Okay so last night I’m scrolling through TikTok right and boom there’s this fancy dress party clip with everyone in powdered wigs doing the minuet dance. And this guy goes “you look like Marie Antoinette!” which got me wondering – queen of France guillotined during revolution, had that whole “let them eat cake” mess, but did she have kids? Honestly couldn’t remember.
Diving Down The Rabbit Hole
Grabbed my tablet while eating cereal this morning thinking I’ll just Google it quick. First result says she had four kids. Neat. But then another site says two died young. Wait what? Now I’m confused so I pull open multiple browser tabs like a detective board.
Checking Old History Books
Remembered I bought this used “Royal Families of Europe” book at garage sale years ago collecting dust. Flipped through sticky pages until I found Versailles section. Yellowed paper listed:
- Marie-Thérèse Charlotte (born 1778)
- Louis Joseph Xavier François (1781)
- Louis-Charles (1785)
- Sophie Hélène Béatrice (1786)
So confirmed four kids. But handwritten note in margin said “first son died at 7” – wonder if previous owner took history class?
Double-Checking Dates
Back online found official French archives site (so many .pdf scans of cursive letters!). Cross-referenced:
- Sophie didn’t make it past 1 year
- Little Louis Joseph died from TB age 7
- Youngest boy Louis-Charles got locked up during revolution, died at 10
That hit different – imagine having tombstone for three kids as queen while starving peasants yell outside palace.
The Survivor Child
Turns out only Marie-Thérèse lived to adulthood – got thrown in prison during revolution but released after war. Wild fact: she married her cousin and became Duchess something-something. Funny how history focuses on Marie’s head chop but not mama trauma.
So final count? Four births, but only one made it through that mess. Makes palace dramas more real when you picture her checking on sick kids between state dinners. Crazy what you learn from cereal-time Google sessions.
