Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles

Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles
Book no.	4
Series	The Royal Diaries
Also titled	Marie Antoinette
Author	Kathryn Lasky
Publisher	Scholastic
Published	April 1, 2000
Pages	238
ISBN	9780439076661
Setting	Vienna, Austria Versailles, France
Timeline	January 1769 – January 1771
Preceded by
Chronology	Catherine: The Great Journey
Publication	Isabel: Jewel of Castilla
Followed by
Chronology	Victoria: May Blossom of Britannia
Publication	Anastasia: The Last Grand Duchess

“	I think that my days of privacy are numbered. I have many odd thoughts about this marriage. It is hard to explain. It is not that I don't want it. I want to meet, and I am sure that I shall love, the Dauphin, but there is so much more. The Court of Versailles I think is quite different from our Imperial Court in Vienna. Versailles is a very complicated place.	”
—Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles is the fourth book in The Royal Diaries. It was the second book in the series to be written by Kathryn Lasky after Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor. The book was released by Scholastic in April 2000 and republished in November 2013 with new cover art. It was also released in Mon Histoire and My Royal Story.

A young Marie Antoinette prepares to leave Vienna to marry Lousis Auguste, the Dauphin of France.

Book description

• Original
• Relaunch
• My Story
• Mon Histoire
• Mon Histoire 2

"June 13, 1769
It has come at last—the marriage proposal! King Louis XV's personal envoys arrived this morning. I was called immediately to Mama's summer house, The Gloriette, where she works on the hottest days. I did not know what I was being called for. Indeed, I thought maybe Luisa had told Mama about our picnic and I was to be reprimanded for hill rolling! But as soon as I set foot in the cool marble receiving room, Mama was out of her chair behind the desk and running toward me. She crushed me to her bosom and whispered, "Antonia, you are to be married! You are to be the Queen of France!" Her cheeks were wet with tears and soon mine were, too!"

""I am to be Queen of France."
To forge an incredibly powerful alliance, thirteen-year-old Maria Antonia of Austria, who will one day be known as Marie Antoinette, is betrothed to Dauphin Louis Auguste, the future King of France. In order to prepare her for this awesome responsibility, she must be trained to write, read, speak French, dress, act... even breathe. Things become more difficult for her when she is separated from her family and sent to the court of Versailles to meet her future husband. Opinionated and headstrong Maria must find a way to fit in at the royal court and get along with her fiancé. The futures of Austria and France depend on it. But as she lives a luxurious life inside the palace gates, out on the streets the people of France face hunger and poverty. Through the pages of her diary, Maria captures the isolation, the lavish parties and gowns, her struggle to find her place, and the years leading up her ascendance of the throne... and a revolution."

"It's 1769. Austrian Archduchess Maria Antonia is preparing to leave her childhood home and travel alone to France. There she will be at the centre of the suffocating French court where etiquette and gossip reign. Where her every move will be watched and commented on. And where must transform herself into Marie Antoinette–the future Queen of France..."

"Partage le journal intime de Marie-Antoinette, et vis avec elle le fascinant destin d'une jeune princesse à Versailles.
⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻
13 Juin 1769. Oh mon Dieu, ça y est! Elle est enfin là—la demande en mariage! Les émissaires du roi Louis XV sont arrivés ce matin. J'ai tout de suite été appelée dans la maison d'été où maman travaille. Je pensais que j'allais me faire gronder parce que j'avais joué à peine posé le pied dans la salle de réception en marbre que maman s'est précipitée vers moi. Elle m'a écrasée sur sa poitrine et m'a murmuré: "Antonia, tu vas te marier! Tu vas devenir reine de France!" Ses joues étaient toutes mouillées de larmes, et les miennes n'ont pas tardé à l'être aussi!"

"Le fascinant destin d'une adolescente qui doit conquérir la cour de France. En fin d'ouvrage, un supplément historique sur Marie-Antoinette et la vie à Versailles aux à côtés de Louis XVI.
«13 juin 1769. Oh mon Dieu, ça y est! Elle est enfin là—la demande en mariage! Les émissaires du roi Louis XV sont arrivés ce matin. J'ai tout de suite été appelée dans la maison d'été où maman travaille. J'ai à peine posé le pied dans la salle de réception en marbre que maman s'est précipitée vers moi. Elle m'a écrasée sur sa poitrine et m'a murmuré:
"Antonia, tu vas te marier! Tu vas devenir reine de France!" Ses joues étaient toutes mouillées de larmes, et les miennes n'ont pas tardé à l'être aussi!»"

