A prearranged marriage awaited Marie when she grew old enough. She was to marry the dauphin of France to cement the alliance between Austria and France. So in 1770, at the age of 14, Marie left Austria and made the move to the French palace of Versailles to be married.
Her husband, Louis, was not the ideal husband. He was said to be shy, fat, and somewhat stupid. He was a lazy king who neglected his duties to go hunt or work in his locksmith shop. He also had a disease that kept him from fathering children for seven years. But the public didn't know this fact, so Marie Antoinette was blamed for not being able to produce an heir to the throne.
Marie Antoinette was a rebellious person. She was often inappropriate during court ceremonies, she refused to wear the attire that was suited for a princess at that time, and she went places without attendants. During a visit, her older brother even told her that she had no etiquette and wasn't doing her job.
In 1774, the old king died and Marie Antoinette's husband, Louis stepped up to be King Louis XVI. King Louis had a surgery that enabled him to father children and shorly after, Marie had their first child, Marie Therese Charlotte. In most accounts, it is said that from that point on Marie settled down to be a devoted mother and wife. |
