5 Chapter 4 Living Like a Queen

Chapter 4 Living Like a Queen In the spring of 1774, King Louis XV became ill. He felt feverish and broke out into a rash. He had smallpox. At the time, there was no cure for this disease. In less than two weeks the king was dead.

King Louis XV's death meant it was time for Louis Auguste to step up to his new position. He was crowned the king of France at a ceremony on June 11, 1775. Marie Antoinette was proud as she looked on. "I couldn't contain my emotion;" she wrote, "tears rolled down my face in spite of myself and people took kindly to it." Louis Auguste became Louis XVI (the Sixteenth). He was only twenty—and Marie Antoinette was only nineteen—when they became king and queen. The king's minsters were worried that Louis was not

prepared to rule. They didn't know what to expect from the queen. According to French laws, queens didn't have any power. Marie Antoinette's job was to set a good example for the French people. She was to be graceful and kind, obey her husband, and have children. But Marie Antoinette's mother, Empress Maria Theresa, wanted her daughter to keep the ties between Austria and France strong. The empress insisted on knowing everything that went on at Versailles. She wanted her daughter to have influence over the king. She wanted Marie Antoinette to help make political decisions. Marie Antoinette, however, wanted to live the way she wanted. She was not interested in

following the customs of other French queens. And she was tired of listening to her mother. As queen, she could now do whatever she wanted. And she wanted to enjoy herself. It was easy to be spoiled at Versailles. Her household (all the people who attended to her) totaled about five hundred people! She had ladies to help her dress, people to serve her food, and men to take care of her horses. She even had a trainbearer whose job was to hold the back of her gown off the floor when she walked.

France was known as the fashion center of the world, and Marie Antoinette set the fashion trends. Mademoiselle Rose Bertin was her personal dressmaker. She came to the queen's chambers about twice a week. She made dresses with tight tops and wide skirts out of satin, velvet, and rich brocade fabric. They were decorated with jewels, pearls, ribbons, and lace. The queen's wardrobe filled three entire rooms! The young queen also invited the royal jewelers to show her their latest creations. She especially liked to buy diamonds of all sorts—set in rings, as necklaces, or as earrings. One set of her diamond earrings dangled like the palace chandeliers.

Her personal hairdresser, Léonard Autié, also came to the palace. French noble people commonly wore wigs. It was a sign of their high position, but Marie Antoinette took wigs to new heights. The most famous hairstyle was called the pouf. Besides being fashionable, poufs also told stories. Some held scenes of nature, with tiny figures of farmers or animals. Some had moving parts, like flapping birds. After a French victory at