Marie-Antoinette, Daughter of the Caesars

by Elena Maria Vidal

  There can occasionally be seen casual speculation on the internet as to whether Louis-Auguste had what we now call Asperger’s syndrome. It is virtually impossible to accurately diagnose a dead person. In Louis-Auguste’s case it is important to recognize that in the face of the loss of his parents and the seeming rejection by his grandfather, he became emotionally closed-off, as well as secretive. As a teenager, much of his boorish behavior was probably deliberate and the only way he had to rebel against what he saw as the artificial and hypocritical behavior of his elders. From what we know about Asperger’s, however, including the tendency to poor social skills, and the resultant social isolation and frustration, as well as the intense absorption in hobbies; the symptoms can certainly be applied to the adolescent Louis-Auguste. Persons with Asperger’s are also often characterized by wearing shabby clothes, because they choose comfort over appearances. There is the love of structure, rules and lists, accompanied by heightened intellectual capacities, all of which are characteristic of Louis-Auguste. Most of all, the tendency to stand out as an ungraceful genius, or “geek” as we would call it, and have sudden bursts of rough behavior, describe the husband of Antoinette.33

  Louis-Auguste was notoriously involved with hunting and lock-smithing. He was painfully shy and awkward, but he could also display a ferocious temper.34 He and his brothers sometimes fought, using coarse language. During the Revolution, the American diplomat and statesman Gouveneur Morris recorded in his private diary a morbid rumor told to him by his friend, Madame de Flahaut, that

  …The King [Louis XVI] is by Nature cruel and base. An Instance of his Cruelty among others is that he used to spit and roast live Cats. In riding with my friend I tell her that I cannot believe such Things. She tells me that when young he was guilty of such Things. That he is very brutal and nasty, which she attributes principally to a bad Education. His brutality once led him so far while Dauphin as to beat his Wife, for which he was exiled four Days by his Grandfather Louis XV. Untill very lately he always used to [spit] in his hand as being more convenient. It is no Wonder that such a Beast should be dethroned.35

  Perhaps it should be kept in mind that Madame de Flahaut was at the time the mistress of the Bishop of Autun, better known as the infamous and shady revolutionary Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord. Mr. Morris, when not enjoying the company of his own mistress, was hobnobbing with aristocratic revolutionary agitators, such as the Lafayettes; from such people he could hardly hear anything good about either Louis XVI or Antoinette. Although there were times when Mr. Morris did reach out in genuine compassion to the King in his troubles, the circles he frequented were not immune to the gossip sown by Louis-Auguste’s brother, the Comte de Provence. The roasted cat story and the wife-beating story sound like the kind of calumnies Provence and his wife, known as Monsieur and Madame, would spread, even printing pamphlets on their private press. The idea of Louis beating Antoinette is ludicrous and has not been given credence by most serious biographers. To strike a woman was against Louis’ code of chivalry, which he would observe in a crisis by refusing to allow his guards to fire on a crowd where there were women.

  Louis-Auguste has been described as being dirty and malodorous; granted that he was an active young man, not a powdered and pampered courtier, and working with metal was not clean work; neither were his daily riding and hunting. Under Antoinette’s influence he began bathing every day, as she did. Among his collection of eccentricities was his passion for building and construction, including masonry and carpentry. Not only would he be constantly remodeling his private apartments but he would stop and help the workmen around the palace with their mortar and lifting heavy stones, boards and tiles.36 He was informal and blunt. He annoyed his first cousin Ferdinand of Parma for writing in a familiar way without first asking to write without etiquette.37 When he spoke, he mumbled in two registers, uncontrollably shifting between a grating falsetto and a rough base. He sang dreadfully out of tune and had no sense of music in general. Later, he trained himself to speak in public effectively. He had a loud discordant laugh which was known to frighten newcomers to Versailles. When engaged in conversation, he had a bad habit, probably caused by his nearsightedness, of standing too close to people, so that they had to back away to keep him from stepping on their feet.38 He obviously did not always pick up on social cues. His governor Monsieur de la Vauguyon was widely blamed for neglecting his training, especially by the choiseulistes; Antoinette herself blamed Vauguyon for all of Louis-Auguste’s problems. She later took total credit for his improved behaviors.39 He caused consternation by hunting the wild cats on the roof at night when their yowling kept him awake.40 He was profoundly modest and self-effacing about his own talents and his own worth. In spite of it all he grew into a “brave and righteous man.” 41

