Sixth Grade
Worksheets
Teenage Queen, Pt.1-Marie Antoinette
The Austrian court of the mid-1700s was a happy one. The emperor and his wife loved each other. The children of the large royal family tumbled and played about the palace grounds. The court was more casual than some. The children weren't bound by strict codes of conduct. Still, they had their lessons. The boys were tutored in math and military science. The girls learned music and manners.
The young princess Antonia was bright and pretty - everyone's favorite. She had been named Maria Antonia when she was born on November 2, 1755. Her title was Her Royal Highness Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria, Princess of Hungary, Bohemia, and Tuscany. It was a long name for such a small baby.
The tiny girl was the 15th of 16 children born to Austrian Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Francis I, ruler of the Holy Roman Empire. The Empire spread over much of Europe at the time. Antonia's mother, the Empress Maria Theresa, was the real power behind the throne. She was a brilliant ruler. She was also a crafty planner. She chose marriage partners for each of her children that would benefit her domain.
In 1769, Maria Theresa made a deal with King Louis XV of France that would seal an alliance. The king's grandson, Louis XVI, would marry the empress's daughter, Maria Antonia. It would be a great opportunity for the girl. The French court was the grandest palace in the world. The princess would live in the lap of luxury. Besides, she would be in the perfect place to put in a good word for Austria now and then.
To prepare the girl for her future, her mother brought in tutors. Antonia got lessons in French as well as dancing and other French customs. At the appointed time, Antonia traveled to France. She gave up all things Austrian to become a member of the elite royalty of France. The French called her "Marie Antoinette."
In a lavish ceremony, the beautiful young princess married her prince. The marriage made her a part of the richest and most powerful court in the world at the time. Now she was the "Dauphine" (the French title for a princess). She was given the fabulous jewels that had belonged to the French Dauphines before her. It seemed like the happily-ever-after ending of a fairy tale.
The wedding, however, was barely the beginning of the princess's story. She had begun to realize that her new life wasn't a dream come true. She was only 14 years old when she married. She'd cried when she'd said goodbye to her mother and her childhood. Now, she was very alone in a land of strange ways and even stranger ideas.
Her new husband was only a year older than she. He wasn't exactly the dashing, romantic type. He loved hunting. He was always off somewhere with his horses and his hounds. He perked up at the smell of a meal cooking. He got excited about food, wolfing down great mounds of it. He seemed, however, to have little interest in the princess.
The French court was a daunting place for a lonely young teen. On the surface, it was coolly sophisticated. Outsiders were snubbed. Underneath, it writhed with the schemes of the power-hungry nobles. Suspicion whispered in the shadows. Spies and secret plots lurked around every corner.
