Thursday, November 17, 2011

Hannah More on Marie Antoinette's Charges

When news reached England of Marie Antoinette's trial, British citizens, despite their quarrels with the French, were absolutely disgusted.  The opinionated Hannah More, like most women, was especially disgusted when charges were brought against the queen for incest,
"It is so diabolical, that if they had studied an invention on purpose to whitewash her from every charge, they could not have done it more effectively."

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8 comments:

  1. JuanNovember 17, 2011 at 5:22 AM

    I'm reminded of a scene from "Cranford" in which the imposing Lady Ludlow remarks (to whom, I can't recall) that he was lucky not to have lived through the revolution, her expression darkening as she recalls the executions of several friends and family members simply because of their social class.

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  2. AnonymousNovember 18, 2011 at 7:28 AM

    Heather, I always wondered if the British public of 1790s (politicians, aristocrats, jourmalists etc)compared the fate of the Louis XVI and his wife - with the decapitation of Charles II and Mary of Scots... Dmitry

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  3. AnonymousNovember 18, 2011 at 7:29 AM

    Sorry - Charles I of course )

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  4. Olympe de la Tour D'AuvergneNovember 18, 2011 at 11:12 AM

    Well, it's known that Louis XVI compared himself to Charles I, and he studied the latter's life in the months before his own execution. Too little, too late, unfortunately.

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  5. Amirak101November 22, 2011 at 8:24 PM

    Marie Antoinette had a generous personality but that doesn't change the fact that she was a bad queen for her people. As far as the reign of terror goes, more middle class and Third estate members died than aristos, and in any case now the rich knew how it felt to be unfairly persecuted just because of class.

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  6. Heather CarrollNovember 23, 2011 at 3:43 AM

    Perhaps, but it also doesn't mean she deserved the death and injustice she received either! I think you'll find that Hannah More shared your opinion on the queen, and even monarchies in general. But Hannah, like most of England, was shocked by what went on in the terror.

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  7. Amirak101November 28, 2011 at 10:16 PM

    I don't mean to sound cruel, but a revolution is fueled by blood. She certainly was treated unjustly and wickedly, but even if she wasn't so hated she is a representative of a regime that the people were trying to bring down. As a monarch, when you say you are the representation of a country and that you have absolute power the consequence is absolute responsibility is on you when things go wrong.

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  8. DorothyDecember 2, 2011 at 1:06 AM

    I have no use for anything that murders innocent people. No matter what their class or income level is, it is wrong. Hannah More was correct. The extreme charges against the queen brought her sympathy rather than opprobrium. As for comparing her to Charles I and Mary Queen of Scots, except for all being decapitated the three have very little in common. I suppose you might point out that Charles I and Louis XVI were both stubborn and stupid men and yet loved by their families.

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