  All one has to do is read anything he wrote to see that Louis XVI was an intelligent young man. He could read and speak several foreign languages, knew Latin as well as his native tongue, was a skilled amateur cartographer, and enjoyed the tragedies of Shakespeare as well as of the great French dramatists Corneille and Racine. He kept a painting of Erasmus in his private apartments. He was fascinated with scientific inventions, which as King he did a great deal to promote. As a teenager he wrote and published a book of maxims for rulers, setting the type himself on his Tante Adélaïde’s printing press. He presented a beautifully bound copy to Louis XV, his Papa-roi. The King, however, saw it as a reproach to himself and ordered the type broken up.42

  Most of all, Louis was a dedicated Roman Catholic, keeping track of his Confession and Communion days in his journal. He was made Grand Master of the Military Order of St. Lazarus and Our Lady of Mount Carmel as a boy, taking seriously his obligations as a lay military Carmelite, daily praying the Divine Office and attending regular meetings.43 He was dedicated to seeing that his father’s wishes for France were carried out, and interiorly rebelled against being forced into a marriage that his father would not have approved of.44

  Louis-Stanislas-Xavier (1755-1824), the Comte de Provence, was a younger brother of Louis-Auguste, and often his nemesis. A handsome young man, his eyes radiated intelligence. His appearance was gradually marred by his excessive weight as well as a skin disease, which caused hair loss and was unpleasant to look upon.45 Called by Monsieur de la Vauguyon le Faux (the False) Provence was better able to shine than Louis-Auguste, convincing everyone of his cleverness. He knew several languages well and his Latin was so good he could have been a Latin professor. Possessing a quick mind, he was often frustrated by his older brother’s slowness and clumsiness. In one incident, Louis-Auguste broke a porcelain knick-knack that belonged to Provence, who was so angry he struck him, and Antoinette had to intervene to stop a fight. A congenital malformation of the hips made it impossible for him to ride and he had to follow the hunts in a cabriolet. In spite of his inability to sit a horse, his stables were full of exquisite mounts. In 1775, he invested in the manufacture of Cligancourt porcelain by Deruelle and it became known as the “Porcelain of Monsieur”— “Monsieur” being his title after Louis XVI began his reign. Later he had a problem with gout, but then he was a gourmande, relishing the delights of the table. His chef at Versailles was equal to none. Provence was a consummate plotter. His printing press at Versailles produced pamphlets against Louis XVI and Antoinette. Provence and his wife, Marie-Joséphine de Savoie, were certainly responsible for circulating the gossip about Antoinette. Provence spent his life jockeying for power by trying to undermine his brother. He especially intrigued against Louis XVI during the Revolution, corresponding with revolutionaries. How much his plotting contributed to the fall of the monarchy is explored in the novel Madame Royale.

  Charles-Philippe (1757-1836), the Comte d’Artois, called le Franc (the Candid) by Monsieur de la Vauguyon, inherited his grandfather’s good looks and careless charm with the ladies. A superb dancer, he was often asked by Louis to dance with Antoinette at balls. Gossip would make him her lover, but the two had nothing but a broth
erly and sisterly relationship, sharing many interests such as gardening, gambling, acting and horse-racing. He later became part of her coterie. Artois married Marie-Thérèse de Savoie in 1773, the younger sister of Provence’s wife. They had four children in all, two girls and two boys. Both girls died as infants. The boys were Louis-Antoine, the Duc d’Angoulême and Charles-Ferdinand, the Duc de Berry. The birth of Louis-Antoine in 1775 caused great distress and embarrassment for Antoinette since she did not yet have children. In the meantime, Artois chased Madame de Polastron, one of Antoinette’s ladies, which will be discussed in detail later. Artois was blatantly unfaithful to his wife, who eventually turned to religion as the years went on. Artois became more politically active, and represented the royalist resistance to the changes agitated by the revolutionaries, forcing him to flee with his family after Bastille Day in July of 1789.

