Marie Antoinette's letter to Princess Charlotte of Hesse-Darmstadt, dated February 1780

Source:

Lettres inédites de Marie-Antoinette et de Marie-Clotilde de France (sœur de Louis XVI), reine de Sardaigne, published by Firmin Didot, Paris, 1876

https://archive.org/details/lettresindite00mari/page/8/mode/2up

Above: Marie Antoinette, Queen of France and former Archduchess of Austria.

Above: Princess Charlotte of Hesse-Darmstadt.

Marie Antoinette, birth name Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna, (born November 7, 1755, died October 16, 1793), was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria and was the penultimate child and youngest daughter of Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Francis I of the Holy Roman Empire. She became dauphine of France in May 1770 at age 14 upon her marriage to Louis Auguste, heir apparent to the French throne. On May 10, 1774, her husband ascended the throne as King Louis XVI, and she became queen.

Marie Antoinette's position at court improved when, after eight years of marriage, she started having children. She became increasingly unpopular among the people, however, with the French libelles accusing her of being profligate, promiscuous, harbouring sympathies for France's perceived enemies — particularly her native Austria — and her children of being illegitimate. The false accusations of the Affair of the Diamond Necklace further damaged her reputation. During the Revolution, she was disparagingly nicknamed Madame Déficit because the country's financial crisis was blamed on her lavish spending and her opposition to the social and financial reforms of Turgot and Necker.

Several events were linked to Marie Antoinette during the Revolution after the government had placed the royal family under house arrest in the Tuileries Palace in October 1789. The June 1791 attempted escape to Varennes and her role in the War of the First Coalition had disastrous effects on French popular opinion toward her. On August 10, 1792, the attack on the Tuileries forced the royal family to take refuge at the Assembly, and they were imprisoned in the Temple Prison on August 13. On September 21, 1792, the monarchy was abolished. Louis XVI was executed by guillotine on January 21, 1793. Marie Antoinette was put on trial starting October 14 of that year, and two days later she was convicted of high treason by the Revolutionary Tribunal and executed, also by guillotine, on the Place de la Révolution.

Marie Antoinette wrote this letter to Princess Charlotte of Hesse-Darmstadt in February 1780.

The letter:

Février 1780.
J'ai appris que vous étiez arrivée hier au soir, ma chère princesse; voulez-vous bien me donner de vos nouvelles et de celles de toute votre familie; j'espère que vous n'avez pas oublié que je compte que vous profiterez de ma loge ce soir. La comédie est à six heures et demie. J'espère que vous viendrez toutes me voir une heure ou une demi-heure avant, je vous prie de n'être pas trop parées car ma loge est petite.

Adieu, ma chère princesse, je ne vous parle pas de mon amitié pour vous, j'espère qu'elle vous est assez connue pour n'en pas douter.

English translation (my own):

February 1780.
I heard that you arrived last night, my dear princess; would you please give me news of yourself and of all your family? I hope you haven't forgotten that I expect you to take advantage of my dressing room tonight. The comedy is at half past six. I hope you will all come and see me an hour or half an hour before, I beg you not to be too dressed, because my dressing room is small.

Farewell, my dear princess, I am not speaking to you about my friendship for you, I hope you are well known enough to be sure.