Marie Antoinette
Maria Antonia: the child who was to become Queen
Born in Vienna in 1755, Marie Antoinette was the fifteenth child of Empress Maria Theresa. A lively and rebellious girl, she loved music and games, but detested her studies. Her carefree childhood came to an abrupt end when, at just eleven, she was chosen to seal the alliance between Austria and France: she would marry the Dauphin Louis Auguste, the future king of France. At fourteen, she left Vienna forever, never to see her mother again. She had not chosen this fate: she was a pawn in the hands of diplomacy. One day, that same name would become the symbol of the monarchy that the Revolution would sweep away.