  Marie-Clothilde of France (1759-1802), Queen of Sardinia, was the eldest surviving daughter of Louis, Dauphin of France and Marie-Josèphe de Saxe. Orphaned as a small girl, Clothilde, like her sister Madame Élisabeth, received a pious upbringing at the hands of their governesses Madame de Marsan and Madame de Mackau. Clothilde, who always had a weight problem, was nicknamed Gros-Madame as a young girl. At sixteen, she was married by proxy to the heir of the Sardinian throne, Charles Emmanuel. Charles Emmanuel’s sisters were already married to Louis XVI’s brothers, becoming Antoinette's difficult sisters-in-law, the Comtesses de Provence and d’Artois. The Comte and Comtesse de Provence escorted Clothilde to Savoy where she married Charles Emmanuel on September 6, 1775. The young couple found they had much in common, especially their deep devotion to their Catholic faith, and so the arranged marriage became a love match. Charles-Emmanuel was not discouraged by Clothilde’s weight but said that it gave him more of her to love. Sadly, after seven years of trying to have children, they remained infertile, and chose to live in continence as brother and sister.

  The French monarchy has become infamous to posterity for stories of dangerous liaisons. Louis XIV and his ladies, Louis XV and his Parc aux Cerfs, the Fersen legend, etc. are the standard fare served to the public for generations. Not only does scandal sell books and movies but it reinforces the modern conviction that all royals were decadent and corrupt. The Bourbon dynasty, nevertheless, was remarkable not only for the amorous escapades of some of the kings, but for souls of fortitude and devotion, especially among the ladies. Queens Marie-Thérèse d’Espagne d’Autriche and Marie Leszczyńska endured their husbands’ infidelities with fortitude, while giving an example of virtue and devoted motherhood to the kingdom. The daughters of Louis XV, in spite of their eccentricities, were known to be pious souls, charitable towards the poor and the religious houses. The youngest sister of Louis XVI, however, outshines them all. She possessed the benevolence and common touch which distinguished the descendants of Henri IV.

  Madame Élisabeth (1764- 1794) became an orphan at the age of three and was reared by her governesses. She was a stubborn child but eventually conquered her willfulness so that gentleness and kindness became her most outstanding character traits. She was also quite playful and mischievous. Once at a party at the château of Meudon, when Élisabeth was only three, she amused herself by clinging to Louis-Auguste’s coattails, following him from room to room, refusing to let go. The courtiers noticed, and crowded around to see the sight, but pressed in on the children so tightly that Élisabeth’s safety was threatened. Louis picked her up, hoisting her on his shoulder, saying: “Gentlemen, take care you do not crush my little sister, or she will not come to see you again.” 46 To quote from a biography of the princess:

  Madame de Marsan asked the king to appoint Madame de Mackau, who was living in retirement in Alsace, as sub-governess. This choice proved to have all the elements required to work a happy change in the nature of a self-willed and haughty child. Madame de Mackau possessed a firmness to which resistance yielded, and an affectionate kindness which enticed attachment. Armed with almost maternal power, she brought up the Children of France as she would have trained her own children; overlooking no fault; knowing, if need were, how to make herself feared; all the while leading them to like virtue. To a superior mind she added a dignity of tone and manners which inspired respect. When her pupil gave way to the fits of haughty temper to which she was subject, Madame de Mackau showed on her countenance a displeased gravity, as if to remind her that princes, like other persons, could not be liked except for their virtues and good qualities.47

  Madame Élisabeth and Antoinette became fast friends, with the new Dauphine often sending for the little sister to play hide-and-go-seek and other games. They became as close as blood sisters and in the dark days that would come they became spiritual sisters as well.

