Produced By: Ms. Richman Starring: World History Students at Coronado High School

Body DetailsGender:FemaleApproximate Age:37Height:medium heightWeight:unknown* Clothinglight white shift dressObvious Injuries:head severed from bodyYear of death:October 1793

*Sources suggest that the victim had lost a lot of weight around the time of her death

Case Overview:You are a crime scene investigator, expert on cracking the coldest of cold cases. The key to your success is your expert knowledge of how to analyze and interpret historical sources.

You are being assigned to one of the most famous murder cases in history.

Use the sources contained in this case file to figure out who the victim was and what happened to him/her. Suspected Murder WeaponsThe following weapons are suspected for killing our victim. Which do you think was the weapon in this particular crime?SwordMany soldiers were at the scene of the crime and some carried swords. A French sword was used to execute Henry VIIIs second wife, Anne Boleyn.

AxeCommon weapon used to behead people. Charles I was executed with an ax in England.

Guillotine (link to more information)A new device used to behead many people identified as enemies of the Revolution in 18th century France.

Evidence: Portraits of Victim

Portrait APrincess of AustriaAge 13, 1767Portrait BPrincess of Austria1769Portrait CBody Details & Victim IdentificationThe body shows signs of being buried in a mass grave for several years, although it currently resides in the Basilica of St. Denis, Paris. A death mask of the victims head was made by Madame Tussard before burial. It can be seen to the right.

Although no identification was found on the body, sources tell us that her name is Marie Antoinette. Her occupation was queen of France.

Image AVictims FamilyAt the time of death the victim had one daughter (15-years-old) and one son (8-years-old).The victims husband, King Louis XVI had be executed in January 1793Two years after the victims death, her son died of neglect.Her daughter (an orphan and the only royal survivor) eventually left France, married but never had any children.

Section #2: Crime Scene InformationLink to Table of ContentsCrime SceneThere are no photographs of the actual crime scene but eye witnesses (or those who spoke to eyewitnesses or read their accounts) produced the following images of the crime scene.As you examine each crime scene image think about which one is most reliable and why.

Image BPlace de la Rvolution, Paris, FranceCrime Scene

Many of these prints were created in the 1800s shortly after Marie Antoinettes death. They were likely made by artists who had not directly witnessed the crime.Images D & ECrime Scene

Image F, Place de la Rvolution, Paris, France Section #3: Witness TestimonyLink to Table of ContentsWitness #2:Witness #2: reporter for the newspaper, The Moniteur

During her interrogation, [Marie] Antoinette maintained almost invariably a calm and self-assured demeanor. During the first few hours, she kept running her fingers along the arm of her chair in an absent-minded way as if she were playing the pianoforte.When she heard her sentence pronounced, no trace of emotion appeared on her face and she left the court without uttering a word or addressing the judges or the public.It was then half-past four in the morning on the 25th day of the first month when she was led back to the condemned cell in the prison of the Conciergerie.At five o'clock recall was sounded in every section and by seven, the armed forces were at their posts. Cannons were placed at the ends of the bridges in the squares and at the crossroads from the Palace all the way to the Place de la Revolution. By ten o'clock, numerous soldiers were patrolling the streets. At eleven o'clock, Marie Antoinette, the widow Capet, wearing a white morning dress, was led to the scaffold in the same manner as other criminals. She was accompanied by a constitutional priest dressed as a layman, and was escorted by numerous detachments of mounted and dismounted police.Source: Le Moniteur, no. 36 (27 October 1793), 14546. Section #4: Possible Murder WeaponsLink to Table of Contents Section #5: EvidenceLink to Table of ContentsEvidence: Portraits of Victim

