In 1785, a scandal shattered Queen Marie Antoinette’s reputation, though she was completely innocent. A con artist named Jeanne de La Motte forged the Queen's signature to trick a Cardinal into buying a necklace of staggering value. The jewel contained 647 diamonds, worth as much as 1,060 pounds of gold. The plot even involved hiring a prostitute to impersonate the Queen. When the fraud was exposed, the public refused to believe Marie Antoinette was blameless. They saw a queen greedy enough to waste staggering sums for a piece of jewelry, fueling the same public resentment that led pamphlets to label her ‘Madame Déficit’ for the cost of her private rustic village.
The Fall of Marie Antoinette
How the Queen of France went from a symbol of royal excess to the guillotine.
Chapter 1
Madame Deficit
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Frequently Asked Questions
Was Marie Antoinette really guilty in the Affair of the Diamond Necklace?
No, she was entirely innocent. The scandal was a complex fraud orchestrated by a con artist named Jeanne de La Motte, who forged the Queen's signature to acquire the enormously expensive necklace. Despite her innocence being proven, public opinion turned against her.
Why was Marie Antoinette called 'Madame Déficit'?
The nickname was used in revolutionary pamphlets to blame the Queen for France's severe financial problems. Her lavish spending, exemplified by projects like her private rustic hamlet, the Hameau de la Reine, made her an easy target for public anger over the national debt.
What were Marie Antoinette's last words?
As she climbed the scaffold for her execution, she accidentally stepped on the executioner's foot. Her last recorded words were an apology to him: 'Pardon me, sir. I did not do it on purpose.' She maintained her composure until the end.
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