Marie Antoinette: The Journey

When Marie Antoinette first became queen, there was optimism about her future reign. She was described as pretty and graceful. Soon after her ascension, several of her detractors, such as the Comtesse Du Barry and the Duc d’Aiguillon, the previous king’s advisor, were dismissed from the court. Both removals were attributed to Marie Antoinette, but she had nothing to do with them. The new queen still had little power in the court: She wanted the Duc de Choiseul to be chosen as the king’s advisor, but the Comte de Maurepas was chosen instead, illustrating her limited influence over her husband, who listened to his aunts more than his wife. French queens had less official power than their counterparts in Spain, Austria, and elsewhere in Europe—instead, they were expected to use their access to shape geopolitical affairs.

Marie Antoinette created controversy at court when she appointed her friend, the Princesse de Lamballe, to the position of Superintendent of Household, over the Comtesse de Noailles, who was more senior and thus more entitled to the position. The queen also raised eyebrows by selecting the impoverished Comtesse Jules de Polignac as her new favorite. In 1775, Marie Antoinette was doubly humiliated: Her sister-in-law, the Comtesse d’Artois, became pregnant before her, and then in February, Archduke Max, Marie Antoinette’s younger brother nicknamed “fat Max,” acted rudely toward members of the court during a visit.