Portrait D1787Portrait E1788Portrait F1791Evidence: Portraits of Victim

Portrait G1778Portrait HQueen of France, 1775Evidence B: The Victims ExcessesThe enormous width of the queens skirts was rivaled only by the alarming height of her hair. After 1760, women began raising their hair with pads and pomade to a height that towered over their male counterparts. Marie Antoinette took this trend to the hilt, often undergoing elaborate hairdressing rituals that lifted her hair three feet. Even more startling than the height of the hair were the ornaments that decorated it. These included, most controversially, references to current events. The most famous of these was the "Belle Poule," a model of a French frigate [ship] or naval vessel of that name. Source: PBS

Evidence CMany French people hated the Queen for her Austrian blood and her expensive tastes. Marie Antoinette was called Madame Deficit and blame was placed on her for the country's financial problems. As she matured, Marie Antoinette became less frivolous. She tried to change her image by wearing simple gowns and posing for portraits with her children, but her efforts had little effect on the brutal public. In October, she was tried by a mock trial, as was her husband. Marie Antoinette was convicted of treason and sentenced to death.http://library.thinkquest.orgEvidence: Artists from the 1700sThis pictures date from 1792 and show Marie Antoinette as a serpent and Louis XVI as a pig. These images help show how the King and Queen were viewed by their subjects.These images were among several that depicted the Royal family as animals. Such images helped to dehumanize the king and queen and eventually exclude them from any protection under the law.

Evidence: History of French Revolution In the late 1700s Parisians were starvingprices of bread were too high for many to afford. They heard stories about the elaborate banquets at Versailles. In October 1791, a great mob surrounded Versailles demanding bread from the King. Many had knives and swore to use them to cut the pretty throat of the Austrian who was the source of all their problems. How glad Id be to put this blade into her belly up to my elbow. Others vowed to cut different pieces of Antoinette.On reaching Versailles, they met with the assembly and had a brief audience with the king. Again, the Queen had wished to flee at their advance, but Louis would neither depart nor fire on the women. That night the mob found an unguarded entrance and was directed straight to the apartments of the sleeping queen. They threatened to kill the queen and attacked. Two of the Queens guards gave their lives to save her, as Madame Campan and her other maids hastily gathered some clothes and underwear, and Marie Antoinette ran from her bed literally half naked (by some accounts) to narrowly escape her attackers. They later ripped the Queens bed to pieces.Source: www.marie-antoinette.orgEvidence

The above painting shows Marie Antoinette and her children (a son and daughter) being taken into captivity. The royal family was taken to Paris where they were held under house arrest by the Revolutionary government. Eventually they were separated from each other. This painting was made by an artist after the queens death. That artist was not at the event but relied on stories of what happened.Evidence: Secondary Source on Victims TrialIn September 1793, Marie Antoinette was separated from her daughter and sister in law. Now called Widow Capet, Marie was transferred to months of solitary confinement in the dank Conciergerie prison, where she was under twenty-four hour guard by revolutionaries who from behind their screen watched her every move. The Conciergerie prison was the waiting room to death. In this dank prison, she lost much weight and her eyesight began to fail.On October 14, the poor pallid woman was awoken at night and faced the Revolutionary Tribunal (court). The trial was a horror, with the Queen attacked more as a person than as a queen. Her own son was forced to testify that she abused him. The queen bravely replied to all charges and to this she said, If I make no reply, it is because I cannot, I appeal to all mothers in this audience.Despite her eloquence, the verdict was never in doubt. Like the king, Marie was found guilty.Source: www.marie-antoinette.orgEvidence: 19th Century Images of the Trial

These images were made after Marie Antoinette's death in the mid to late 1800s. They depict her trial at the hands of the Revolutionary government of Paris. Evidence: Artists from 1800s

These images were made by artists after the French Revolution. They were not present at her execution. These artists romanticized the story of Marie Antoinette and in some cases saw her as a heroine.

Final AssignmentYou have reached the end of the case file.Once your log sheet is complete, write a one paragraph summary of what you think happened to our victim. Include why and how she died and who you think was responsible.Stay tuned to your World History class to learn more about this and many many many many other murders (aka executions) during the French Revolution.