Dossier: Marie-Antoine, the art of being a mother

Another mother

The sources available to the historian are often in contradiction with rumours peddled. Among the many infamies concerning Marie-Antoinette, one of the most abject remains that evoked at her trial, about her relations with her son. Not only did the condemned woman’s response disturb the audience, but above all it justified the change that had taken place in the education of children for several decades. What the judges considered "intolerable" proximity was, on the contrary, the influence of Rousseau. Unlike her predecessors, the Queen had not merely given heirs to the Crown, she had dealt with them directly and had always sought their happiness.

(David Chanteranne, editor of Château de Versailles. From the Ancien Régime to the Present)

Co-publishers: Château de Versailles and Editions Soteca, 2022
Number of pages: 82 pages
Periodicity: N°44 (January-February-March 2022)
Dimensions: 23 x 29.7 cm
Language: French