Murray's Social Studies
The Monarchy
In an era where the Enlightenment had people rethinking the way governments worked, Louis XVI was considered an absolute monarch who ruled by divine right. There were Parliaments in France, but they only had the powers the king granted them...that could be taken back at any time. Another probem with the parliaments was the fact that they were not elected by the people, but were rather nobility only--selected by other nobility. As such, this left the vast majority of the population unrepresented.
The people had problems with the way the king and queen were running the country (Or, in some cases, how they perceived it to be run). Here are some problems the people had with the monarchy:
Louis XVI
Louis was seen as a ditherer, largely unconcerned with running the country. He did not like to make decisions, and often, his decisions could be easily swayed by whoever was standing closest to him. Rather than ruling, Louis preferred to play with his collection of clocks and was known to hide away and tinker with his clocks all day.
Louis was also seen as a glutton. While his people suffered with the hunger and starvation that comes with a bad harvest, Louis' typical breakfast consisted of: 4 pork chops, a fat chicken, 6 poached eggs, a large slice of ham, and washed down with a bottle and a half of champagne.
He wasn't all bad...VERY unlike his successors, he was virtuous with his marriage. He did have common sense and simple tastes. Unfortunately he was also weak willed and could not make up his mind.
In general, you could say that Louis was a reluctant king. He never seemed t want to be king, and when he had to deal with the issues of the country, he dispensed with it rather quickly so he could return to his other endeavors. This may be why Louis XV and Madame DuPompadour (the king's chief mistress) stated "apres moi, le deluge" or "after me, the deluge." Basically, they meant that they did not care what happened after them, because the world would end.
What do YOU think?
Were Louis and Marie good rulers?
Marie Antoinette
Marie was an Austrian princess, and her marriage to Louis was arranged between the two royal families. It was meant to bring the two monarchies closer. For this reason, the people of France viewed her as an outsider who could not be trusted.
She was only fourteen years old when she married. This is probably why she quickly gained a reputation for lavish parties and gambling. After all, she was just fourteen, and set free to rule a country!
When Marie did not have an heir to the throne right away, the people were angered. History has proven this was not her fault, and was actually Louis' fault, but the people blamed her. Eventually, though, the royal couple had three children.
Propaganda of the time painted Marie Antoinette as uncaring, saying that when she was informed of the bread shortage due to a lack of grain, she replied, "Let them eat cake!" This was considered an uncaring thing to say, because if there was no grain for bread, there certainly was none to spare for cake! The problem was, SHE NEVER SAID IT! This was propaganda meant to make people angered at the royals, and it worked.
In actuality, she was so wrapped up in her own world, she did not generally notice the suffering of the people. During the times she was aware, she proved to be a caring queen. When people were injured by fireworks at their wedding festivities, the queen kept close contact with victims and their families, ensuring they received proper care. Also, there was a customary tax at the time called the "Queen's Belt" which was intended for the queen to have as spending money...but Marie knew this burden was placed on the poorest, so she did away with the tax, stating that "belts were no longer in fashion."