  “Birth of Louis XVI”

  4 Scandal

  Il y a bien du monde à Versailles aujourdhui. ―Marie-Antoinette to Madame du Barry

  Once I ran across an article entitled “Top 5 Marie-Antoinette Scandals” which was an incredibly misleading portrayal of the Queen and had little bearing on reality. Antoinette, in spite of being from a generation known for its fast pace of living, did not conduct herself in a manner which gave public scandal. There is no evidence for an affair with Count Fersen. As for Diamond Necklace fiasco, she was the innocent victim, not the cause. However, Antoinette did not live as sedately as former Queens of France had done. Her excesses as a twenty-year-old, including her flamboyant attire, her late night card parties, and some of her escapades, such as walking incognito with her sister-in-law and ladies on the palace terrace in the moonlight, were considered inappropriate behaviors for female members of the Royal Family. This was why her mother, Empress Maria Theresa, rebuked her so strongly in her letters for even slight infractions. As Lady Antonia Fraser notes in her biography of Antoinette: “Sins that would be venial in any other girl were far more consequential in the future Queen of France.” 1

  The scandals which perhaps most affected Antoinette's life were situations which had been going on long before she set foot in France. The fact that the most powerful woman at the court of Louis XV was not his pious wife or daughters but his mistress set the stage for Antoinette's tragedy. For one thing, her marriage was arranged by a courtesan, Madame de Pompadour. As a child bride, Antoinette was quick to notice that the person with the most influence over her husband's grandfather the King was Madame du Barry, of whom the young Dauphine innocently exclaimed, “I shall be her rival!” 2

  As mentioned previously, Jeanne Bécu, Comtesse du Barry, was the successor of Madame de Pompadour in Louis XV's affections. At the court of Versailles she had her own clique, the barryistes, who opposed the choiseulistes which had arranged the marriage of the Dauphin Louis-Auguste to Antoinette of Lorraine-Austria. Madame du Barry and her barryistes were allied with the Dauphin and the Mesdames, who belonged to the Devout party or dévots, in being against the Austrian alliance. Needless to say, the daughters of Louis XV, although Madame du Barry was more or less on their side, would have disliked anyone who illicitly shared their father's bed, on moral grounds. Led by Madame Adélaïde, they encouraged the teenaged Antoinette not to speak to Madame du Barry. The young princess shunned the courtesan, causing a diplomatic crisis. Madame Adélaïde was therefore able to humiliate Madame du Barry as well as create a rift between Antoinette and Louis XV, in addition to making the entire barryiste cabal an enemy of the young Dauphine. It caused uncomfortable incidents such as dirty water being poured onto Antoinette as she and her sister-in-law the Comtesse de Provence were walking beneath the windows of Louis XV’s apartments. Antoinette had the wit to turn it into a joke, running upstairs to the King and saying playfully: “Why, Papa, just look at my dress! You must keep your household in better order.”3 Louis XV was too obsessed with La Barry’s charms to risk offending the mistress. Antoinette did not understand that in her vulnerable position as bride of an unconsummated marriage she could not afford to make enemies. I think that Madame Adélaïde ultimately had good intentions, thinking
it was for the good of France to weaken any influence of the Austrian bride. Ultimately, through pettiness and indicretion, Mesdames Tantes damaged the reputation of their nephew’s wife and therefore caused damage to the crown.

  Most of all, Antoinette saw her mother, who never gave in to anybody, give in to Madame du Barry. It occurred, of course, when the Empress pleaded with her daughter to stop shunning the royal mistress, who had complained to Louis XV that the Dauphine was snubbing her. On one level, of course, Antoinette was being manipulated by the Aunts to shun the mistress, for their own purposes. However, there are other reasons she did not want to speak to Madame du Barry, who had been insolent to her from the day she arrived at Versailles. As Antoinette wrote to Empress Maria Theresa on October 13, 1771: “...If you could see, as I do, everything that happens here, you would realize that that woman and her clique would never be satisfied with just a word, and that I would have to do it again and again. You may be sure that I need to be led by no one when it comes to politeness.”4 Antoinette not only wanted to keep the mistress in her place, that is, in what Antoinette thought her place should be, but she wanted to uphold morals and decency by not giving public approval to a sinful relationship. Upholding morality was something which her mother had impressed upon her as the duty of a Catholic princess. The excuse the Empress gave as the reason why Antoinette should be friendly to Madame du Barry was because Louis XV demanded it, and he was to be obeyed. As she wrote her daughter on September 30, 1771: “You have one goal only – it is to please the king, and obey him.”5 In the eyes of her elders a fifteen year old girl was bound to obey those in authority over her, but Antoinette thought the case demanded a different approach.