by Helen Rose

Created on: April 24, 2008

She was born the eleventh and youngest child of Holy Roman Emeror Francis I and his wife, Maria Theresa. Her life was one of luxury and pampering. Attractive, witty and playful, she flourished with the attention and care she received.

All of that changed, however, when she was wed, at the age of fifteen, to Louis XVI and went to live in France.

Her enemies called her wasteful, thoughtless,and an enemy of reform. They blamed her for not immediately producing an heir, when the truth was that her husband refused to sleep with her because having an erection was painful to him. After three years of this, he finally submitted to minor surgery and the marriage was consummated. Marie and Louis eventually produced three children: two sons and a daughter.

Lively, lovely Marie was married to a timid, boring, in-attentive husband who enjoyed tinkering with clocks and other mechanical things and had little flair for being king.

Because she was lonely, Marie surrounded herself with a small circle of court favorites. Her enemies slandered her by claiming she had extramarital affairs and unjustly accused her of having an affair with a Cardinal.

The nobles opposed all the financial reforms proposed by the King's ministers and paved the way themselves for the French Revolution and the monarchy's overthrow.

When France declared war on Austria in 1792 the populace again cursed Marie because she was Austrian.

The French Revolution ( or Rebellion ) changed her life and the life of her family in an instant. At first, under house arrest, Marie tried to enlist the help of her brother Leopold to invade France and rescue her family. He refused.

The King became forgetful whilel under house arrest and often would ask a guard as his young son played nearby, " Who is that child ? "

There has long been speculation that Marie had another child substituted for her young son. A child, perhaps, fathered illegitimately by one of Louis' brothers, so that there would be family resemblance.

The older of Marie and Louis' sons died mysteriously at the age of seven. Speculation was that he was poisoned at the instigation of Louis' brother, the child's uncle. After all, if Louis left no male heirs, the brother would inherit the throne next, as under Salic law, no female could inherit the throne of France.

Marie and her family endured countless hardships while in prison.

She was separated from her children and wrote several letters to friends only referring to her son as " the child " again leading historians to believe she was aware the child imprisoned as the Dauphin was not her son.

Louis was executed nine months ahead of Marie. The poor man died horribly. Because he was extremely overweight the guillotine did not slice cleanly through his neck but plowed slowly through as the man screamed in agony.

Marie went to her death bravely, refusing to let the crowd see her fear. She inadvertently stepped on the foot ofo her executioner and apologized. " Your pardon, monsieur, I did not mean to do it." A queen to the very end !

Their " son " died in prison and was buried in stealth.

The only member of their family to survive this nightmare ordeal was their daughter, whose physical and mental health was forever ruined.

Louis' brother succeeded him to the throne. He left no legitimate heirs.

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