Louis XVI

Louis XVI was born on August 23, 1754, in the Palace of

Versailles. His full name is Louis Auguste de France. He was the
third son of Louis, Dauphin of France and Marie-Josephe of Saxony.
Louis XVI was the last king of France in the line of Bourbon
monarchs. He was executed for treason by guillotine in 1793.

Louis XVI had a difficult childhood because his parents
neglected him in favor of his, said to be, bright and handsome older
brother. He was strong and healthy, but very shy. French noblemen
and studied religion, morality, and humanities tutored him. He
excelled in Latin, history, geography, and astronomy and achieved
fluency in Italian and English. Louiss tutors provided him with poor
interpersonal skills. As a result, he presented himself as being very
indecisive.

In May 1770, Louis married Marie Antoinette. Marie was the
youngest daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Francis I and Empress
Maria Teresa. The first few years of Louis and Marie marriage were
amicable but distant. Louis shyness kept him distant from her in
private and his fear of her manipulation made him cold to her in
puble.

On May 10, 1774, Louis Auguste became Louis XVI. He was
only 20 years old at that time; Louis was immature and lacked of
self-confidence. He faced enormous debt and rising resentment
towards a despotic monarchy. In the early years of his reign, he
focused on religious uniformity and foreign policy. His early foreign
policy success was supporting the American colonies fight for the
independence. The supporting on the American colonies had
increasing the country debt and drove the country to near
bankruptcy in mid 1780s.

In 1789, the situation in France was declining rapidly. In May
of 1789, Louis convened the Estates General. The meeting did not
go well. By June, the Third Estate declared itself the National
Assembly and set out to develop a constitution. Louis XVI resisted,
he called out the army to restore order. By July of 1789, he was
forced to acknowledge the National Assemblys authority. In the fall
of 1971, Louis tied his hopes on the dubious prospect of war with
Austria. He hopes that a military defeat would pave the way for a
restoration of his authority. The war broke out in April 1792. The
Legislative Assembly proclaimed the First French Republic in
September 21, 1792. In November of 1792, Louis was found guilty
by the National Assembly and condemned to death. On January 21,
1793, Louis was guillotined in the Palace de la Revolution.
Sources:
http://www.biography.com/people/louis-xvi-9386943
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XVI_of_France
Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette was born in Vienna, Austria on November
2
nd
, 1755. She was the fourth daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor
Francis I and Empress Maria Teresa. She was the last queen of
France. Marie helped provoke the popular unrest that led to the
French Revolution and overthrow of the monarchy system.

Marie Antoinette was the 15
th
and the second to last child of
Maria Theresa, the Empress of Austria and Holy Roman Emperor
Francis I. Marie Antoinette lived relatively carefree childhood. She
received an education that focus on religious and moral principles,
while her brothers studied more about the academic subject matter.

In 1768, Louis XV sends a tutor to Austria to instruct his
grandsons future wife. The tutor found Marie Antoinette. At that
time Marie was only 14 years old, she was delicately beautiful with
gray-blue eyes and ash-blonde hair. In May 1770, she set out from
Austria to France to be married with Louis-Auguste. In May
16,1660, Marie Antoinette and Louis-Auguste were married. The
young woman was obviously not ready for a married life. She
frequently sent letters home, which revealed intense homesickness.

When Louis XV died in 1774, Louis-Auguste succeeded him to
the throne as Louis XVI, which make Marie Antoinette become
queen of France. When Marie Antoinette becomes queen of France,
she was only at 19 years old. The personalities of Louis and Marie
could not have been more different. Louis was shy and indecisive
but Marie was outgoing and bold.

Louis XVI was dragged to the guillotine and executed on
January 21, 1793. In the October of that year, it is a month into the
infamous and bloody Reign of Terror that claimed tens of thousands
of French lives. Maria was put on trial for treason and theft. After
the two-day trial, they found Marie Antoinette guilty on all charges.
So Marie Antoinette was sent to the guillotine and executed on
October 16, 1793.

Sources:
http://www.biography.com/people/marie-antoinette-9398996
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Antoinette
http://bastille-day.com/biography/marie-antoinette