand privacy if she wanted. (pbs.org) -
Mozart's Haffner Serenade
In 1776, Mozart composed the Haffner Serenade on the wedding day of Haffner's sister. This was the first music written for his childhood friend Sigmund. Mozart would later do more music for Haffner but not until 1782. (genedelisa.com) -
Uranus is Discovered
In 1781, William Hershel, the German born-born English astronomer discovered Uranus. This discovery of the planet was the first planet to be discovered in modern times and it was done by telescope. By using a telescope, Hershel could tell that Uranus was a planet and not a star as other astronomers believed. The planet was origianlly named by Hershel but Uranus was proposed by Johaan Bode in order for its name to stay in the mythology catergory. (history.com) -
George Washington Elected US President
On February 4th 1789, George Washington was elected the first president of the United States of America. All 69 members cast their ballots to elect Washington president and he was already the former leader of the Continental Army. After the American Revolution George was viewed as a large American hero and everyone wanted him in charge of the country while he only reluctantly agreed to be president. (history.com) -
Mob Forces Royal Family from Versailles
In October of 1789, around 6,000 Parisian women rioted over the incresing cost of bread. Many of these women and some men got angry enough to go to Versailles brandishing weapons and broke into the palace. In the process, they killed two gaurds and demanded the royal family be moved to Paris. The family soon gave in and left for Paris which signaled the change of power and many radical reforms that were going to occur in France. (Beck 576) -
Royal Family Caught Trying to Escape France
As the National Assembly restored relationships between the church and state, Marie's husband was uncertain about their fate. Many of the king's advisors warned them that they were usafe in France so the family decided to try to secretly esacpe France to the Austrian Netherlands. When Marie and her family were close to succes, a postmaster recognized the king and the family was returned to Paris under gaurd. By doing this, the royal family had only sealed Lois XVI's death. (Beck 578) -
France Declares War on Austria
Austria and Prussia wanted to restore the absolute monarchy in France and suggested Louis XVI be restored as monarch. This led to the Legislative Assembly declaring war on Austria which Prussia soon joined in on. The European leaders did this to restore Louis's power and maintain their own. The French were poorly equiped at the time and the enemy was advancing on Paris. The war had a great effect on France and destroyed daily life and much of France's government ideas. (Beck 579-580) -
Storming of the Tuileries Palace
The Storming of the Tuileries Palace happened during the war between France vs. Austria and Prussia. On August 10th, approximately 20,000 men and women invaded the palace in which the royal family was staying. The family's army of 900 Swiss gaurds tried desperately to fight them off and defend Marie and Louis but were killed by the mob and then imprisoned the family in a stone tower. This event signified the end of the monarchy. (Beck 579) -
Begins Her Captivity
Marie Antoinette began her imprisonment on August 13th, 1792. Marie tried over her course of imprisonment to escape many times and they only led her one step closer to her death. Marie was also moved to a various amonut of Parisian prisions due to her constant attempts of escape. (Encylopedia.com) -
Invention of the Cotton Gin
The cotton gin was invented by Eli Whitney in 1793 in America. This machine greatly helped the American economy by making it the largest exporter of cotton in the world. Although the machine was incredibly popular and useful, Whitney made little profit due to patent-infringement issues. Whitney is still credited as a pioneer of American manufacturing however. (history.com) -
Moved to the Conciergerie
Marie was moved to the Conciegerie in Paris which would be her final prison. She was moved there in order to make her nephew who reiged over Austria to comprimise the war to save her but it didn't work. She tried to escape many times and came very close at one point so they set up her trial which would then lead to her death. (Delors) -
Execution
Only nine moths after her husbands execution, Marie also makes her way to the guillotine. This was a large event that everyone wanted to attend to see the queen they hated so much be executed. Throughout her execution, she remained calm and was very strong. She didn't cry or argue just tell the people what she thought they should hear. She was taken to her execution in a crude cart with a constitutional priest unlike the carriage and orthodox priest her husband was allowed. (Geurber)