Plot

Thirteen-year-old, Maria Antonia prepares for her upcoming marriage to the Dauphin of France, Louis Auguste. He will one day be King, when his grandfather Louis XV dies. The marriage is advantageous for Antonia's mother, Maria Theresa, Empress of Austria and Hungary, who seeks an unbreakable alliance with France. However, Theresa becomes anxious, when the official proposal fails to arrive from France.

The royal family are spending the summer in Schönbrunn Palace, when the proposal finally arrives. She spent the following months learning the etiquette of the French court as well as practicing French dancing and horse riding. A few months before marrying, Antonia's beloved governess and niece passed away. On April 19, 1770, Antonia was married by proxy with her brother standing in as Louis Auguste.

Antonia, now Marie Antoinette, makes her way to the Austrian border, where her new head Lady-in-Waiting, Countess de Noailles greets her. They perform a ceremony in which, Antoinette leaves Austria forever and enters into France. A few days later, she meets her husband for the first time in Compiègne and they stage another wedding ceremony in Versailles later.

Antoinette initially dislikes her new husband, but slowly becomes his friend over the following months. This spells trouble for Madame du Barry, the King's mistress, who schemes against Antoinette. Meanwhile, Antoinette refuses to speak to du Barry, despite her advisers urging her to. Eventually on New Year's Day, Antoinette gives in to the King's wishes and says a simple sentence to du Barry.

Characters

Main article: List of Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles characters

• Marie Antoinette, the youngest daughter of Empress Maria Theresa. She is engaged to Louis Auguste, the Dauphin of France, who will one day be King.
• Maria Theresa, the nosy mother of Marie Antoinette. She is the powerful Empress of Austria and Hungary. Her goal is to marry her children to other royals.

Author

Main article: Kathryn Lasky

Kathryn Lasky is an American children's author whom sometimes writes for adults under pen names. She is best known for her Guardians of Ga'Hoole series. Lasky is the author of five books in The Royal Diaries, including Elizabeth I, Mary, Queen of Scots, Jahanara, and Kazunomiya. She also wrote four books in Dear America, three in My America, and one in My Name Is America. In the "About the Author" section, Lasky wrote fascination with princesses, especially Marie Antoinette, who she felt "personified all the best and the worst things about being a princess." Like Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor, Lasky spent a lot of time researching and "that all of what she wrote is based on actual facts."

Editions

• Physical
• eBook

Maria Antonieta: Princesa de Versailles
Spanish edition
9788478887767
(November 2002)

Maria Antonina: Księżniczka z Wersalu
Polish edition
9788373910522
(2004)

Marie-Antoinette
Mon Histoire
9782070511563
(April 2005)

마리 앙투와네트 왕비
Korean edition
9788970127149
(November 2005)

มารี อองตัวแนตต์ เจ้าหญิงแห่งแวร์ซายส์
Thai edition
9786117018305
(June 2009)

Marie Antoinette
My Royal Story
9781407116181
(April 2010)

Marie Antoinette
Reprint
9780545535830
(November 2013)

ماری آنتوانت
Persian edition
9786001036163
(2013)

ماری آنتوانت پرنسس ورسای
Persian edition
9789651156885
(2014)

Marie-Antoinette
Folio Junior edition
9782070664535
(January 2015)

凡尔赛公主
History Behind the Diary
9787020120529
(April 2017)

Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles
eBook
B00EDPL6RY
(November 2013)

Marie Antoinette
My Royal Story eBook
B00IZCOD8A
(April 2014)

Awards

• NCSS/CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People (2001) - recommended
• IRA Young Adults' Choices Reading List (2002)

Notes

• The portrait on the cover of the original The Royal Diaries edition was illustrated by Tim O'Brien.
• The cover of the 2013 reprint was illustrated by Mélanie Delon.
• Richard Jones illustrated Marie Antoinette on the cover of the My Royal Story edition.

See also

The Royal Diaries navigation
← Publication → Isabel: Jewel of Castilla Anastasia: The Last Grand Duchess ← Chronology → Catherine: The Great Journey Victoria: May Blossom of Britannia

My Royal Story navigation
← Publication → Cleopatra Elizabeth ← Chronology → Mary, Queen of Scots Victoria

External links

• Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles at Scholastic (archive)
• Interview with Kathryn Lasky about Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles at Scholastic (archive)
• Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles Discussion Guide at Scholastic (archive)
• Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles at Scholastic Canada (archive)
• Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles Discussion Guide at Scholastic Canada (archive)
• Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles at Teaching Books