In the grand courtroom of history, few figures have been judged as harshly (or as controversially) as Marie Antoinette, the last Queen of France before the fall of the monarchy. Cast as both villain and victim, she has endured centuries of scrutiny and mythmaking since her time as ruler in the 18th century.
Was she a foolish aristocrat indifferent to the suffering of her people, or a young woman thrust into unimaginable pressure, trying desperately to navigate a foreign court and a collapsing world with limited agency?
From her upbringing to the complexities of her public image, it sometimes seems that Marie Antoinette
was doomed to die from the moment she became Queen of France. Intrigued? Click through this gallery to find out more.